Finch Nest Preschool

Finch Nest Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2764520 Address: Park Farm, Brasted Road, Brasted, Westerham, TN16 1LL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 14/12/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Finch Nest Preschool 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

Children make strong and sustained progress from their starting points. Communication and language develop rapidly. Children confidently use new vocabulary when naming animals, describing fruit and vegetables and talking about the weather and seasons. Those with emerging needs show clear improvements in attention, engagement and expressive language.

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Achievement Strong standard

Younger children develop secure physical and sensory skills. They explore materials with increasing control, pull themselves to stand and use equipment to strengthen fine motor development. Older children apply mathematical knowledge independently, counting during songs, comparing quantities in play and anticipating patterns during daily routines. Early writing skills are developing well. Children use a wide range of mark-making materials, write their names on artwork and create letters using loose-parts resources.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children with barriers to learning make steady and sustained progress. Adaptations are timely and purposeful, and leaders monitor impact closely. All children are well prepared for their next stage of learning, showing curiosity, independence and secure foundational knowledge.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders have established a calm, respectful and nurturing culture. Children feel secure and show positive behaviour and attitudes to learning. Staff model expectations, treating children with respect. Children help peers, take turns, say 'please' and 'thank you' to each other and even to the virtual-assistance device. This demonstrates embedded respect and social understanding.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children settle quickly and confidently. Routines are predictable and purposeful. As a result, children are engaged in their learning and develop positive relationships with others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Routines support children's independence. For example, younger children are offered choices of aprons at mealtimes. Older children serve their own food and pour their own drinks. A daily 'helping hands' is responsible for helping set and clear the table for lunchtime. They show pride in this role and consider who should do the job next.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Interventions to support behaviour are positive. Children work with others, sharing, turn- taking and developing social skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders understand the importance of attendance and take evidence-led action to anticipate and address barriers to attendance. They are proactive and work closely with parents and carers and in partnership with external agencies. This helps to establish and maintain positive routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are consistently prioritised across the setting. Staff know children extremely well and use this understanding to provide calm, sensitive and highly responsive care. Predictable routines and warm, nurturing interactions help children feel safe, secure and valued throughout the day.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Secure and trusting attachments are evident throughout the setting. Babies and young children confidently seek comfort and reassurance from familiar adults, who respond promptly and sensitively to their emotional needs. Staff support children effectively to recognise and regulate their emotions. There is particularly strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those requiring additional emotional regulation support. These children benefit from timely, well-matched interventions, including access to the sensory room and small-group support. This enables them to engage positively in learning and play.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Daily routines promote children's independence, health and wellbeing. Children develop strong self-care habits through handwashing, toileting and toothbrushing routines, and they are supported to make healthy choices at mealtimes. They demonstrate increasing independence in serving food, pouring drinks and managing personal care. Mealtimes are calm and social occasions, with clear expectations that support children's confidence and security.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop a strong sense of belonging within the setting. They form positive friendships, cooperate during play, and show care and consideration for others. The sensory-rich environment and targeted support ensure that children with emerging needs are fully included and supported effectively. As a result, children demonstrate high levels of emotional security, engagement and wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious and inclusive curriculum that reflects the setting's curiosity-led ethos and the unique opportunities of the farm environment. The curriculum is carefully sequenced across both rooms, beginning with sensory-rich experiences for younger children. This progresses to more structured learning that prepares older children well for school. Leaders know the quality of education in depth and make well-judged decisions to strengthen practice. Recent training in communication and language has improved staff modelling, vocabulary use and consistency across the setting.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teaching is consistently strong. Staff use high-quality interactions to build children's language, thinking and confidence. They introduce rich vocabulary linked to children's interests. For example, when children explored natural materials, staff extended their ideas by introducing words such as 'habitats' and 'nocturnal'. Children's ideas are valued. For example, when children explored real fruit and vegetables in the role-play area, staff encouraged them to describe textures, tastes and healthy choices. Staff sustain children's curiosity through non-fiction books and purposeful questioning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Mathematical learning is woven through routines and play. Children compare sizes, identify shapes hidden in shredded paper and anticipate patterns on the interactive whiteboard. Early writing is promoted effectively through sensory trays, pipettes, dough discos and role- play opportunities. Teaching is adapted intelligently. Staff use observations, focus weeks and support plans to shape learning so that children of different ages and stages can access the curriculum fully.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff make a sustained difference to children who face barriers to learning. They identify emerging needs quickly and put the right support in place. Daily observations, focus weeks and support plans are used effectively. Staff understand children's starting points and what they need to learn next.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children receiving additional support make positive progress because help is timely and consistent. Leaders monitor progress closely to ensure this is sustained.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff adapt interactions skilfully. Children benefit from targeted modelling, small-group sessions and clear communication strategies. This includes the sensory room and interventions such as the Bucket Sessions, which support communication, language and social skills. These are clearly linked to children's individual targets. Children's enthusiastic involvement shows the positive impact on their development.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders rigorously monitor progress. They review support plans and work closely with parents, carers and external agencies. Additional funding is used thoughtfully and checked carefully to ensure it makes a sustained difference to children's outcomes.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have a detailed and accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and priorities. They use this insight to drive continuous improvement. For example, leaders identified an increase in children needing support with communication and language. In response, leaders commissioned targeted training, introducing small-group interventions and strengthening staff modelling. This has led to more consistent practice and clear improvements in children's expressive language and engagement.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are reflective and responsive. They have embedded predictable routines across both rooms, which has improved children's emotional security and independence. The creation of the sensory room shows how leaders use evidence about children's emotional regulation needs to enhance provision. This space is now used daily to support children who benefit from quieter, structured opportunities to settle and refocus.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff wellbeing and workload are managed thoughtfully. Leaders work alongside staff, ensuring they understand the demands of practice. The induction process is thorough and supportive. Newer staff describe how leaders model expectations, explain safeguarding procedures clearly and provide time to observe high-quality interactions. Leaders also secure training opportunities for staff at different stages of their development, building confidence and consistency.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Partnerships with parents and external agencies are strong. Leaders communicate effectively through newsletters, open events and regular discussions, ensuring families are well informed and involved in children's 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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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children thrive in this warm, engaging and unique environment. They form secure attachments with attentive staff who know their routines and respond quickly to their needs. Babies settle quickly and confidently. Staff understand their cues and provide calm and consistent care.

