Elham Pre School

Elham Pre School

Unique reference number (URN): EY500776 Address: Elham Village Hall, High Street, Canterbury, CT4 6SX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 03/08/2016 Registers: EYR Registered person: Elham Pre-School

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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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to create a calm and interesting environment. For example, staff have rearranged the space to provide children with quieter areas to play. They have developed a cosy book area where children can snuggle with their friends to explore stories. Staff have purchased toys and resources to support children's interests further. As a result, children enjoy exploring the toys and resources set up for them based on what they enjoy playing with. For example, children spend time role playing in the pretend car garage, learning to be mechanics together. Staff talk with them about how they can mend and fix the bikes. This encourages children's problem-solving, imaginative and collaborative skills effectively. Staff have worked hard to ensure children know the expectations, rules and routines of the setting. Staff praise children for being kind and listening, supporting their personal and social skills effectively. Children demonstrate that

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

they feel comfortable in the setting. They follow instructions well and learn to do things for themselves. For example, older children learn to pour their own drinks and put their cups and bowls away. Younger children learn to wait their turn for the toilet, developing their understanding. Staff support families with attendance and punctuality, providing flexible sessions to help them arrive on time. This supports their understanding of the expectations for starting school successfully.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff provide a calm and safe environment, where children settle well. Staff are kind and caring in their approach. This helps children to feel secure. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with specialist equipment and resources to support their interests. For example, children are supported with pictures to help them understand what is happening next. Staff help children to learn to do things for themselves. For example, older children learn to put their own coats and boots on when getting ready to go outside. Younger children learn to wash their hands before mealtimes. These activities support children's self-care skills successfully. Children develop positive attachments to staff. For example, children are provided with regular cuddles and comfort, supporting their emotional wellbeing effectively. Staff support children to learn to keep themselves safe. For example, children know to wear their coats outside so that they do not get cold. They learn

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

to play within safe boundaries outside, supporting their understanding of risks and hazards effectively. Staff help children to learn to manage their emotions. Staff develop safe spaces for children to retreat to when needed. Staff use books to help children understand how others feel, developing their understanding of feelings successfully.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff promote inclusion. They support families well to ensure all children attend regularly, providing flexible drop-offs to help families where needed. This ensures that children attend regularly and that barriers to learning are reduced successfully. Staff share information with families about children. The key-person approach is embedded, and staff know their children well. Since their last inspection, leaders ensure they use funding to make adaptations to the

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Needs attention

environment where necessary to support individual children's needs. They purchase specific toys to help children settle in. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities enjoy relaxing in the sensory tent and sustain concentration for long periods on puzzles, purchased to support their interests. This helps encourage their attention and focus effectively. Leaders work well to support staff in understanding the graduated approach. For example, staff are encouraged to attend training to develop their knowledge of special educational needs and/or disabilities to help them understand children's individual needs. Leaders ensure staff access further training and advice to support them to meet children's individual needs. For example, partnerships with specialists and external partners, such as the local authority, are effective in helping them meet children's individual needs. Staff work

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Needs attention

closely with nearby schools and settings to help children's smooth transitions. They seek effective advice and guidance to help them support families further. This ensures that families receive support quickly and that children make positive progress from their starting points.

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Achievement Needs attention

Staff do not always know how activities can support children's next learning steps effectively enough. This means that staff do not always know how to adapt activities to what children need to learn next most effectively to ensure all children make the best possible progress. However, children are provided with activities across all areas of learning, and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with specific resources to support their individual needs. For example, children benefit from specialist resources purchased to help reduce barriers to learning. Children remain engaged learning to match puzzle pieces, supporting their concentration and attention skills successfully. Older children learn to collaborate and play with their friends. They chatter excitedly with staff about building camp fires outside and collecting sticks. They learn to listen and take turns in conversations with

