Blue Penguin Montessori

Blue Penguin Montessori

Inspection report for early years provision

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Blue Penguin Montessori

EY338982 Unique Reference Number 10 January 2007 Inspection date Maria Lumley Inspector

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Blue Penguin Montessori

27 Burnaby Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH4 8JF Setting Address

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E-mail

Amelia Christine Green Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Blue Penguin Montessori School opened in 2006 and is privately owned. It operates from three classrooms in the ground floor of a house in Alum Chine, Bournemouth. There is a secure outdoor area. The nursery is open from 08:00 until 17:30, Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Children attend for full day and part-time sessions. The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 20 children aged from two to five years. There are currently 35 children on roll, of whom 19 are in receipt of nursery education. The nursery support children who have specific learning difficulties and those who speak English as an additional language. There are five members of staff who work with the children all of whom have relevant early years qualifications. The nursery offers a curriculum that includes Montessori principles.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is well promoted through the clear and effectively monitored procedures throughout the nursery. For example, staff follow good nappy changing procedures. They wear disposable gloves, use children's own wipes and nappies and dispose of soiled nappies immediately in outdoor bins. Staff use anti-bacterial spays to clean changing mats after using them, this ensures they are clean and hygienic for future use. Staff also clean tables prior to snacks and clean up spills as they occur. Children are becoming independent and the older children take responsibility for their personal health and hygiene. They select tissues from a low level table, wipe their noses, and dispose of used tissues in near by bins. Many wash their hands without prompting after using the toilet, they help themselves to liquid soap and dry their hands on disposable paper towels. This minimises the risk of cross infection. One child

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Helping children to be healthy

says " I've washed all the dirt off". Staff remind the younger children to wash their hands and explain to them why this is necessary. One member of staff explains, "you need to wash off all the dirt and germs because you have been playing in the garden. You don't want to get any germs on your snack". The child responds by saying, "No I don't" and rushes off to wash their hands.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy healthy snacks which contribute to their good health and development. The manager ensures that the fruit bowl is always fully stocked with a variety of fresh fruit. The nursery encourage parents to provide healthy lunches and the majority of children have foods that constitute a healthy lunch. Staff encourage children to eat their healthy foods before their treats. One child says "I can have my chocolate when I finish my sandwich and fruit", familiar with the routine and expectations. Children compare their lunches and chat about good and bad foods. One child says " I've got raisins, they are good for me!". Another child responds by saying, "My apple juice is good for me". Staff provide plates for children to eat their lunches from, however snacks are eaten directly off of the tables compromising children's health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's allergies and dietary requirements are clearly recorded. This ensures that all staff are fully aware of individual allergies and that children are not offered inappropriate foods that could compromise their health. Children are well cared for following accidents. Four of the five staff are first aid trained. A first aid kit is kept accessible and fully stocked. Accidents are recorded and signed by parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from opportunities to develop their physical skills through a range of activities each day. They make good use of the outdoor area to play freely. They move confidently and are developing good co-ordination. For example, a group of children carefully negotiate their way across a line of wooden stepping blocks, using their arms to help balance their bodies. In cold weather they dress in coats, hats and gloves and happily run around, use climbing equipment, hoops and tunnels. There are also a number of indoor physical activities provided including yoga and dancing. These activities help to develop children's stretching, agility and movement to music skills. Children are aware of the changes that take place in their bodies. One child comes in from outside and tells a friend, "My hands are cold because I have been outside, feel them". The other child feels her hands and says, "My hands are warm because I

