Riverside Kindergarten Pre-school

Inspection of Riverside Kindergarten Pre-school Riverside Kindergarten Pre-school, Horton Kirby & South Darenth Village Hall, Horton Road, South Darenth, DARTFORD DA4 9AX

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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 Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children arrive happy and excited to see the staff. They eagerly explore the activities on offer and quickly settle into the daily routines. Children are inquisitive and motivated in their learning. They confidently negotiate their play ideas. For instance, they talk together about how to use the balance beam within their role- play game.

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The provision is good

Children develop their independence skills well. They get their own coats and put them on in preparation for the garden. Children self-serve their own snack and pour their own drinks. Older children access sessions especially planned for them to gain the skills they require for starting school. Children make good progress and are well prepared for the next stages of their learning.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy a good range of toys, resources and activities that support their learning and development. They make choices about their play and activities and are motivated to learn. For instance, children enjoy a range of mark-making activities and explore a wide range of tools and materials. They enjoy the cosy area, where they listen to their favourite stories with excitement. Children move freely around the setting and develop their imaginations successfully. For example, they engage with small-world figures and role play in the Chinese Restaurant, promoting their language and communication skills.

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need to do better?

n The manager and staff team have worked hard and closely with local authority advisers to implement positive changes. As a result, they have addressed the actions raised at the last inspection and have made effective and significant improvements to strengthen the quality of teaching and the children's learning and development. n Staff structure the curriculum to support individual children to learn through play. They make ongoing assessments and observations of children and use these to develop children's skills. For instance, children are gaining good small- muscle skills and hand to eye coordination. They use chopsticks within their role- play experiences to pick up small items. Children are highly praised for their successes and gain a sense of achievement. n Generally, children demonstrate good behaviour. They are kind to their friends and have a good understanding of turn taking and sharing. Staff promote this

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need to do better?

effectively. However, staff do not consistently reinforce their expectations or explain to children how some resources should be used appropriately. This means that some children do not fully value and respect the resources available to them in the pre-school. n Staff encourage children to follow healthy lifestyles well. Children can freely

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need to do better?

26 January 2023 choose when to play outdoors, which helps to encourage fresh air and physical activity. Children develop their large physical skills, such as learning to pedal wheeled toys. Staff provide children with healthy snacks and to try new foods. Children engage in snack time discussions and learn about the benefits that healthy foods have on their growing bodies. n Overall, staff promote children's language and communication well. They clearly emphasise key words within their interactions and model the correct pronunciation back to the children. Staff constantly speak to children, narrate what is going on and read stories that encourage the children to interact. Staff provide appropriate challenges to encourage children and support their critical thinking skills. They use their interactions well to check what children already know and reinforce this knowledge. However, staff do not consistently make the

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need to do better?

most of their interactions to build further on this, adding to what children already know to fully extend children's learning. n Partnership working with parents and other professionals is good. Parents are complimentary about the pre-school. They comment that they are very happy with the staff and the service provided. Parents describe how they particularly appreciate the good and ongoing communication with the manager and staff. They know about their child's development through daily discussions, parent consultation meetings and regular information sharing. n Regular self-evaluation and effective teamwork contribute well to the pre-school provision. The manager ensures her staff team is well supported. Peer observations and supervisions are in place to ensure successful professional development and staff have access to a wide range of training. As a result, the team have worked hard to make significant improvements to the delivery of the

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff have a good understanding of their role and responsibilities to safeguard children. They know the signs and symptoms that may indicate children are at risk of harm or abuse. The manager ensures staff complete regular child protection training and covers different aspects of safeguarding during team meetings. This helps staff to remain vigilant to any changes in children's behaviour or family situation. Staff understand the dangers and risks to children from radicalisation or extremist behaviour.

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should:

n enhance staff's understanding of how to help children to consistently value and respect the pre-school resources and use them appropriately

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should:

26 January 2023 n strengthen even further staff's skills to enable them to build on their interactions with children, to extend even further their knowledge and learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY478906 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10237158 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 Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 47 Name of registered person Riverside Kindergarten Limited

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Telephone number

Date of previous inspection 17 March 2022

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Information about this early years setting

Riverside Kindergarten Pre-school registered in 2014 and is based in Horton Kirby, Kent. It opens Monday to Friday, during term time only. The pre-school receives funding to provide early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are nine staff who work directly with the children, including one who is a qualified teacher.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. 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 completed a learning walk together of all areas of the playgroup and discussed the early years curriculum. n Parents, staff and children shared their views with the inspector. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity and evaluated its effectiveness together.

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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

26 January 2023 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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