Noah’s Ark Kindergarden

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education and children's overall experiences in the nursery are variable. Staff do not consistently implement a well-planned curriculum.

The provider does not monitor staff knowledge well enough to ensure they are confident in all safeguarding procedures. Staff create a calm, welcoming environment, which helps children to feel safe and settled. Children enter confidently and play happily.

They develop secure attachments to staff and approach them for reassurance when needed. Key persons have some relevant knowledge of their key children, which gives them a basic understanding of their needs moving forward. ...For example, they use what they know about children's interests to help children when they first start.

Settling-in sessions are used well to help staff get to know children and their families. Information about children's care needs, dietary requirements and allergies is obtained from parents before children start. All children enjoy varied snacks and meals cooked freshly by the nursery cook.

Children behave well, and staff support them to understand rules and expectations. They learn to be kind to each other, share and take turns. Older children confidently tell the inspector that 'sharing is caring.'

Overall, staff support children's personal, social and emotional development well. Staff sit with children as they play at their chosen activity. Children learn about the world around them and their place in society.

They visit places of interest in the local community, such as the local park and a nearby care home. They learn about other cultures through special events and celebrations.

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

Staff carry out some observations and assessments of children's development and plan a range of activities for children to engage in.

However, they do not use information from assessments to implement a well-planned curriculum. Staff do not sequence learning to ensure it builds on children's prior learning. This prevents children from making the progress they are capable of.

There are effective systems in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. However, the provider does not always monitor staff's understanding of wider safeguarding issues, such as the role of the local authority designated officer, should they wish to confidentially report a concern about another member of staff.Children follow the routines of the nursery well and engage in small-group activities.

However, parts of the curriculum for literacy are taught to all children regardless of their ability. The manager has not ensured that staff teaching children to link letters to the sounds they make have appropriate subject knowledge. This leads to some children not being ready for this level of learning, and they disengage, while others have misconceptions left uncorrected.

Staff support children who speak English as an additional language well. They give careful consideration to ensuring that the needs of children and their families are met. They develop effective partnerships with parents and other professionals, including the local college, to offer support and guidance to the families.

All children have opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air each day. They develop their physical skills as they climb, run and negotiate spaces safely. Staff support older children to develop their small-muscle skills; for instance, children use chalk and pencils to make marks.

Children thoroughly enjoy using small watering cans to water the vegetable beds.Children are developing some skills they need for the future, including starting school. For example, older children are encouraged to use the toilet independently.

At snack time, younger children develop skills such as peeling their own banana. However, staff do not plan sufficient opportunities to incorporate mathematical concepts, such as counting, size and recognising colours, throughout everyday activities.The manager does not ensure that good training, support and coaching for staff is in place to help them fulfil their roles.

In addition, they do not monitor staff practice effectively to ensure children receive good-quality learning experiences. Self-evaluation does not adequately identify and address weaknesses in order to improve the quality of provision to a consistently good level.Partnerships with parents are suitable.

They use a range of useful ways to inform parents about the nursery and their child's care and learning. These include electronic systems, newsletters and exchanging information with parents as children are collected.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date ensure that all staff are confident of the role of the local authority designated officer, to ensure referrals are made in a timely manner where there are concerns about an adult working with children 19/07/2024 implement a well-planned and sequenced curriculum that takes into account children's interests and next steps in learning and is designed to help children make the best possible progress 26/07/2024 implement effective coaching and supervision arrangements for staff, to review the quality of teaching, to identify training needs, and to ensure all staff have the skills and knowledge to fulfil the requirements of their role.26/07/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the curriculum for literacy so that specific skills are taught only to children who are ready for this learning and led by staff with appropriate subject knowledge support staff to maximise opportunities to extend children's mathematics skills during everyday activities make better use of self-evaluation to identify and address weaknesses to improve the quality of provision to a consistently good level.

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