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

Across the setting, children show deep involvement in learning. They share ideas, collaborate and sustain concentration. Routines are fully embedded and expectations are clear and consistent. Staff are excellent role models who demonstrate kindness and respect, which has a positive impact on children's emotional security. Children feel safe and develop strong relationships with staff and each other.

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

Children confidently explore their environment and natural surroundings. They use rich vocabulary to describe what they see and do. The unique environment provides valuable opportunities to engage with the natural world around them. It encourages curiosity, sustained exploration and early scientific thinking skills.

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

Children engage in meaningful activities and learning opportunities that develop their confidence, independence and self-help skills. This means that they are well prepared for school. Children's uniqueness is strongly valued. This is evidenced in the setting's

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Address:

Park Farm Brasted Road, Brasted Westerham TN16 1LL

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises personalised approach to the curriculum, which meets the needs of children of different ages and abilities.

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Address:

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, make strong and steady progress from their starting points. Targeted individualised support, skilled teaching and strong collaboration with families and external agencies mean that children's needs are swiftly identified. This allows them the opportunity to catch up with their peers.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure continued improvement to the setting's highly engaging use of the unique farm context and opportunities for outdoor nurturing provision to have a transformational impact on children's personal, social development and understanding of cultural diversity and personal responsibility.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the designated safeguarding lead and the special educational needs coordinator 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. Registration date: 14/12/2023

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About this inspection

Registered person: Finch Nest Preschool Ltd

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About this inspection

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

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

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