Borden Village Pre-School

Inspection of Borden Village Pre- School School Lane, Borden, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8JS

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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 come into the setting confidently and happily. They greet their friends, including the staff, enthusiastically. Children feel safe and secure. They understand and follow established routines. For example, at the end of the morning, they help to tidy the activities away before lunch. Those children who are going home collect their belongings without reminders. Children understand how to keep themselves safe. They are reminded to use both hands to move a plank of wood and to wear hats outside in the sunshine. Children have positive attitudes to their learning. They persevere and concentrate, sharing and taking turns. For instance, children devise a game where they take turns to fill each other's jugs with water, run and pour it out. Children behave well. Staff use books to support children in understanding their feelings, such as when they have been upset.

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The provision is good

The curriculum has been adapted to ensure that it meets the needs of the children in the setting. Children are able to build on their learning sequentially. For example, activities support the development of simple mark making into early writing. Children enjoy listening to stories as a group. They join in with repeated refrains and make comments about the characters.

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need to do better?

n Parents are very pleased with the level of communication they have with leaders and with their child's key person. They are informed about their child's progress and next steps in learning. Parents receive guidance about how they can support their child's learning at home. When children are registered at the setting, there is a thorough process of information gathering. This helps to ensure that staff are fully aware of children's individual learning needs from the start and can plan accordingly. n Staff plan engaging activities using children's interests and experiences. This helps them to make good progress. However, at times, there is a lack of challenge because activities are not sufficiently focused on individual children's next steps in learning. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support. The special educational needs coordinator ensures that children receive

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need to do better?

the help they need from external professionals. This helps them to make good progress. Additional funding is used wisely to promote children's learning by providing support for speech and language, which were negatively impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. n Staff support children's interest in the natural world. They create a wormery, and children enjoy watching the life cycle of the butterfly. Children observe the caterpillars hatching and growing before metamorphising into butterflies. They are delighted when they see butterflies in the garden, exclaiming that they have

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need to do better?

6 July 2023 come back to see them. Children carry their interest in nature into independent play. They point to a large bird of prey and identify it as an eagle. n Leaders are reflective. They observe staff and identify how they can make improvements to their practice. Staff benefit from regular meetings with leaders to discuss training and well-being needs. Leaders have identified improvements they want to make to the setting to enhance children's progress. For example, they have identified a training programme to help them meet the needs of children whose language development has been hindered by COVID-19. n There are strong links between the setting and other providers that children may attend. For example, they work together to ensure consistent arrangements for toilet training. Information is shared to ensure consistency in education and care. n The local community is encouraged to be involved in the setting. For instance,

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need to do better?

the farmer brings the tractor for children to explore, and the vicar comes to read stories. Those from other parts of the world share their cultural experiences with the children. This helps them to understand the wider world beyond their own experience. n Staff promote children's mathematical understanding effectively. Children grow beans and compare the sizes, using the language of comparison. Children pour water on specific numbers on the hopscotch game, recognising numbers out of sequence. Others match numerals to the number of dots, challenging themselves to rearrange the numbers from largest to smallest. n

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All members of staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding and its impact on children's lives. They have all received recent training. Staff are aware of the signs and symptoms that may suggest a child is at risk of harm, such as from radicalisation and county lines activity. They know the procedures to follow and the people to inform if they have concerns. Leaders have robust systems in place for the safe recruitment of staff. Fire equipment is checked regularly, and leaders ensure that children are familiar with evacuation procedures. Staff check the premises daily to make sure they are safe for children to learn and play.

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should:

n focus planning more sharply on ensuring that activities precisely match individual children's next steps in learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY431395 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10295453 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 26 Number of children on roll 44 Name of registered person Borden Village Pre School Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01795 421221 Date of previous inspection 5 December 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Borden Village Pre-School registered in 2011. It is situated in the village of Borden, in Sittingbourne, Kent. The pre-school operates from Monday to Friday, between 8.50am and 2.50pm, term time only. The provider employs seven members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including one staff member who has qualified teacher status. The pre-school is in receipt of early education funding for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider 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 provider. n The manager took the inspector on a learning walk of the premises. Together, they discussed the educational experiences of the children. n The inspector spoke to parents, children and staff at suitable times during the inspection and took their views into consideration. n The inspector and the manager observed staff interacting with children and discussed the learning that took place. n The inspector discussed safeguarding responsibilities with staff. She reviewed documentation relating to safeguarding and the suitability of staff.

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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

6 July 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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