Aardvark Preschool

Aardvark Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2774877 Address: 55 Chelmsford Drive, Upminster, RM14 2PH Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 11/01/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Aardvark Childcare Services Ltd

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.1

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.

p.1

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children behave well in nursery. They are kind and considerate to their peers and play collaboratively. When disputes occur, practitioners support children to manage the situation and consider the impact of their actions on others. Leaders and practitioners establish clear routines that are practised every day and embedded into the curriculum. They have high expectations of behaviour. Children are well prepared for transitions in the nursery. A signal is made for the children to tidy up, and, when children are asked, 'Where do we need to put the toys?', the children respond unanimously with 'in the right place'.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The key-person system is effective. Children have warm and positive relationships with their key persons. All the practitioners know all the children well. They understand the importance of secure attachments, and children are happy and settled. Key persons act as positive role models and treat each other and the children with respect. A high emphasis is placed on children's autonomy. Children are asked for their opinion and supported to understand the impact of their actions. For example, practitioners ask children before changing their nappies. They give them choices of whether it can be changed now or in a little while. The impact of not changing the nappy at all is clearly explained.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders and practitioners actively promote attendance and punctuality. They support families to develop routines and positive habits for their children's learning and future success. Leaders monitor and evaluate attendance effectively. This supports children to stay safe.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have robust policies and procedures to support children's welfare and wellbeing. Leaders and practitioners demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring that children and families feel supported and valued. Daily conversations at the door, stay-and-play sessions, termly phone calls home and information shared via the nursery app all ensure that parents and carers' voices are heard, especially for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These timely discussions support leaders and practitioners to gain valuable insight into children's lives at home so that consistent strategies can be agreed and implemented.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders and practitioners work hard to promote children's physical and emotional wellbeing. Children are taught how to keep safe in the sun, and practitioners are very clear about the wearing of sun hats and the application of sun cream. Children are provided with healthy and nutritious snacks. Practitioners discuss the importance of drinking plenty of water and where else we may get water from, such as from the watermelon. Children are encouraged to be independent and pour their own milk or water. Practitioners skilfully point out the effects the heat is having on their bodies. This supports children to understand how to stay safe. Children are also taught how to stay safe when eating, and they know they must stay seated until they are finished. This helps to build healthy habits for the future.

p.2

Expected standard

Children are supported to manage their emotions. Practitioners label their emotions and reassure them to help develop a secure sense of emotional wellbeing. Practitioners use books and stories well to help children explore different emotions and discuss the impact they have on their bodies. Children are keen to share their feelings and eagerly discussed feeling scared during a thunderstorm. Practitioners harness this opportunity to discuss feelings and how to manage them well.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and practitioners strive to create an inclusive culture. This is a priority for them. Children's individual needs are identified and assessed quickly. Robust systems to monitor children's progress are in place. This ensures that any concerns about development are identified quickly and acted upon. Families complete an 'All About Me' form on arrival, which helps to highlight any concerns. Home visits take place before children start. This allows for practitioners to see the children where they are most comfortable and build a rapport. Practitioners build a strong relationship with families, which supports two-way communication and develops a collaborative approach to identifying children's needs.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders put in place strategic support to ensure that the needs of the children are met. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) take part in adult-led group interventions designed to develop attention, listening and shared focus. Practitioners make purposeful use of pictures to help children know when the sessions are beginning. Children are keen to join the highly motivating session. For example, the practitioner shows the symbol and says 'bucket time', and the children reply 'yay, bucket time'.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders work proactively with external agencies to shape children's support. They are dynamic in their approach to the support they give and make adaptations to the provision to support learning. Leaders have made changes to the entrance way, for example, to support transitions, especially for children with SEND. This ensures that all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

