Children described as ‘kind and caring’ in latest Ofsted report of Northampton preschool rated good

Parents are “very positive” about the care their children receive at a Kingsthorpe preschool, Ofsted has found.

Kings Preschool at All Saints Church of England Primary School in Boughton Green Road was visited by inspectors in March and, in a report published this week, has been graded good in all areas.

Their previous inspection in 2017 saw the nursery rated ‘outstanding’ in all areas, meaning that Kings Preschool has dropped a grade.

Ofsted inspector, Emily Lofts, wrote in her report: “Children and staff greet each other with smiles and children are keen to talk to staff about any news they have from home.”

She goes on to describe the preschool’s children as “kind and caring” towards their friends, sharing and saying thank you - staff praise this good behaviour.

Children at Kings Preschool enjoy the many different learning opportunities on offer and show curiosity during sensory activities such as making porridge for Goldilocks and the three bears.

The children learn all about how to lead a healthy lifestyle and they have many opportunities to exercise and be energetic in the outdoor garden, according to Ofsted.

Preschool staff were commended for encouraging children to develop their independence as much as possible and supporting them to have consistently high expectations of what they can achieve.

Children are supported to develop a love of reading. They dress up in costumes and bring their favourite stories from home to share for World Book Day, eagerly showing visitors their favourite characters.

Ofsted found that staff support children with SEND very well, using additional funding to provide them with resources and having a secure knowledge of each child’s needs.

Ms Lofts wrote: “Many natural, relaxed conversations take place between staff and children. Occasionally, quieter, less confident children do not always receive the same number of interactions from staff.”

The inspector found that staff work very well together as a team. She noted how management knows what staff do well, how they can improve and staff are supported with any further training they want to access to develop their skills.Although most staff are confident to support children with their next steps in development, some staff are not always as confident with this, meaning some activities can be too easy or too challenging for children.

Ofsted found that parents are very positive about the care children receive at Kings Preschool.

The report said: “They say their child's key person is always available to talk to them, and they receive regular information about their child's development. Parents appreciate the daily updates they receive on an online application, with photographs showing activities their children have enjoyed doing.”

The Kingsthorpe preschool was registered in 2008 and employs 13 members of childhood staff, according to their latest report.

At the time of inspection, Kings Preschool had 54 children on roll despite only having 30 places.

Read the full Ofsted report here.