Kenley Kindergarten

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children settle well in this warm and welcoming setting. The effective settling-in process ensures they build strong relationships with all staff, including their key person.

This helps children to feel safe and secure in the setting. Children's care needs are met well. Staff ensure that they gather detailed information from parents, when they drop off their children at the start of their session.

Children make choices in their play as they move freely around the room to explore and develop their own ideas. They choose from a wide range of activities and resources that encourage their curiosity. Babies discover new exp...eriences, as staff provide a range of sensory activities linked to their interests.

Older children explore people who help them as they create and build their own hospitals and fire stations.Children behave very well because staff have high expectations for their behaviour. There are clear boundaries in the setting and staff act as positive role models to demonstrate their expectations to the children.

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

Staff understand children's interests, skills and abilities well. They create a curriculum that is ambitious in meeting all children's individual needs. Staff ensure all children, including those who are in receipt of additional funding, make good progress from when they start at the setting.

Managers and staff know children and their families well. They work closely with parents to share children's progress and ideas for how parents can extend this at home. Parents comment how much they value being included in their children's learning and development.

Staff are positive role models for children. They are very attentive to children's individual care needs. Staff patiently gain children's cooperation and talk to them in a calm and respectful way.

For example, they ask children's permission and await their response before wiping their faces or taking them to have their nappies changed.Children's mathematical development is a significant strength of the setting. Babies experience simple sequencing as staff count '1, 2, 3' before staff pick them up.

Toddlers count each other as they line up to go outside. Pre-school children skilfully use scales to weigh items to specific amounts.Staff support older children's communication and language skills very well.

The use real life items and visuals to help children learn and understand new words. However, at times, background music played in the baby room creates a distraction while staff are exploring new words with the babies.Children have a range of opportunities to explore new opportunities.

For example, pre-school children in the garden discover how to care for plants and flowers. There are times, however, when children do not have as much opportunity to try new skills. For instance, during baking activities, some children show interest in how to crack an egg but are not given the opportunity to try this for themselves.

The manager supports teaching practice through focused support and evaluation of staff. The staff team feel supported in both their professional development and their personal well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager creates a positive safeguarding culture. She ensures that all staff receive training, support and guidance around child protection. As a result, all staff are well equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to recognise when children are, or may be at risk of, harm.

All staff demonstrate clear understanding of wider safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty and are fully aware of their responsibility to report concerns about children's welfare. Effective recruitment procedures ensure that all staff who work with children are suitable to do so.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consider the purpose of background music, so that it does not provide a distraction nextend opportunities further for children to explore new experiences even more consistently.

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