In general, children develop through the curriculum and make steady progress from their starting points. Effective strategies that are in place ensure that children typically catch up. A strong emphasis is placed on communication and language overall, and children are typically confident communicators. Practitioners know that children develop at different rates and target their communication to meet the needs of the children.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Children gain important skills in personal, social and emotional development. They learn how to share and take turns with their peers, negotiating whose turn it is next. They play collaboratively, which is vital for learning. Children are confident and lead their play. They interact well, building friendship groups and learning the qualities needed to be a good friend. Children show a growing curiosity for learning and are excited and proud of their achievements. They delight in showing practitioners what they have accomplished. Children exclaim, 'Look!' that they 'found 4 and 4' as they hold up a number 4 and a tower of 4 blocks. Practitioners foster a love for learning and direct specific praise so children know what they have done well.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff typically have a secure understanding of child development. Across the curriculum, staff generally model rich language and encourage children to communicate confidently. For example, when exploring sea creatures, children were exposed to words such as 'crustations' and attempt to use this language in their play. However, on occasion, opportunities to extend children's vocabulary and deepen understanding are not fully maximised. This means that some children do not develop their language as quickly as they could.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and practitioners use books and stories to support understanding and help the children to think beyond the here and now. Children develop a love for books, rhymes and songs. During a group activity, children enthusiastically discuss mountains and whether they are a living thing. Practitioners skilfully challenge misconceptions and support understanding by linking knowledge to what they already know, saying, for example, 'We know some mountains… Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.'

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the curriculum supports children's physical development. Children are supported to practise small-muscle skills, such as pouring and filling and using writing implements. They are also supported to practise large-muscle skills such as jumping, running and hopping. Children develop perseverance and resilience as they work hard to fill a potion bottle with water for an extended period of time and not giving up when it spills on the tray.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that mathematics is woven throughout the curriculum and is apparent in most experiences. Children delight in filling in the blanks for the next number. For example, when practitioners say '1, 2, 3, 4 …', the children excitedly shout '5'. Typically, children have a secure grounding in number through books, rhymes, songs and everyday routines.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are committed to providing high-quality care and education to improve the lives of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders are passionate about inclusion and know the importance of getting it right for all children. Typically, their strategic approach to improvement prioritises the best possible outcomes for children.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have fostered a culture of continual professional development. Through observations and quality assurance checks, leaders work with practitioners to highlight what training is needed. The most recent training on children with SEND has had a significant impact on practice, ensuring better outcomes for children. Leaders consistently manage staff's wellbeing and workload. Through regular supervision and daily catch-up meetings, practitioners have the opportunity to share any concerns. Practitioners are experienced and long-standing members of the team. Leaders and families celebrate the longevity of the team and the experience they have.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work in partnership with parents and carers and engage with other organisations in the local community. For example, children visit and are visited by local church leaders. This supports children to understand similarities and differences in others. Parents speak highly of the leaders and practitioners. They feel their children are happy, secure and thriving.

p.5

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

Children are keen and excited to come to nursery. They enter the room and independently hang up their sun hats and select their picture for self-registration. This supports children to feel like they belong. They delight in the variety of choices and quickly settle into learning. Children have a positive attitude towards learning and are bursting to share information about their evening and who they have spent time with. Children confidently talk about family members and what is happening in their lives. Practitioners respond sensitively and with care. Children feel like they are listened to.

p.5

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

Practitioners discuss with parents and carers, on arrival, any significant events that have taken place. Practitioners then make adaptations to their provision to ensure that the needs of the children are met. Families are welcomed into nursery, and their contributions are valued. A stay-and-play session takes place in which parents can see how the curriculum is supporting their child's development and how they can support their development outside of nursery. This enables children to feel safe and cared for.

p.5

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

Children play harmoniously with their peers and, when disputes arise, are skilfully supported to manage their emotions. Children experience a rich and broad curriculum and are generally well prepared for the next steps in their learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those with other barriers to learning make excellent progress from their starting points. Their needs are identified quickly, and strategies are put in place to help close the gap. Professional expertise is sought, and their advice is acted upon swiftly. This supports most children, especially those with SEND, to achieve.

p.5

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

Children's individual uniqueness is valued. They express their likes and dislikes, and this is reflected in the curriculum. Children participate in a mixture of adult-led and child-led

p.5

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.6

Address:

Registered person: Aardvark Childcare Services Ltd

p.6

Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 15:00

p.6

Address:

Local authority: Havering experiences. Experienced practitioners build on prior knowledge and support children to thrive.

p.6

Next steps

Leaders should ensure that the well-designed approaches for extending children's vocabulary and understanding are consistently embedded across the nursery.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, parents and carers, children, the special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding lead during the inspection.

p.6

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.

p.6

Facts and figures used on inspection

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

p.7

Exceptional

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

p.7

Strong standard

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Needs attention

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8