Rowhedge Under 5’s

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The provider has not notified Ofsted of changes to the individuals who form the committee and are responsible for the setting. This is a breach of requirements of the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'.

Children arrive happy in this welcoming setting. They confidently wave goodbye to their parents and are keen to join their friends. Children are polite and considerate to others, offering compliments to staff and visitors.

Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in the care of familiar adults. They snuggle closely with staff to have a story.Children enjoy being creative and expressing th...emselves freely as they dance, holding hands with their friends.

Other children use their imagination as they make walkie-talkies and pretend to talk to each other. Children spend sustained amounts of time making and decorating a crown for themselves to wear. They share their achievements with staff, demonstrating pride in their work.

Staff help children to persevere and challenge themselves through guided experiences. For example, some children confidently hold giant land snails. Staff recognise when other children need encouragement to push their own boundaries.

When children build up the courage to hold the snails in their hands, staff praise them for trying new things. This helps builds children's confidence and self-esteem.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the committee.

The committee has not notified Ofsted of all new members. This means that Ofsted has not been able to determine their suitability. However, the committee members do not work directly with children or have sole responsibility for making decisions that affect children's well-being.

Therefore, children's safety and welfare are assured. The committee is aware of the procedures to follow to address this weakness.Children are provided with a broad curriculum that follows children's interests and meets most children's needs.

For example, staff recognise children's interest in climbing. Staff adapt the outdoor play area to provide additional opportunities to meet these needs. As a result, children enjoy practising their physical skills as they climb on the outdoor climbing frame and slide.

Other children use a crate so that they can independently reach and use the tree swing.Staff build secure relationships with parents and carers. They gather information from parents when children start at the setting to understand what they already know and can do.

They complete observations and assessments to monitor children's progress. However, some children do not always get the highest level of support that they need to help close emerging gaps in their learning. This means that some children do not make the best progress possible.

Children form positive relationships with the local school. Their outdoor space allows them to see the children in the school playground. Children wave when they see familiar children.

Children can talk to support staff from the school and share their excitement about joining them in the school soon. Staff further support children's gradual move to school by providing children with different school uniforms to dress up in. This helps to support positive transitions when children move on to school.

Children generally behave well. Staff take time to help children to identify and understand their feelings when they become overwhelmed. Children know some of the routines of the setting.

For example, they know that they need to wash their hands before their lunch. However, on occasions, staff are not effective at helping children learn rules and boundaries to enable them to respect others and the resources in the environment.The manager targets training to support the development of staff's practice to promote children's language skills.

For example, staff extend children's vocabulary by adding new words into sentences as they repeat back what children have said. As a result, children are confident communicators.Partnerships with parents are extremely positive.

Parents comment that the setting goes 'above and beyond' to support their families. They feel that the manager has created an environment where all children are included.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager has improved the risk assessment for the setting to ensure that staff can identify and minimise hazards to children. Appropriate steps have been taken to ensure the premises are now safe and secure. The manager and staff understand their responsibility to safeguard the children in their care.

They attend regular training to keep their knowledge up to date. Staff know the signs and indicators that may mean a child is at risk of harm or abuse. They know the action to take should they have concerns about a child or a colleague.

Staff are knowledgeable about the wider safeguarding concerns, such as female genital mutilation and county lines.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve knowledge of the requirement to supply Ofsted with the necessary information in relation to any changes to the nominated individual and any committee member to enable suitability checks to be carried out 19/07/2023 ensure that those with oversight and governance for the provision have a secure knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities, particularly with regards to notifying Ofsted of changes to people.19/07/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen support for children where there may be emerging gaps in children's development, in order to help all children make the best possible progress give children clearer behaviour guidance to learn the setting rules to enable them to respect others and the resources in the environment.

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