First Learners' Nursery

Inspection of First Learners' Nursery St. John Ambulance HQ, Broomfield Crescent, FOLKESTONE, Kent CT19 4DE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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The provision requires improvement

Children and their families are warmly greeted at this friendly setting. Children enter happily to play with their friends. They quickly settle to choose toys to play with together. This helps to develop their social skills well. Staff plan activities based on children's interests. For example, children enjoy playing with their favourite trucks and cars in the sand tray and exploring outside. However, staff do not always fully recognise when they could support children further in their interactions with them, to extend their learning. Nonetheless, children have fun playing together outside inventing games and building towers with blocks, delighting in knocking them down. They develop friendships successfully.

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The provision requires improvement

Staff have worked hard to make changes to the environment to support different areas of learning. For example, children enjoy exploring the tepee tent and 'curiosity cube', inspired by their interest in books they have read. They enjoy snuggling up to listen to stories with staff in the cosy book area. However, although staff know their individual key children, they do not share information with each other well enough about what children need to learn next. This means that staff do not always know how to support all children during activities to develop their language and understanding most effectively.

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need to do better?

n Managers are passionate and dedicated, having made positive progress since their previous inspection. Nonetheless, there are occasions when daily routines and the way staff are deployed means that children do not always benefit from consistent quality interactions to further support their play and learning. For instance, staff do not fully recognise when children would benefit from their assistance. This impacts on children's engagement with, and attitude to, learning. n Children foster positive relationships with each other and staff, who offer comfort and cuddles. Children cheerily welcome their friends when they arrive and invite them to play. Staff encourage them to play together in the role play kitchen and to dress dolls together. This successfully enhances their personal and social skills. n Staff speak confidently about their assigned key children, sharing knowledge of their preferences and likes. However, not all staff know enough about other

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need to do better?

children's learning needs, which hinders their ability to enhance and extend all children's learning experiences. n Staff effectively support children who are learning English as an additional language. For example, they learn key words in children's own home languages to help them settle in. Staff display family photographs to assist children in understanding where they come from. This fosters a positive awareness of

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need to do better?

10 September 2024 others and the world around them. n Staff plan activities based on what children's are interested in. Children eagerly join in painting bear masks, following their interest in a story. They talk with staff about how many eyes they will put on. However, staff's approach to enhancing children's language skills is yet to be consistent. As a result, children do not always receive the support they need to help them make the best possible progress in their language and understanding. n Managers recognise that the setting has gone through challenges and changes. They are reflective and evaluative. They work well with the local authority to identify areas of improvement. They have exciting plans for the future to develop the provision further. Staff work closely with other settings and professionals to support children and families with special educational needs and/or disabilities. n Relationships with parents are positive. Parents appreciate the verbal feedback

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need to do better?

they receive at the end of the day and how friendly the staff are. However, staff do not always provide enough information about what children are learning to help parents support them at home and prepare them for school. Despite this, children are happy to attend and parents report that their children have made progress in their speech and confidence.

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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 review and improve routines and staff deployment to better support children's engagement in activities and staff's interactions with children n improve information sharing between staff about children, to help them plan activities that extend children's thinking and learning n strengthen consistency of staff's practice to support them to develop children's language and understanding more effectively n provide a more consistent approach to helping parents know what their children are learning, so that they can help prepare them for school and support learning at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY535728 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10348912 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

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

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inspection

Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 14 Name of registered person First Learners Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01303 277886 Date of previous inspection 17 April 2024

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Information about this early years setting

First Learners' Nursery registered in 2016. It is located in Folkestone, Kent. The setting is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm, term time only. It receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The setting employs four members of staff, three of whom hold a relevant early years qualification between level 2 and 5.

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Inspection activities

n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a communication and language activity with the manager. n Parents shared their views of the setting 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

10 September 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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