Aardvark Preschool & Nursery

Inspection of Aardvark Preschool & Nursery Church Road, Romford RM3 0SH

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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

Staff create warm and nurturing relationships with children at the nursery. They give children lots of praise and encouragement as they do things for themselves. Children are very happy; they feel excited to greet familiar staff and their friends. All children show that they feel relaxed and safe. The trusting relationships they build with others help them to become confident learners.

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The provision is good

Staff consider the interests and needs of all children when planning the play environment. For example, in the role-play area, staff include foods from all the children's backgrounds and home languages. All children feel at home. They engage in high-quality interactions with staff. Staff introduce challenging new vocabulary to children in play. Children develop fluency as they engage in back- and-forth conversations.

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The provision is good

Staff teach children the rules and expectations in a way that children understand. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Children listen and respond well. Staff create opportunities for children to try new skills every day and to practise existing ones. Children are motivated learners who enjoy trying new activities. They have positive attitudes to learning and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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need to do better?

n Staff create a curriculum that is well sequenced and supports children to build on their knowledge and skills. Staff adapt activities to make them increasingly challenging over time. They consider the interests and needs of each child so that they all reach their developmental milestones. n Staff consider the prior learning experiences of all children. When the nursery receives funding, staff work with parents to spend this on resources that children may not have access to. All children have opportunities to develop a wide range of skills across the early years curriculum. n Managers and staff understand that some children may have gaps in their learning. They know that the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted on children's communication skills. They work with expert partners to support children to reach their milestones. This includes delivering specialist teaching to children to develop their listening and attention skills. All children, including

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need to do better?

those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. n Staff find out what children know and can do. They use this to plan the curriculum for all children. Staff regularly assess children's knowledge and share this information with parents. All children are engaged in their learning and make good progress. n Staff have recently attended training to enhance their teaching of maths. They

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need to do better?

4 April 2024 develop the environment to give all children access to challenging mathematical activities. Children enjoy counting, identifying numbers, and solving problems. They are confident at using maths in their play and enjoy celebrating their achievements. n Staff speak to children in ways that excite them. They teach children new words in different contexts. Staff know that children need to repeat new language to be able to use it in their play. Children are confident talkers. They develop the knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of their education. n Staff plan opportunities for children to be physically active. However, on occasion, older children do not have extended opportunities to build on their physical skills. Children do not always gain resilience at the highest levels. n Staff respond to children's care needs effectively. They teach babies sign language to enable them to express their needs. Staff teach toddlers to take

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need to do better?

themselves to the toilet and wash their hands. Children gain independence skills. They feel competent as they do things by themselves. Children behave well. n Parents report that staff are full of enthusiasm for children's learning. They say that they give them lots of information about children's next steps. Parents report that children make good progress at nursery and develop confidence and speaking skills. They say that they work with nursery staff to help support children's learning at home. n Managers plan professional development opportunities for staff. However, the impact of training is stronger in some areas of the curriculum than others. Teaching does not always continue to improve over time across all areas of the curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n strengthen opportunities for all children to engage in physically active play outdoors to enable them to develop resilience at the highest levels n build further professional development opportunities for staff across the curriculum to help their knowledge and skills to develop over time.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY536763 Local authority Havering Inspection number 10336571 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 59 Name of registered person Aardvark Childcare Services Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01708371258 Date of previous inspection 5 October 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Aardvark Preschool & Nursery registered in 2016. It is situated in Romford, in the London Borough of Havering. The setting operates from 7.30am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks per year. The setting receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 12 staff in total. One member of staff holds an early years qualification at level 6 and nine are qualified at level 3.

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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 joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The inspector spoke to children to find out about their time at the setting. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a communication and language activity with the manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate 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

4 April 2024 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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