Elham Pre School

Elham Pre School
Unique reference number (URN): EY500776
Address: Elham Village Hall, High Street, Canterbury, CT4 6SX
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 03/08/2016
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Elham Pre-School
Inspection report: 27 February 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to create a calm and interesting
environment. For example, staff have rearranged the space to provide children with quieter
areas to play. They have developed a cosy book area where children can snuggle with their
friends to explore stories. Staff have purchased toys and resources to support children's
interests further. As a result, children enjoy exploring the toys and resources set up for them
based on what they enjoy playing with. For example, children spend time role playing in the
pretend car garage, learning to be mechanics together. Staff talk with them about how they
can mend and fix the bikes. This encourages children's problem-solving, imaginative and
collaborative skills effectively. Staff have worked hard to ensure children know the
expectations, rules and routines of the setting. Staff praise children for being kind and
listening, supporting their personal and social skills effectively. Children demonstrate that
they feel comfortable in the setting. They follow instructions well and learn to do things for
themselves. For example, older children learn to pour their own drinks and put their cups
and bowls away. Younger children learn to wait their turn for the toilet, developing their
understanding. Staff support families with attendance and punctuality, providing flexible
sessions to help them arrive on time. This supports their understanding of the expectations
for starting school successfully.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Staff provide a calm and safe environment, where children settle well. Staff are kind and
caring in their approach. This helps children to feel secure. Children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities are provided with specialist equipment and resources to support
their interests. For example, children are supported with pictures to help them understand
what is happening next. Staff help children to learn to do things for themselves. For
example, older children learn to put their own coats and boots on when getting ready to go
outside. Younger children learn to wash their hands before mealtimes. These activities
support children's self-care skills successfully. Children develop positive attachments to
staff. For example, children are provided with regular cuddles and comfort, supporting their
emotional wellbeing effectively. Staff support children to learn to keep themselves safe. For
example, children know to wear their coats outside so that they do not get cold. They learn
to play within safe boundaries outside, supporting their understanding of risks and hazards
effectively. Staff help children to learn to manage their emotions. Staff develop safe spaces
for children to retreat to when needed. Staff use books to help children understand how
others feel, developing their understanding of feelings successfully.
Inclusion Expected standard
Staff promote inclusion. They support families well to ensure all children attend regularly,
providing flexible drop-offs to help families where needed. This ensures that children attend
regularly and that barriers to learning are reduced successfully. Staff share information with
families about children. The key-person approach is embedded, and staff know their children
well. Since their last inspection, leaders ensure they use funding to make adaptations to the

Needs attention
environment where necessary to support individual children's needs. They purchase specific
toys to help children settle in. For example, children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities enjoy relaxing in the sensory tent and sustain concentration for long periods on
puzzles, purchased to support their interests. This helps encourage their attention and focus
effectively. Leaders work well to support staff in understanding the graduated approach. For
example, staff are encouraged to attend training to develop their knowledge of special
educational needs and/or disabilities to help them understand children's individual needs.
Leaders ensure staff access further training and advice to support them to meet children's
individual needs. For example, partnerships with specialists and external partners, such as
the local authority, are effective in helping them meet children's individual needs. Staff work
closely with nearby schools and settings to help children's smooth transitions. They seek
effective advice and guidance to help them support families further. This ensures that
families receive support quickly and that children make positive progress from their starting
points.
Achievement Needs attention
Staff do not always know how activities can support children's next learning steps effectively
enough. This means that staff do not always know how to adapt activities to what children
need to learn next most effectively to ensure all children make the best possible progress.
However, children are provided with activities across all areas of learning, and children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with specific resources to support
their individual needs. For example, children benefit from specialist resources purchased to
help reduce barriers to learning. Children remain engaged learning to match puzzle pieces,
supporting their concentration and attention skills successfully. Older children learn to
collaborate and play with their friends. They chatter excitedly with staff about building camp
fires outside and collecting sticks. They learn to listen and take turns in conversations with
staff, developing their communication and language skills and supporting their
understanding of the natural world. These activities help to stimulate children's curiosity and
imagination. Effective links with local settings and schools support children's transition to
school.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Development of the curriculum is still in its infancy, meaning it is not ambitious enough to
ensure all children make the best possible progress. Activities are not always matched well
enough to children's individual next steps, which impacts on how well staff know what
children need to learn next and how well they support them. While staff do make use of
assessment to help them identify children's next steps, this is not always translated into
what staff plan for children, meaning children do not make the most progress they are
capable of. That said, children enjoy the activities set up for them. Older children spend time
learning to mix colours, using stampers in paint. Younger children sustain concentration
creating pretend picnics with staff, learning about different foods. These activities support
children's creativity and communication skills. Staff prioritise children's mathematical
understanding. Children have opportunities to learn about colours and shapes. Staff help

