Childcare on Domestic Premises, Full day care in Kent

Childcare on domestic premises

Unique reference number (URN): 2785932 Registered with Ofsted: 25/04/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR

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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 Expected standard

Children use their communication skills confidently as they talk about the patterns they make on the painting board in the garden. They discuss with staff and peers the colours they create when mixing paints. They have many opportunities to explore different media and materials and to develop their creativity through messy play. During more structured group activities, leaders do not always notice when transitions take too long, causing children to become distracted and lose focus.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make progress from their starting points in all areas of learning. There is a strong focus on counting. For example, children enjoy counting the toy ducks they place on the pond they have drawn. However, leaders do not always ensure that older children are challenged sufficiently to extend their mathematical skills further. Staff support children in developing useful life skills by encouraging independence. For example, children find and put on their shoes before going outside to play.

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Achievement Expected standard

Staff help children develop secure hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before meals. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, make the progress they are capable of as they prepare for school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders are committed to creating an environment where children can make choices and develop independence in their play. Staff build secure relationships and encourage children to talk about their feelings, helping them learn to recognise emotions. Leaders and staff reinforce the golden rules, promote good manners and use praise effectively to recognise children's achievements. For example, they thank children for helping to tidy up. Staff are positive role models with clear expectations for behaviour. They also encourage children to make simple decisions, such as choosing a story by a show of hands. Children benefit from clear routines and a wide range of activities and experiences. However, transitions between activities are sometimes too slow, which means children wait for their peers and are not always engaged in purposeful learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The leaders understand the importance of working with parents to maintain regular attendance and recognises the benefits this has for each child's development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff adapt activities and care routines to meet each child's individual needs. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, feel safe, secure and able to gain a sense of achievement as they engage with their chosen activities.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The leaders have created a warm, welcoming community in the setting, where all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to learning, form close bonds with staff. Staff encourage children to talk about their feelings and use stories and colour activities effectively to help them recognise emotions. Relationships are a key strength, and staff are quick to respond to children's emotional needs, offering comfort and reassurance when children are tired or unsettled.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The leaders and staff provide a thoughtfully planned environment and adapt routines and activities to meet each child's needs and preferences. For example, staff encourage children to explore their senses as they handle play dough and use natural materials to decorate their creations. Staff recognise when children begin to lose interest and encourage them to think about what they would like to do next. However, transitions during more formal group times are not always well managed, and children become distracted while waiting for activities such as snack time to begin.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Babies benefit from rich sensory experiences that support their learning and development. For instance, staff have recently enhanced the baby room using more natural resources to create a calming environment where babies learn about nature and the world around them. Staff also help older children learn about the planet by introducing recycling and reusing through the environment and daily activities.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The leaders provide healthy, nutritious meals and works closely with parents and staff to meet children's dietary needs. Robust procedures are in place to keep children and babies safe while they sleep, to maintain their welfare and wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The leaders have established highly effective settling-in procedures. These ensure that children are confident and feel safe and secure. The leader and staff effectively track children's progress. They use the information gathered to help plan a sequenced curriculum based on children's interests and next steps in learning. Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to progress, to ensure they achieve and thrive.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The leaders encourage staff to support children in developing their counting skills and begin to make links between numbers and quantity. However, opportunities to extend older children's understanding of mathematical language and concepts are not consistently used.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children develop a love of reading and enjoy both looking at books independently and listening to stories read by staff. Staff encourage them to predict what might happen next and to talk about stories as they develop their communication and language skills. Leaders use large-group activities to help children develop their listening and attention. However, some children lose focus while waiting for these activities to begin.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Outdoor play is a key feature of the setting, and children are curious as they explore and investigate the activities on offer. For example, they use children's fascination with water play to develop their fine motor skills. For example, they encourage babies and children to fill and empty containers using different tools.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The leaders and staff are committed to ensuring children receive the support they need to settle well into the setting. They work closely with parents, colleagues, and external agencies to assess children's needs accurately and provide targeted support. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, are helped to make progress and reach their potential. For example, staff use picture boards and sign language effectively to support children's communication and language development. There is a strong sense of community within the setting, and staff know the children well, including their individual needs and interests. Secure daily routines help children feel settled, and staff adapt activities when needed. However, transitions between activities are not always smooth. For example, children become distracted as they are kept waiting for others to join them at mealtimes.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The leaders understands the procedures for identifying families who may be eligible for additional funding and uses this funding effectively to reduce disadvantage. For example, extra sensory and outdoor resources have been purchased to support children's physical and emotional wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The leaders are passionate about supporting children and their families through high-quality provision. She reflects continually on the service she provides and has addressed all actions and recommendations from previous inspections, demonstrating her commitment to improvement. For example, she has appointed a new deputy manager and provides staff with a well-structured programme of supervision and training to help secure high-quality teaching. Staff report feeling very well supported in their roles. The leader helps to keep workloads manageable and gives due attention to staff's emotional well-being. She also recognises where further development is needed and has already begun to improve mealtimes to promote children's independence. Although she builds effectively on the setting's strengths, transitions during group activities and the level of mathematical challenge for older children would benefit from further improvement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The leaders have built strong relationships with parents and other professionals to ensure all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, receive the support they need. She keeps parents well informed through face-to-face discussions, children's online records and secure social media. Parents are highly positive about the support they and their children receive and value the setting's focus on each child's interests to help them 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 are excited to come into the setting and interact with staff and peers. They forge positive relationships with their key person and eagerly join in with activities. Children and babies confidently investigate and explore the environment. For instance, staff support babies as they use the steps on the climbing frame before sitting down to use the slide. Older children build their own assault course, moving the stepping stones and beams, which helps them develop their physical skills. Staff encourage children to count and identify

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About this setting

numbers throughout the day. However, some opportunities to extend older children's mathematical skills are not always incorporated into activities.

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About this setting

The staff have a secure understanding of the children's starting points and track children's achievements to help them plan a focused curriculum. Children join in group activities and listen to instructions, such as cleaning their hands and getting their water bottles ready for snack time. However, on occasion, staff do not move swiftly from one activity to another, resulting in children waiting for activities to start and becoming distracted.

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About this setting

Children display very keen interests in their play and make informed decisions about what they want to do. They have a wealth of opportunities to develop their imagination. For instance, they decide which animals will live in the zoo they have designed. Older children are keen to extend activities. They make entrance tickets for the zoo, using animal stickers and paint dabbers. They have a great sense of pride as they show staff their tickets and explain how they made them. Staff have high expectations of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may experience barriers to learning. There is a real sense of community where all children feel valued. Children have extensive opportunities to develop their social skills. For example, they participate in board games and share and learn to take turns as they roll the dice before moving their counter.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure older children consistently benefit from high-quality, purposeful interactions that further develop their mathematical skills. Leaders should improve transitions between group activities, so children remain purposefully engaged and learning time is maximised.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the leaders, staff, children, and parents and read letters of reference from 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. Unique reference number (URN): 2785932

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:00 - 18:00,Friday : 07:00 - 17:30

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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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