Deal Nursery and Forest School

Deal Nursery and Forest School

Unique reference number (URN): 2821724 Address: Hornbeam School, Mongeham Road, Great Mongeham, Deal, CT14 9PQ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/12/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Deal Nursery and Forest 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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Achievement Strong standard

All children make significant progress. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who could not walk when they started are now confident movers. Children with SEND benefit from swift interventions and adaptions to ensure they make excellent progress in their communication, listening and attention skills. Children benefit from high-quality support from other partners and professionals, which is organised to support them individually so that they reach their full potential. Children access a wide variety of motivating and interesting activities and experiences to support their confidence and independence. Where for some children, points of transition are a focus for staff, this does not impact on children's achievement or progress. For example, babies learn to choose what they want to eat and use spoons to feed themselves. Older children use cutlery with skill. These activities help all children be very well prepared for their next learning

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Achievement Strong standard

stage. All children flourish and thrive.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders and staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. Leaders regularly review processes and procedures to ensure that all children's emotional wellbeing is at the forefront of their practice. Staff provide babies with frequent cuddles and reassurance. Older children receive regular praise for persevering. Staff are highly responsive to individual needs. For example, staff talk with children about how they are feeling. Babies are encouraged to learn to recognise different emotions. Staff encourage older children to advocate for themselves. These activities support all children's emotional wellbeing, self-esteem and confidence successfully.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff encourage children to make healthy choices and manage their self-care. For example, babies learn to use spoons to manage their meals. Older children wash their hands and put out bowls and cups for their friends at snack time. These skills promote children's understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and safe effectively.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff encourage children of all ages to be physically healthy. Babies learn to balance and move, supporting their coordination skills effectively. Older children enjoy additional yoga sessions, learning how their bodies move. These very well-embedded practices ensure that children learn to make consistently healthy choices and support children's physical and mental health very well.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff ensure that they provide targeted and individualised support so children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who face barriers to their learning make significant progress in their learning and development. Leaders regularly review practice and provision to ensure they consistently prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. They support families very well to ensure that parents and carers are provided with support where needed to help their children settle in. As such, all children feel welcomed and safe.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders prioritise children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning very well. They consistently make a demonstrable difference to children, including those who face barriers to learning, disadvantage and SEND. For example, staff develop forest school sessions to support children who do not have access to the outdoors each day. Leaders make sure that they prioritise reducing barriers for families to ensure they make a sustained difference to children. Staff know the children very well and use funding very effectively to support individual and specific needs. For example, they develop physical spaces for children to ensure they develop important movement and coordination skills. Those who face disadvantage are provided with specialist aids to support them to take their first steps. This means that children with SEND make significant progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children benefit from very well-trained staff. For example, staff swiftly identify training and adapt their practice to support children's specific needs. Staff implement this immediately, ensuring that children benefit straightaway, adapting their support skilfully to ensure they offer targeted and bespoke support for children. This supports significant progress in children's speech and language skills. Leaders ensure that all children benefit from additional sessions to further enhance their skills. For example, children join in with yoga, multi-sports, dance and French sessions, supporting their learning further.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff encourage a culture of respect and inclusion. Staff encourage children to talk about their families. This helps to support children to learn about similarities and differences positively. Staff liaise with a wide range of other professionals and partners to secure additional support and help for families where needed. For example, links with the local settings are effective, ensuring that children have a very smooth transition to school.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders and managers are very reflective and proactive. They are committed to providing high-quality care and education for all children and to making a difference. Leaders continuously review what they offer and have effective plans in place to enhance the setting further, providing more opportunities for children to learn and develop. For example, leaders accurately identified where support for staff could be enhanced and immediately supported staff's confidence with regard to this. They have instilled a culture of continuous improvement, where staff immediately ask for feedback and adapt practice in the moment, improving practice and provision straightaway. Leaders have a consistent focus on securing excellence for all children and have high expectations. This ensures they make a significant positive difference to children and families. For example, leaders are in the process of training for a therapy dog to join the setting, supporting children and staff's emotional