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Achievement Needs attention

staff, developing their communication and language skills and supporting their understanding of the natural world. These activities help to stimulate children's curiosity and imagination. Effective links with local settings and schools support children's transition to school.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Development of the curriculum is still in its infancy, meaning it is not ambitious enough to ensure all children make the best possible progress. Activities are not always matched well enough to children's individual next steps, which impacts on how well staff know what children need to learn next and how well they support them. While staff do make use of assessment to help them identify children's next steps, this is not always translated into what staff plan for children, meaning children do not make the most progress they are capable of. That said, children enjoy the activities set up for them. Older children spend time learning to mix colours, using stampers in paint. Younger children sustain concentration creating pretend picnics with staff, learning about different foods. These activities support children's creativity and communication skills. Staff prioritise children's mathematical understanding. Children have opportunities to learn about colours and shapes. Staff help

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

them to count on when playing games, supporting their knowledge. Children are provided with resources to support their physical skills. Children enjoy learning to ride bikes, developing their coordination and balance. Children with barriers to learning or special educational needs and/or disabilities have specific resources purchased to help them manage their behaviour and emotions. Staff support them with pictures to help them understand what is happening next. This helps them understand expectations successfully. Leaders recognise that improvements are needed to address lunch box items, ensuring children have healthy, balanced and nutritious snacks and drinks. However, these are yet to be impactful. Staff monitor children's progress and share information about how children are doing, providing some ideas to support learning at home. However, this is not always consistent. Nonetheless, children learn important independence skills. For example, they

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

help their friends to get ready to go outside, and help themselves to tissues to wipe their noses. This helps children develop skills for the future.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Although leaders identify areas for improvement, not all of these are yet to be impactful. This means that although they have been identified, it is too early to identify the impact on children's learning and development. However, since the last inspection, leaders ensure staff access training and additional qualifications to support their knowledge and skills. For example, staff have attended positive behaviour training and have been supported by specialists to help children with special educational needs and or disabilities. Leaders have worked hard with the local authority to address areas in need of improvement. Staff are committed and motivated to continue to improve practice and provision and offer quality care and education to local families. Leaders support the committee to understand their roles and responsibilities. Leaders provide staff with supervision arrangements, where they discuss staff's wellbeing and workloads. Staff appreciate the opportunities they get to

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

develop their practice through additional training and taking on further qualifications. Leaders prioritise support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are committed to helping reduce barriers to learning. For example, they use funding to support changes to the environment and purchase specialist resources to help children.

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

Leaders have begun to develop their curriculum; however, this is still at an early stage and is yet to be fully impactful. Leaders recognise that they continue to have to work to do to raise standards to ensure consistency in teaching and learning and ensure all children achieve as well as they can. That said, children do make positive progress from their starting points, and staff recognise the importance of supporting their next steps and are committed and motivated to make a difference to children and families locally. Staff are good role models, and as a result, children display good manners and are polite to each other. Where needed, staff support children's behaviour positively. Children learn important skills to keep themselves healthy and safe, such as washing their hands before eating and drinking water. Staff have positive relationships with parents and support them to ensure their children

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

attend regularly. This helps children to be ready for school effectively.

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

Families are warmly greeted at this friendly setting. Children arrive with smiles, eager to settle to explore what is set up for them. They demonstrate that they feel comfortable and cared for. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff know children's individual interests and work hard to adapt the environment to support them. They demonstrate that they feel valued and belong. Staff provide children with a range of activities to support their communication and physical skills. For example, children enjoy snuggling up to listen to staff reading stories. This helps children develop a love of reading and books. Children enjoy learning to ride trikes and navigate the space in the large hall well. This supports their developing control and coordination. Staff give children positive praise and encouragement, which supports children's self-esteem and confidence. As a

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

result, children persevere, and delight in learning to ride their bikes independently.

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Next steps

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

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Action Completion Date

develop the curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious for children and that activities are linked to children's specific next steps to help them make the best possible progress 27/03/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure engagement with parents focuses on how to support learning at home and provides specific support about the importance of balanced and nutritious diets for children to support healthy choices 27/03/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and staff 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

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Address:

Elham Village Hall High Street Canterbury CT4 6SX

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 15:00

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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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2 to 4

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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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

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

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