First Learners' Nursery

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

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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

All children are happy, confident and settled during their time at the inviting and friendly pre-school. Staff have a good understanding of their chosen curriculum and how to implement it effectively. They challenge children and engage them in their learning successfully. Staff build on children's interests well, and children learn about the world around them. For instance, when they explore how to 'free' frozen dinosaurs from ice, staff teach them different facts. This includes children learning the meaning of concepts such as evaporation and melting. Children are confident to discuss that ice can only freeze in temperatures below zero degrees.

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The provision is good

Staff teach children about the importance of following good hygiene routines. Children are independent at washing their hands and understand the benefits of doing so. Staff provide all children with good opportunities to develop their physical skills. This is demonstrated when children build and negotiate their own obstacles safely, such as balancing on crates and planks of wood. All staff are positive role models. Children are polite and behave well. Children share and take turns with good levels of maturity. For example, they independently use sand timers to indicate when their time is up with a resource and kindly pass it to their friend.

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need to do better?

n All staff have made significant changes since their last inspection. There is a dedicated team of staff members who work together well. The interactions and teaching that staff provide children is consistently of a high quality. Staff deploy themselves well to ensure they engage all children in good learning opportunities. n The management and staff use additional funding to support the individual needs of children effectively. They purchase a wide range of resources to encourage balance and core muscle development. n All staff, including management, establish positive relationships with all children. Staff know children's individual personalities well, including their likes and dislikes. This helps staff plan activities and experiences that they know will maintain children's interest and instill an excitement to learn. For example, children are excited to play interesting target games, such as tin can alley.

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need to do better?

n All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have a positive attitude towards their learning and make good progress. Staff support all children's needs well. This includes implementing new areas. For example, children independently access a calm space if they become overwhelmed. n All staff establish positive partnerships with parents and keep them well informed of their children's time at the pre-school. Staff help provide children with a good consistent link between home and pre-school. For instance, staff

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need to do better?

16 July 2025 share activity ideas, such as cutting games for children to enjoy developing their fine motor skills at home with their parents. Parents speak highly of the staff and comment that they have seen noticeable positive changes and that their hard work is incredible. n All children have some good opportunities to be creative. For example, children can access a wide range of art equipment. However, art activities tend to be adult-directed with all end products looking similar. Therefore, children do not have opportunities to express themselves and use their own imagination and creativity more freely. n The setting is diverse and inclusive. For example, children learn about some well-known festivals, such as Diwali. However, staff do not consistently provide children with more extensive opportunities to learn about other people's similarities and differences from around the wider world. n Management closely monitors the quality of care and teaching that all staff

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need to do better?

provide children. They evaluate together daily and consider what has worked well and what could be done differently next time. Staff use their findings to support their future performance plans. n All staff, including management, have attended a vast range of training beneficial to their practice to build on their knowledge and skills and improve outcomes for children. For example, staff have recently learned about the different ways to support children to develop their speaking and listening skills. As a result, staff are skilful in asking thought-provoking questions and children are confident to communicate their thoughts and ideas.

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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 support staff to consistently provide children with opportunities to freely express their own creative ideas n extend children's knowledge and understanding of other people's similarities and differences outside of their own communities and experiences.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY535728 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10367295 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 29 Name of registered person First Learners Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01303 277886 Date of previous inspection 10 September 2024

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Information about this early years setting

First Leaners' Nursery registered in 2016 and is located in Folkestone, Kent. The setting is open Monday to Friday, from 8.30am until 5pm, term time only. The setting receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The setting employs four members of staff, all of whom hold relevant early years qualification at level 2 and above. This includes two members of staff who have a relevant early years qualification at level 3 and one member of staff who holds a relevant early years qualification at level 5.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector carried out a learning walk with management. The inspector assessed the impact of the quality of staff's interactions and the learning opportunities they provide children. n The inspector viewed the indoor and outdoor learning environments. n Management shared written documentation for the inspector to review. This included safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures. n The inspector spoke to management, children and staff at convenient times and reviewed parents' written feedback and considered their views. n The inspector and management carried out a joint observation of snack time, focusing on the quality of interactions and teaching.

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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

16 July 2025 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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