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

wellbeing. They have plans to extend the environment for younger children, providing them with more space to explore. This will impact significantly on children's experiences.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders and managers have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for future development. They prioritise support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who face barriers in their learning. They seek specialist advice and support to ensure that staff are well trained to support all children and families. This has a direct impact on the progress children make. Staff's workloads are

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Expected standard

reviewed regularly, and staff report high levels of support and wellbeing. Parents and carers speak highly of the setting, citing significant progress their children have made in confidence, independence and behaviour. They especially praise the support for children with SEND.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff have high expectations for children. Where needed, staff are gentle and sensitive in their interactions with children, reminding them of the rules and routines appropriately. Children develop positive bonds with their friends and staff, demonstrating that they are happy and well cared for.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

All children attend regularly, and this impacts positively on the progress they make. Staff know the children well. They identify what children need to learn next, supporting children's individual interests successfully. For example, staff ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities settle in well. They make sure that they provide children's favourite toys, helping them to feel secure. As such, children develop very positive attitudes to each other and their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

However, at some points of transition, for example mealtimes, opportunities for some children to remain focused and engaged are not embedded as consistently. At these times, this means that children are not supported by staff as well as they could be to join in with other activities to support their learning even further. Despite this, children demonstrate that they are happy and play with their friends collaboratively. For example, children enjoy exploring during their forest school sessions, learning about the natural world and moving in different ways.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff provide children with a very well-planned curriculum. Staff use assessment effectively to identify what children know, can do and need to learn next. This means that children are well supported for their next educational stage. Staff focus on developing children's personal, social and emotional skills. For example, babies are regularly cuddled and comforted, supporting them to feel safe and secure. Staff use funding to purchase resources to support older children to identify their feelings, developing their understanding of emotions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff encourage children to join in with favourite songs, rhymes and stories. Babies immediately join in with the song 'Sleeping Bunnies', demonstrating they know the routines well. Older children explore different paints, making marks and learning about colours. These activities support children's knowledge and skills successfully.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff encourage children to count and identify numbers. Older children identify how many farm animals they have in a tray, and staff skilfully support them to count on. Staff encourage all children to develop their physical skills. Staff provide additional physical activity sessions, such as football, to enhance this. All children thoroughly enjoy exploring forest school, learning about the natural world. However, during some daily routines, such as some points of transition, children are not always consistently supported by staff to be as focused as they could be. Leaders identify this and take immediate action to support staff with these times. All children enjoy learning and make progress.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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

Children and their families are at the heart of this welcoming setting. Children arrive happily, eager to explore. Babies demonstrate they feel comfortable and content. Staff plan a wide range of motivating activities for children, supporting their social, communication and physical skills. Older children explain how to keep themselves safe near the firepit at forest school. Younger children use cutlery to serve themselves at lunchtime. Babies join in excitedly with rhymes. These experiences help children to develop the skills they need for their next learning stage.

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

Staff are very good role models. They praise children regularly, supporting their self-esteem and confidence. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make significant progress from their starting points. Staff clap and cheer when babies take their first steps. Children enjoy joining in with games, tailored to their specific needs. They sustain high levels of concentration when learning how to make different shapes and sounds with toys. This supports children's understanding successfully.

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

Staff prioritise children's literacy and mathematical learning. Babies eagerly toddle to choose books themselves, and staff immediately support them to turn the pages and listen to stories, developing a love of books. Older children persevere to match numbers to how many insects they find hidden in the woods. Staff are skilful in explaining to children how many legs centipedes have. This helps to develop children's knowledge and skills successfully. Children play and collaborate with their friends and show kindness and care to others. Older children help staff to scrape their plates after lunch and put their toys away. These activities support children's independence effectively.

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Next steps

Leaders should review daily routines to ensure consistent staff practice at points of transition to best support children's needs, engagement and focus.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, managers, staff 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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Address:

Hornbeam School Mongeham Road, Great Mongeham Deal CT14 9PQ

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Deal Nursery and Forest School Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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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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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.

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Urgent improvement

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

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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