them to count on when playing games, supporting their knowledge. Children are provided
with resources to support their physical skills. Children enjoy learning to ride bikes,
developing their coordination and balance. Children with barriers to learning or special
educational needs and/or disabilities have specific resources purchased to help them
manage their behaviour and emotions. Staff support them with pictures to help them
understand what is happening next. This helps them understand expectations successfully.
Leaders recognise that improvements are needed to address lunch box items, ensuring
children have healthy, balanced and nutritious snacks and drinks. However, these are yet to
be impactful. Staff monitor children's progress and share information about how children are
doing, providing some ideas to support learning at home. However, this is not always
consistent. Nonetheless, children learn important independence skills. For example, they
help their friends to get ready to go outside, and help themselves to tissues to wipe their
noses. This helps children develop skills for the future.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Although leaders identify areas for improvement, not all of these are yet to be impactful. This
means that although they have been identified, it is too early to identify the impact on
children's learning and development. However, since the last inspection, leaders ensure
staff access training and additional qualifications to support their knowledge and skills. For
example, staff have attended positive behaviour training and have been supported by
specialists to help children with special educational needs and or disabilities. Leaders have
worked hard with the local authority to address areas in need of improvement. Staff are
committed and motivated to continue to improve practice and provision and offer quality
care and education to local families. Leaders support the committee to understand their
roles and responsibilities. Leaders provide staff with supervision arrangements, where they
discuss staff's wellbeing and workloads. Staff appreciate the opportunities they get to
develop their practice through additional training and taking on further qualifications.
Leaders prioritise support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
They are committed to helping reduce barriers to learning. For example, they use funding to
support changes to the environment and purchase specialist resources to help children.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Leaders have begun to develop their curriculum; however, this is still at an early stage and is
yet to be fully impactful. Leaders recognise that they continue to have to work to do to raise
standards to ensure consistency in teaching and learning and ensure all children achieve as
well as they can. That said, children do make positive progress from their starting points,

and staff recognise the importance of supporting their next steps and are committed and
motivated to make a difference to children and families locally. Staff are good role models,
and as a result, children display good manners and are polite to each other. Where needed,
staff support children's behaviour positively. Children learn important skills to keep
themselves healthy and safe, such as washing their hands before eating and drinking water.
Staff have positive relationships with parents and support them to ensure their children
attend regularly. This helps children to be ready for school effectively.
Families are warmly greeted at this friendly setting. Children arrive with smiles, eager to
settle to explore what is set up for them. They demonstrate that they feel comfortable and
cared for. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well.
Staff know children's individual interests and work hard to adapt the environment to support
them. They demonstrate that they feel valued and belong. Staff provide children with a
range of activities to support their communication and physical skills. For example, children
enjoy snuggling up to listen to staff reading stories. This helps children develop a love of
reading and books. Children enjoy learning to ride trikes and navigate the space in the large
hall well. This supports their developing control and coordination. Staff give children positive
praise and encouragement, which supports children's self-esteem and confidence. As a
result, children persevere, and delight in learning to ride their bikes independently.
Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the
following actions by the assigned date:
Action Completion Date
develop the curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious for
children and that activities are linked to children's
specific next steps to help them make the best possible
progress
27/03/2026
ensure engagement with parents focuses on how to
support learning at home and provides specific support
about the importance of balanced and nutritious diets
for children to support healthy choices
27/03/2026
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator
and staff during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The

Inspector:
Victoria Salisbury
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY500776
Address:
Elham Village Hall
High Street
Canterbury
CT4 6SX
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 03/08/2016
Registered person: Elham Pre-School
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 15:00
Local authority: Kent
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 27 February 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Total number of places
12
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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