Top of the Hill Pre-school Ltd

Top of the Hill Pre-school Ltd

Unique reference number (URN): 2837919 Address: Top of the Hill Pre-school Ltd, 64 Windward Road, Rochester, ME1 2NB Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 22/04/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Top of the Hill Pre-school Ltd

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff expertly identify the needs of all children, including children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding. Additional funding is used effectively to support all individual needs. This includes providing children with experiences in the wider world, such as trips and outings.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff rigorously assess each child's progress and ensure they plan to meet their individual needs. Staff make effective adaptations to ensure all children reach their full potential. For example, staff adapt activities at the weekly forest school so that they too can engage and learn from the unique activities. Leaders and staff provide children with individual support where beneficial. For example, when there are larger group activities, children who require more support are provided with more focused activities. All children are extremely well supported to make progress from their starting points through individual teaching and learning carefully thought out by staff.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff and leaders have strong links with outside agencies and families. They share and implement ideas and strategies. For example, they use a range of techniques to help children learn about how to manage their feelings or communicate their ideas. This includes using signing and activities that teach children about emotions. Staff complete training specifically to meet the needs of children who attend the setting.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make progress in relation to their starting points because staff support children to develop skills to prepare them for their future learning. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding. For example, children use small focused games to develop their communication skills.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children confidently communicate and are encouraged to respect each other and share and take turns. Children learn new vocabulary because they benefit from hearing a wide range of language from staff. This is demonstrated when children are enthusiastic during story and singing activities. Staff are dedicated to supporting all children to build on their knowledge and skills. This is demonstrated when children learn about different artists and art techniques as they draw and paint.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

All children are settled and confident, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff have successfully created a setting where children feel safe. Children are happy at the setting and are keen to engage in their learning. Leaders and staff have ensured that they have embedded an effective key-person system, which supports all children to feel secure. Staff plan learning experiences that they know children will enjoy, such as baking activities and outdoor experiences, such as den-making.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

All children know the routines and are independent in managing their own needs, including toileting. Children talk about the importance of washing away germs during handwashing, and they discuss the benefits of toothbrushing. During mealtimes, staff talk to children about the importance and benefits of healthy eating and drinking water to keep hydrated. Staff support children to manage their emotions and feelings in appropriate ways. This includes using picture cards and resources such as puppets and books.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The setting has been awarded an accreditation in providing positive contributions to supporting children's mental health. This includes providing children with massage sessions to be able to help them to feel regulated and calm.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and staff have a comprehensive knowledge of the curriculum they have successfully embedded. Staff know all the children well, including what they have achieved since they started and what they are helping children to learn next. The curriculum is precise for individual children and is planned effectively for all learning environments. However, at times, learning has the potential to be extended. For example, when children enjoy doctors role play, they use a stethoscope and call it a hearing aid, and staff do not correct or extend learning further. Children enjoy their varied and interesting experiences. However, staff do not consistently extend on what children know even further.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff support all children to develop their communication and vocabulary skills, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff ask children thought-provoking questions and give them time to answer. They use effective ways to communicate, such as visual prompts and signing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff support children to develop their mathematical skills. For example, children recognise numbers during activities such as hopscotch. Staff encourage children to gain confidence in their physical skills. This is demonstrated when children negotiate climbing and balancing obstacles confidently and safely.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are evaluative and reflective on practice. They generally identify areas to develop and celebrate the changes they have made, such as establishing stronger partnerships with parents. Leaders have recognised the need to develop staff's confidence in managing new challenging behaviours that have arisen in the setting and intend to take swift action to support staff to manage challenging behaviour effectively and consistently.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff keep parents informed, such as routinely sharing children's achievements and next steps in their learning. Parents speak highly of the staff and the setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders successfully support staff's wellbeing and help ensure that their workload is manageable. Staff have time to complete regular training to keep their skills current.

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Needs attention

Leaders and staff have regular meetings and discussions to highlight strengths and areas they can help each other progress in. Leaders carry out regular observations to monitor the quality of staff's teaching and interactions with children. This helps them to support staff in constructive ways to continue to develop their practice.

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Needs attention

There are thorough risk assessments that are reviewed regularly to ensure the ongoing safety of children. This includes the use of cleaning equipment and the occasional interactions with the setting dog, 'Ralph'. Leaders fully understand and take seriously their roles and responsibilities to ensure they keep children safe.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff do not confidently ensure that high behaviour expectations are consistently embedded. This is demonstrated when staff do not support children to fully understand the consequences of their actions. For example, children throwing objects are told 'no thank you'. Although unwanted behaviour is addressed by staff, high expectations are not swiftly and consistently explained and therefore are not fully embedded.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff are skilful in swiftly identifying how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff engage children in smaller activities instead of large- group activities that they may find overwhelming.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

All staff establish positive relationships with children. Children seek out staff for comfort and reassurance and enjoy showing them their achievements. Children enjoy the company and playful interactions with staff.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff closely monitor children's attendance and ensure they follow up on any unexplained absences. This helps them to highlight any concerning patterns. Staff teach children about other cultures. This includes cooking dishes from around the world and learning about traditions, such as henna. Staff support children to learn about people outside of their own communities and experiences.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children of all ages are confident, settled and engaged in the safe, caring and welcoming setting. Children are independent. For example, they choose where they want to play and complete their own tasks with confidence. This includes preparing and serving their own snacks. Children are engaged in a wide variety of interesting learning opportunities that staff carefully plan. This includes creating still-life pictures with chalk. Staff know the children well, including their individual personalities, likes and dislikes. Leaders and staff fully understand what makes children unique. This helps them provide resources and plan activities that they know will interest children and support their learning.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make progress and develop new skills to support their future learning in relation to their starting points. Staff fully understand what children already know and what they would like children to learn next. All staff regularly monitor children's attendance to ensure that they are supporting them and their learning is consistent.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Overall, staff have high expectations of all children and their abilities, and children behave well. For example, children follow the rules, such as helping to tidy up during changes in routine, and are keen to help each other. Children play well together on the whole. However, at times, some children test the boundaries, including throwing objects and disrupting others at story time. Although staff do swiftly intervene and stop the behaviour, they do not consistently support children to fully understand why they are being asked to stop. As a result, children do not fully understand the full expectations of their behaviour.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Leaders and staff are reflective and adapt activities and experiences to ensure that all children can achieve and take pride in doing so. For example, they simplify activities and provide individual support where beneficial. Staff work hard to support children to engage in all areas of learning and provide children with smaller group opportunities to ensure their learning is individualised and focused.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following action by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

support staff to ensure they confidently and consistently set appropriate expectations for behaviour to support children to fully understand what is expected of them. 28/02/2026

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Address:

Top of the Hill Pre-school Ltd 64 Windward Road Rochester ME1 2NB

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Top of the Hill Pre-school Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 16:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, children and parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information about this. This data is from 14 January 2026

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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