Christchurch Kindergarten @ Gange

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are extremely well cared for in a safe, secure and welcoming environment where staff know them well and respect their individuality. Children are involved in a broad range of activities and experiences, both inside and outdoors. They benefit from easy access to a wide range of high-quality resources that are attractively presented in the learning areas.

This helps to support their growing independence skills and ensures they are inspired to learn and explore. The dedicated manager and her enthusiastic team are committed to their roles and responsibilities. They have high expectations for the children and have developed... a curriculum based on children's interests and what they need to learn next.

Staff use the information they gather through observations of children to provide meaningful experiences to help extend children's learning further. All staff are positive role models. They are sensitive with children, particularly those who are new to the nursery and settling in.

Children behave very well and are happy. They are polite and have an excellent understanding of turn taking and sharing. Children recall the rules and boundaries daily and know exactly what is expected of them.

They clearly enjoy their time immensely at the nursery.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They provide an abundance of opportunities to enhance children's communication and language skills.

Staff introduce new words or use signs to support understanding. Children develop a real interest in books. Younger children independently self-select books, turn the pages and point at the pictures.

Staff engage children well as they animatedly read familiar stories, such as 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. They provide props to enhance stories, songs and rhymes. All children, including those who are learning English as an additional language, are confident talkers.

Staff are extremely skilful in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They provide them with one-to-one support and support them to engage in play with their peers. The managers and staff work closely with parents and other professionals to provide targeted interventions to help children to achieve to their full potential.

However, at times, staff miss opportunities to interact with the less confident children, to ensure they are fully engaged and immersed in learning as much as possible.Staff promote curiosity, exploration and imaginative play through activities, such as manipulating dough and experimenting with paint. Children explore ways to use tools such as scissors and plastic knives to cut various fruits and vegetables.

They enjoy stimulating their senses such as touch, smell and taste. Children enjoy the texture of sand and are supported to fill and empty containers.However, staff do not consistently teach children how to use mathematical learning during their everyday activities.

Children's physical health and well-being are a high priority for staff. Staff ensure parents provide healthy, nutritionally balanced meals and snacks that children enjoy. Children thoroughly enjoy playing in the outdoor area.

They learn to balance as they step on the blocks and test their coordination skills as they ride the wheeled toys. Children use magnifying glasses to hunt for bugs and watch with interest as they find worms and slugs underneath the leaves and wooden planks. They are gentle and nurture these, so learning to care for living things.

The manager and staff accurately evaluate the quality of the setting. They include the views of parents to help identify areas for further improvement. For example, the outdoor area has been successfully enhanced to provide children with a range of experiences in all areas of learning and development.

The manager and staff involve parents fully in their children's learning. They discuss children's progress with parents and make suggestions on how they can support learning at home. They communicate very well with parents to find out what children already know and can do prior to attending the setting.

This helps them to plan activities and experiences from the outset to help extend children's knowledge and skills further. Parents speak highly of the nursery and the staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers and staff have a secure understanding of child protection, including wider safeguarding issues, and can identify when a child may be at risk of harm. They understand their roles and responsibilities to swiftly make referrals to the relevant agencies should they have a concern about children or the conduct of others. Staff are vigilant about children's safety and carry out comprehensive risk assessments of the premises and for any trips.

The provider and manager have rigorous recruitment, induction and supervision procedures in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. They provide effective support to promote professional development to enhance staff knowledge and skills and ensure staff workloads are manageable.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: maximise the opportunities to promote children's mathematical learning during everyday activities nenhance the quality of interactions with the less confident children, ensuring they are fully engaged and immersed in learning as much as possible.