The Old Station Nursery Canterbury

The Old Station Nursery Canterbury

Unique reference number (URN): 2629640 Address: 50 Mill Lane, Harbledown, Canterbury, CT2 8NE Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 28/03/2021 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: The Old Station Nursery Limited

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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 Strong standard

Children play and learn in calm yet stimulating areas, that are well resourced and appealing to all. Leaders and staff ensure that the learning environment is varied and stimulating, which supports children to remain highly engaged and focused on their learning. Staff support children to know what to expect and explain the consequences of their actions on themselves and others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children follow routines well and understand what is happening now and next. This helps them to feel safe and secure. Due to staff deploying themselves effectively throughout the learning space, they support children to work collaboratively with others. Staff identify children who need further support to regulate their behaviour, and provide specific places in the rooms for them to sit quietly and find calm, quieter activities.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Inspirational leaders maintain robust and deeply supportive partnerships with families. They work with parents and carers to remove any barriers to attendance, offering bespoke flexibility with days and hours whenever they can accommodate this. Consequently, children attend regularly, love their time at the nursery, and make steady and ongoing progress.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders work highly collaboratively as a team and have high expectations for all children. They work to continuously evaluate the nursery and regularly reflect on what is working well, and what needs to be better. This ensures that children's and staff's best interests continue to be a priority.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have clear plans to promote the continuous enhancement of the nursery. For example, staff take part in bespoke training to ensure that they can maximise the support for children, as well as enhance their own skills and professional development. Leaders who specialise in special educational needs and/or disabilities cascade training to upskill staff knowledge and understanding of supporting children who may face barriers to their learning. Leaders are champions for children's learning and wellbeing, working with other professional agencies as necessary to ensure that every child succeeds.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff report high levels of wellbeing, and they feel motivated to gain higher childcare qualifications, which helps the nursery constantly improve. Parents and carers speak very highly of the team, deeply appreciating both the personal support they receive and the excellent care given to their children's learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Staff and leaders ensure that children make steady progress from their starting points and develop key skills across all areas of learning. For example, babies build physical strength as they learn to crawl and balance, while younger children rapidly develop their language skills by joining in with rhymes and songs. As they grow, older children build confidence by independently exploring the environment and choosing their own play. They also learn to recognise and write their names, ensuring they are fully prepared to transition on to school successfully.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children demonstrate that they are happy, settled, and grow in confidence as they play. They speak politely to one another, play cooperatively, and show good self-control. They love joining in with activities and build wonderful friendships with their peers and adults alike.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children show that they feel happy and safe at the setting. Staff are kind in their interactions, and children approach them for reassurance and praise for their achievements. Children who are considered as disadvantaged have additional support, whereby leaders use allocated funding to target any potential challenges and to help maintain progress.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Aspects such as safer sleeping and eating guidance have been well considered by leaders. Staff work with parents to tailor care plans that are individual to each child, and that keep them safe and well. Generally, staff consider the backgrounds of the children that attend, and support parents with strategies to help children's progress with personal care, such as potty training.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The setting offers a nutritious menu and promotes a healthy and active lifestyle. Planned activities help children to understand good habits in oral health, such as cleaning their teeth properly and regularly. Children learn how to stay happy and well through positive learning experiences.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children enjoy a varied curriculum which encourages them to be explorative, independent and develop strong attitudes towards learning. Leaders and staff implement the curriculum effectively to help children progress in their learning. Staff use books throughout the nursery to promote children's understanding, language and imagination. For example, babies look at pictures and listen intently as staff use expressive voices to read. Children visit the local library. This helps them to make their own choices about books that appeal to their interest and to develop a love of literacy.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Generally, staff's teaching helps children to progress well. They plan activities to help build on children's confidence in creativity. For example, children explore play dough and experiment with different ways to imprint objects of interest into their creations. Children practice manipulating the dough with their fingers, supporting their physical development. Additionally, staff support children to develop their mathematical skills. For instance, they show children the number 2, as well as indicating the corresponding number displayed on the wall. At times, staff's planning of activities is not of a consistently high quality. For example, they do not always ensure that some aspects of group activities are appropriate to the age and stage of development of the children they have planned for.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff know their children and families well, and use this considered approach to adapt activities, routines, and everyday interactions for the children in their care. This understanding of individual needs supports the leader's vision of a genuinely inclusive environment, ensuring that every child feels warmly welcomed and valued. Children develop positive relationships and engage confidently in the experiences available. All children are fully enabled to participate in all aspects of the setting alongside their peers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, receive appropriate support that enables them to participate successfully. Staff work closely with parents, carers and relevant professionals to implement agreed strategies and respond to children's changing needs. This helps children to feel secure and access the provision successfully.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff actively promote respect for others, encouraging children to appreciate a rich variety of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Children learn to demonstrate kindness and consideration in all of their daily interactions. They build mutual respect as they value one another's uniqueness and learn what makes them different and unique.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have established effective working relationships with families and external agencies. However, staff are not always consistent at ensuring that any identified barriers to learning are swiftly addressed to ensure that children make the best possible 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 arrive at the setting with confidence and are keen to see the key adults they are familiar with. They are welcomed with genuine warmth by staff who ensure that there is time to share important information with families, that supports their ongoing needs. Children settle quickly and engage in their learning well. For example, most areas have a free-flow approach, where children can choose to play indoors or outside. They receive a wide range of activities that appeal to their interests and current learning needs. For example, babies who have taken an interest in minibeasts explore a sensory tray filled with resources that inspire curiosity and concentration. They listen to stories and sing songs related to the theme. Children take part in creative activities that give them increasing control, strengthen small muscles and develop hand–eye coordination.

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

Children are happy and enjoy their time at nursery. Staff identify unwanted behaviours very quickly, and implement activities that will help to teach children the right and wrong way to treat their peers. For example, they share stories, such as, 'Teeth Are Not for Biting'. Children use small mirrors to look at their teeth, as well as pictures displaying faces with different emotions. This helps them to learn positive behaviours and understand the importance of being kind to others.

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

Older children develop the knowledge and skills to be ready for school. They pack their own backpack with their belongings, and they demonstrate independence in a variety of different ways. All children receive lots of praise, which builds their self-esteem.

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

Outside, children attempt obstacle courses with friends, experiment with items flowing down water ramps and proudly show the yield of fruit and vegetables they have been growing.

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Address:

50 Mill Lane Harbledown Canterbury CT2 8NE

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: The Old Station Nursery Limited

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Address:

Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Children move freely between activities, make choices about their play and show enjoyment and interest in the stimulating outdoor environment.

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Next steps

Leaders should support staff to provide a more consistent approach to swiftly addressing any potential barriers to children's learning. Leaders should strengthen staff's planning of activities to ensure they focus more accurately on children's age-appropriate learning and development needs.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with parents, children, leaders, practitioners, 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. 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

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 .

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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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