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 have been playing indoors". The emotional well-being of all children is well fostered through the praise and support they receive from staff.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The nursery has good precautions in place to protect children in case of a fire. Emergency exits are clearly indicated and free from obstruction. Fire fighting equipment is in place and regularly checked. Children take part in practising evacuation drills twice a term and written records are kept. This ensures that children are aware of procedures to follow should an emergency occur. The nursery have planned a trip to the local fire station to further raise children's awareness of fire safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play with a very good range of toys and resources. These are all well maintained and appropriate to the ages and stages of development of the children attending. Staff check the resources at each use to ensure ongoing suitability. Children are taught to respect and look after the resources and equipment, they co-operate and put items away when they have finished using them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is assured on outings as children are well informed of how to behave when using roads and public places. Before leaving the nursery staff remind them of the dangers of traffic and the need to stay together. A looped rope is provided for children to hold on to, this assists the staff in controlling the children's movements. When the children reach their destination, for example, the local beach, they are given the freedom to run around and explore within the safety of known boundaries.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected by a range of effective safety precautions. Staff are very vigilant in their supervision allowing children to be safe whilst developing a good level of independence. Children are also very well supported to develop the skills to protect themselves. For example, as the children use scissors the staff remind them how to hold them correctly to prevent injury to themselves and others. Staff carry out visual checks on the nursery each day to maintain standards of safety. However, exposed sockets next to the fish tank compromise children's safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The staff team have a good knowledge and understanding of child protection and of their responsibility to report any concerns. Clear written procedures are in place and all the relevant contact details are present to enable a referral to be made.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled. They part from their carers, seek out friends and quickly settle at activities. For example, children wave goodbye to their parents and rush off into the rooms. Children relate very well to staff who take an interest in what the children have to say, making the children feel important and valued. For example, staff get down to the children's level, make eye contact and listen carefully to what the children have to say. Children are considerate of each other and play co-operatively together. For example, a new child is hesitant at the play

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 dough activity and stands watching. Another child smiles at them and gives them some dough and asks the child to join them. Children have the freedom to move around the rooms and select from a good range of resources that capture their interest and imagination. They take care when using the Montessori resources, selecting things they want to use and replacing them to their correct place when finished with them. They experiment with pouring, weighing, calculating and threading as they use jugs, scales, wooden blocks and beads. Children have good levels of concentration and spend long periods of time focusing on tasks. For example, one child sits quietly at a table and slowly and patiently threads beads on to a cord. The child does not stop until all the beads have been used.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There was little planning and assessment in place when the current owner purchased and took over the running of the nursery in September 2006. She has invested time to this area to improve outcomes for the children. There are now long, medium and weekly plans in place. The plans detail topics for each half term, such as transport, people who help us and farm animals. A festival is included in each half term plans and include the celebration of Chinese New Year, Divali and Christmas. An outing is linked to each topic, for example, trips to the forest, beach and library. Planning is linked to the four areas of the Montessori curriculum, these then link to the six areas of learning of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Staff have been keeping written observations of the children in a book and this information is due to be transferred to individual progress record sheets. Children's individual work has been filed in books. These have been

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

useful in tracking children's progress and future planning. Staff have inconsistent knowledge of the Foundation Stage and early learning goals. This results in inconsistent learning opportunities for the children. Some activities are well led and staff have good understanding of the intended learning outcomes. However, other activities offer little challenge to the children and staff miss opportunities to extend children's learning. Staff use a range of effective teaching methods including clear explanation and demonstration. For example, a member of staff holds a piece of paper on top of a lorry stencil and clearly explains and shows the children how they need to use the side of the wax crayon to rub over the stencils to create the image of the lorry. Children follow her instructions and are delighted with their results. The member of staff offer lots of praise and encouragement to the children saying, "that's excellent, well done" and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

"you've done a good job", this keeps the children motivated and builds their self esteem.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident and happy. They have a sense of belonging at the nursery and have formed good relationship with staff and their peers. For example, chatting to staff when they arrive and seeking out friends to play with. Children find their own named hooks and hang up their coats. They dress and undress themselves, tackling buttons, zips and velcro straps. Staff are always close by to offer support when required, but allow children to attempt tasks themselves, building their confidence and independence. Children are well behaved. They are aware of rules and expectations. Staff sit with them at circle time and reinforce the need to be kind, share and care for each other and the environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing creative skills. They enjoy craft activities and use the easels provided to produce expressive and individual pieces of art. A three and a four year old child use easels

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 sited next to each other. The three year old paints the entire page blue, carefully covering all the white paper, they use brush strokes, bang the brush on the paper and finger painting to achieve this. The four year old paints a picture, they paint circles, dots and lines to paint a dog. The child mixes the blue and yellow paint together and excitedly says, "It's gone green". Children enjoy the play dough activity. They explore the texture saying it's cold, soft and squashy. The children roll, mould, cut and make shapes using cutters from the dough. Children make good use of the area set aside for role play. They use this area to engage in imaginative games with their friends such as tea parties and walking babies. Children also enjoy the regular opportunities they have to sing and make music. Music times are planned and children chose from a wide

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

range of instruments such as recorders, rain makers, castanets and xylophones. Children explore the different sounds the instruments make. Children are able to express themselves through dance and yoga which are offered weekly.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children count to ten and above at every day activities. For example they count the number of jumps when bouncing on the trampoline. They use calculation when working out how to divide the apples at snack time, to ensure there is enough for everybody. A four year old uses coloured cubes to build a tower of ten. They then build another coloured tower and calculate how many more pieces they need to make them the same height. The child uses language such as less, more, tall, short. Children are able to recognise and name different shapes. For example, a child sits and cuts card in to pieces, as the pieces fall on the table they examine them. The child says,"look, this is a triangle, it's got three sides".

