An early learning daycare where children feel “safe and settled” has gone from ‘Inadequate’ to ‘Good’ following a visit from the education watchdog.
The Brent Playgroup in St Vincents Road, Dartford, is celebrating the improvement after more than two years.
It is the first time the playgroup has achieved a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted since it re-registered in 2021.
Previous reports rated it as ‘Inadequate’ in September last year following a complaint two months prior that a child had been allowed to leave the site unattended, and ‘Requires Improvement’ prior to that in November 2022.
In October last year Ofsted carried out a regulatory visit to monitor the actions set at its previous inspection and found the provider had taken suitable steps to address concerns.
A further inspection took place on Thursday, March 7 which examined the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, as well as leadership and management.
“Children arrive happily and confidently leave their parents and carers,” the report said.
“They are warmly greeted by staff who know them well and provide good levels of support for their individual needs.
“Children have close bonds with their key person and show they feel safe and settled.”
Since it was rated ‘Inadequate’, the manager has worked closely with other agencies to address previous weaknesses and provide ongoing training.
Ofsted also praised the eight employees for being positive role models.
They have encouraged the youngsters to be more independent, resulting in “good levels of confidence and self-esteem”.
“Children learn to put on their coat, wash their hands and serve their own snack,” it went on to say.
“They also tidy away resources and learn how to care for their environment.
“Staff provide children with a range of activities to help develop their physical skills.”
However, the inspector added that there needs to be more opportunities to learn about cultural diversity and the “wider world”.
Staff also do not give enough time to respond to questions asked.
It said: “For example, they often answer for children or quickly move on to another question.
“As a result, children do not always have the opportunity to think and respond.”
In 2022, tributes were paid to Jean Chalkley, a former leader of the group.
The 79-year-old ran the playgroup for more than 30 years and was described as “full of love, boundless generosity and kindness”.
During their 50th anniversary celebrations, a tree was planted outside in honour of the mum-of-three.
