Noah's Ark Nursery School

Inspection of Noah's Ark Nursery School The Bristol Huts, Birchington Primary School, Park Lane, Birchington, Kent CT7 0AS

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is good

Children thrive in this highly inclusive, supportive nursery. All staff are warm, welcoming, and provide children with lots of positive praise and care throughout the day. Children feel safe and settle quickly, forming close and nurturing bonds with their key person.

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The provision is good

Staff provide exciting activities that encourage children to interact with each other. They share their ideas about how to create an obstacle course, which their friends can join in with. They become excited when they achieve new skills and praise their friends for doing well.

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The provision is good

The manager and staff have high expectations for each and every child. They provide a wealth of activities that are carefully planned, to ensure every child is appropriately challenged and making progress. Older children enjoy a range of opportunities to increase their fine motor skills, in readiness for school. They show curiosity when painting with pipettes, demonstrate their imagination using a play dough tinker tray, and enjoy discovering colours and shapes with whiteboard markers. Younger children explore different textures through sensory bags, and spend time making marks in the sand and uncovering bugs with tweezers. Children are well supported to begin to develop a love of learning, and to become independent, resilient and confident.

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need to do better?

n The manager has a clear intent for the curriculum, which she shares effectively with all staff. The staff team work together to carefully plan a curriculum that provides well-considered next steps, and coherently builds on what children already know and can do. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are included in all the learning on offer. This supports all children to make good progress. n Leaders are extremely knowledgeable about how best to support children with SEND. They are quick to identify any needs and address them in a timely, successful manner. They carefully consider the use of funding to support the individual child, such as sensory resources, and apparatus to support physical development. Staff use Makaton signing where appropriate to effectively support children's communication skills, so they feel secure and included. n Staff support children's mathematical development in activities. For example,

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need to do better?

staff encourage children to count the pieces of play dough they cut, and identify the colours. Younger children are supported to count the number of conkers they manage to pick up with tweezers. Children show delight in doing this and beam with pride at the praise they receive. n Staff provide lots of opportunities for children to listen to stories. Some children

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need to do better?

21 November 2022 go to the cosy reading corners and curl up with staff for a chosen story. At other times, staff provide group-reading experiences, with puppets and resources to ignite their interest and love of reading. However, staff do not always consider the best environment or time for this, so children can become distracted by other activities on offer. This means they leave before the story is finished and don't benefit fully from all the learning on offer. n Staff have strategies in place to support children's understanding of behaviour and conflict management. For example, they provide sand timers for sharing toys. However, staff are not consistent in their use, and their approach to behaviour management. This could become confusing to children at times, and doesn't fully support them to understand taking turns and the impact of their behaviour. n Leaders have adapted the use of space, to provide children with a room that is

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need to do better?

focused on physical development. Staff regularly support children to access equipment, such as, slides, obstacle courses and exercise balls. They teach them about risk and safety and allow them the independence, to have a go and explore things for themselves. This helps children to flourish in their physical and personal development. n The manager is constantly evaluative of the care and education the nursery provides. She regularly observes children and supports staff to identify any areas they could seek to improve. She provides monthly training for staff to provide the best outcomes for children. n Leaders and staff have very good relationships with parents. Parents are clear who their child's key person is and they value the time staff take to talk with them regularly. Staff share information through an online system, including children's current development and next steps. They help parents to support and

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need to do better?

extend their child's learning at home. Parents report that 'The patience, professionalism, and care provided is fantastic' and say that they can not fault the staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff demonstrate a thorough understanding of child protection and their roles in safeguarding children. Staff are clear about the importance of making prompt referrals should they have any concerns about a child, and how to deal appropriately with allegations. Staff receive regular training to keep their knowledge up to date and additional training is sought to ensure the safety, inclusivity and well-being of all children and staff. Staff undertake effective risk assessments of the nursery environment, which helps to reduce and minimise any potential hazards.

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should:

21 November 2022 n consider the environment for story times, to ensure that distractions are minimised to enable children to fully engage in their learning n support staff to provide a more consistent approach to behaviour management with younger children, so that they all understand the rules for appropriate behaviour and taking turns.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127411 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10228025 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 53 Name of registered person Marsh, Jacqueline Alice Mary

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reference number

Telephone number 01843 843135 Date of previous inspection 4 January 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Noah's Ark Nursery School registered in 1994. It operates in the grounds of Birchington Primary School, in Birchington, Kent. The nursery is open each weekday, from 8am to 6pm, generally during term time only. It offers before and after-school sessions and a holiday club for children aged up to 11 years. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 13 staff; of these, 11 hold a relevant childcare qualification at level 2 or above.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The manager and inspector carried out a joint observation and spoke with staff. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation. n Parents shared their views on the nursery with the inspector.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

21 November 2022 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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