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing wide vocabularies. They talk confidently to both their peers and adults, they listen attentively whilst others speak before they take their turn. Children join in with familiar songs at circle time and take an active part at story time. Children infrequently use the books in the quiet areas, but enjoy doing so when they choose to. They handle books well and take care when turning the pages. One child points out familiar letters in a book and names the different pictures they see. Children recognise their own and other children's names by the coat hooks. Children make marks during planned and unplanned activities. They trace letters in the sand tray and use water and brushes to mark make on the outdoor wall.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children talk about their families and significant events in their lives. Other children and staff listen with interest and ask questions which builds children's self-esteem and confidence. For example, at lunch time a child says, "My daddy's clever, he can fix things". When asked what he can fix the child proudly relies, "He can fix everything". Another child excitedly shares their news and says, "My Mummy's having a baby in March", the other children show excitement and smile and squeal. Children learn about life cycles through planned activities. For example, they cut out the shapes of a chrysalis, caterpillar and butterfly and stick them on to leaves. Children enjoy regular trips to the forest where they go foraging and explore the environment. Children are involved in fund raising to help children less fortunate than themselves. They recently made cakes and decorated them for Children In Need. Staff talk to the children,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

explaining where the money they raised would be going and how children would benefit from it.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are well behaved and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff speak to them and to each other with respect and interest, providing a good role model. Children know and are familiar with the clear and consistent boundaries. Staff use praise and encouragement at all times and consequently children have high levels of confidence and self esteem. Children are aware of rules and are polite and thoughtful to each other. For example, one child bounces on the trampoline and another child joins them. The child reminds their friend that only one person at a time is allowed to use the trampoline and says, "I will get off soon so you can use it". The child waits and very soon the other child gets off and says, "Your turn now". Children are developing an understanding of the wider world through well planned activities and resources. For example, they celebrate Chinese New Year, Divali and Christmas.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

During Divali the children use lentils to make Rangoli patterns, at Christmas the children perform the Nativity story for parents to watch. Books, dolls and maps are used to further promote positive images of diversity and the wider world. Children's individual needs and personalities are well known by staff. Staff respond quickly to children's changing needs. For example, a member of staff responds when a child becomes unsettled, she gets the child's comforter, this quickly settles the child, making them feel secure. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The nursery have established good links with parents. Parents report that staff are very approachable and helpful, that they take a genuine interest in the children and extended families. Children benefit from the strong links between home and pre-school as it promotes consistency between both settings. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in the nursery, helping out on outings, watching children perform in shows and bringing things in from home to support activities. Parents receive regular newsletters that keep them informed about topics, staffing and outings. New families receive information about the nursery, this includes the Montessori curriculum, settling in policy and how information is shared.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents and carers of children in receipt of nursery education funding do not receive any information about the Foundation Stage Curriculum and the areas of learning. This an area that the new owner intends to address to ensure that parents are fully informed about their child's education.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are happy and settled in the setting as a result of the careful organisation to meet their needs. The current owner purchased the nursery four months ago, she also manages the provision. She has recruited three new members of staff and has established an effective team who create a positive and caring environment. Time is well managed to offer children a good balance of planned and free play activities throughout the day. Routines are clear but flexible and are very well understood by the children. Space is used effectively to allow a wide range of activities to take place at the same time.

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 There are a range of clear written policies in place, many of which have been updated to reflect recent changes in legislation. All required documentation and records are appropriately maintained, this contributes to the effective management of the setting.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the setting are satisfactory. There are some systems in place to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the setting including visits from the Early years advisor. Information shared at these meetings is used to improve the provision. For example, the implementation of transitional documents that are used for children when they transfer to school. This supports children's education by sharing information. The manager monitors staff to ensure that nursery education is delivered effectively. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • continue to develop the hygiene procedures at snack times • make sure that all electrical sockets are made safe

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • ensure that all staff have good knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage Curriculum and early learning goals • ensure that parents receive information about the Foundation Stage Curriculum

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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