Cottam Primary School

New Park Nursery Montessori School Inspection report for early years provision

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131720 Unique Reference Number 23 July 2007 Inspection date Moreen Johnson Inspector

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67 Highbury New Park, London, N5 2EU Setting Address

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020 7226-1109 Telephone number highbury@newparkchildcare.co.uk E-mail Janice Lilian Clutterbuck Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

New Park Nursery Montessori School is a privately owned provision that opened in 1995. It is situated in the Highbury and Islington area within the London borough of Islington. The nursery operates on the lower ground floor of a residential property and has access to five playrooms, toilet facilities for children and staff, office, kitchen, utility room and two fully enclosed outside play areas. The nursery opens five days per week for 50 weeks of the year. Opening hours are from 07.30 to 18.30.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 39 children on roll. Of these, nine children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery currently supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 10 staff, most of whom, including the manager, hold early years qualifications. There are two unqualified staff.

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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 learn the importance of good personal hygiene. They automatically wash their hands after using the toilet. They understand why they need to wash their hands. For example, when children are questioned about the importance of hand washing, they confidently state 'because we can get germs'. Children are protected from infection because there are effective hygiene procedures in place. Staff adhere to good practice when changing children's nappies and when preparing food and drinks.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from a healthy diet. Staff promote healthy eating well by offering children a healthy, balanced, varied diet. Children are offered drinks throughout the day. Babies are fed in accordance with their parents' requirements. Children's individual dietary needs are met well because staff have a sound understanding of children's needs. There is an effective system in place that ensures that children's specific needs are easily identified. For example, children wear three different coloured bands that are linked to a colour coded chart relating to their level of dietary needs. This ensure that children remain healthy.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have good opportunities to develop their whole body movement by engaging in a variety of physical play experiences. Children enjoy energetic play in the garden and have access to a range of equipment. Children move about with confidence, running, climbing and riding bikes. Some children rotate hoops skilfully around their waist with support from staff. Children are engrossed in role playing using blocks to build a boat and pretend to row the boat and swim in the sea. Children are encouraged to extend their play by talking about the types of fish that they see. Babies are encouraged to develop their physical skills. They confidently move between the playroom and the garden and are closely supervised. They are developing an awareness of space as they manoeuvre their way around each other and objects.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a clean, bright and comfortable environment. The setting is organised well so that children can move around safely and independently and can access available resources, which are positioned appropriately at children's height. Children enjoy playing with a wide range of good quality activities which help them to progress in all areas of their development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in a safe environment. There is a good security system in place for the safe arrival and departure of children and to protect children from intruders. Children are kept safe whilst moving around the nursery because staff are well deployed and provide children with good supervision. There are effective procedures for carrying out risk assessments to protect children from potential hazards. Children are developing a good understanding of fire safety because they have regular opportunities to practise fire evacuation procedures.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's wellbeing is safeguarded because staff have a good awareness of the group's policies and procedures and how to implement them. The group has recently updated their policies and procedures, in line with the Safeguarding Children Board procedures. The group is aware that Ofsted must be notified of concerns.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

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 achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Babies receive good care as a result of staff's good knowledge and understanding of Birth to three matters. Staff use their knowledge well to plan a range of stimulating activities that support children to progress. Children are well settled and move around confidently as they explore their surroundings. They play happily with a good range of resources that are easily accessible to them. They are encouraged to develop an awareness of texture and smell. They enjoy playing with the wet sand and are invited to smell the rosemary sprigs. Children are encouraged to be independent and they confidently crawl or walk around the room and are learning feed themselves using spoons and folks.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage. They plan a wide range of activities that are linked to the six areas of learning and the Montessori method. Staff use the good information that they obtain from observations and assessments to promote children's individual learning. There are excellent levels of interaction between staff and children. Staff support children and encourage them to extend their thinking. Staff manage children's behaviour well, they praise good behaviour and challenge inappropriate behaviour.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are making good progress towards all of the early learning goals. They are encouraged to develop their creative skills, by singing familiar songs, learn about tones and the pattern of sounds. For example, whilst singing 'the coffee song' they recognise that 'it sound like a train'. They have good opportunities to listen to different types of music. They are learning how facial expression relates to a range of feelings.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have excellent relationships with each other and staff. Children play harmoniously together and engage in long conversations whilst pretending to be hairdressers. Children treat each other with respect. For example, when role playing in the garden, they are happy to take turns driving the train. Children behave well and they respond positively when staff intervene to resolve disputes. Children have excellent self-help skills, they choose activities and willingly tidy them up afterwards. Some children set the table for lunch, others hand out the cutlery and serve the meal.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing a good understanding of mathematical concepts, they use a wide range of materials to develop their awareness of size, depth, shapes and volume. They are able to count up to five and they learn simple calculation.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good opportunities to construct by using a range of materials. They are encouraged to develop an understanding of their surroundings as they talk about living in England. They are learning about the continents and different cultures by using maps, a globe and photographs to identify different races and cultures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident speakers. They engage in discussion with their peers and adults. Some children actively participate in story telling during circle time. However, most children do not benefit from the activity, they lose concentration and become bored. Children are encouraged to link letters to words and many of them are able to recognise their name.

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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 show a sense of belonging when they share their experiences with each other and staff. They are introduced to a variety of cultural traditions which helps to develop a positive attitude and respect for others. Children's self-esteem is fostered well by staff giving them individual attention and encouraging them to be independent. Children are developing an understanding of right and wrong as a result of staff's good practice and their high expectations of children. Children are encouraged to develop an appreciations of music. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnerships with parents are good. Children experience consistent care due to effective communication systems between parents and staff, such as the use of the 'complete guide' book in which staff and parents share information about children's progress. Staff and parents share information about their child's progress towards the early learning goals and they agree how the child is supported to move to the next stage of their learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. There are effective recruitment procedures in place which ensure that staff are appropriately vetted and qualified. Staff work well together as a team and are deployed well to ensure that children are not placed at risk. All policies and procedures are in place and are implemented by staff. However, the child protection policy does not include Ofsted's details and one accident record is not signed by the parent. Records on children and staff are securely locked away. Overall, the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides care.

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Organisation

Leadership and management of the nursery is good. There is a commitment to developing the provision and the manager has clear aims for the future. The manager and senior staff members hold regularly meetings with staff to plan the curriculum and to discuss children's progress and to address relevant areas for improvement. Staff are supported in their work through regular staff meetings and individual supervision sessions.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection six recommendation were set and the provider was required to develop staff knowledge of child protection and the nursery's operational procedures; to ensure that procedures to deputise are formalised; to maintain records, policies and procedures and include all necessary details; to ensure that the first aid box and its contents comply with healthy and safety regulations and are sited appropriately and to provide a sufficient range of activities and play opportunities for the overall development of babies. The provider has complied with the recommendations by developing staff knowledge of the nursery's policies and procedures through the induction process and ongoing in-service training. There is now an appropriate procedure in place to deputise. Most policies and procedures have been updated with the necessary details. However, child protection policy is currently being reviewed in line with the

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Improvements since the last inspection

Safeguarding Children's board guidelines. The first aid boxes are appropriately stocked and sited in the playrooms and kitchen. Babies now have access to a suitable range of activities. This means that children are cared for in a safe environment, are appropriately treated in the event of an emergency and have opportunities to engage in a wide range of stimulating play experiences.

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Improvements since the last inspection

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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Complaints since the last inspection

Since April 2005 there has been one complaint made to Ofsted that required the provider to take action in order to meet the National Standards. The concerns related to National Standard 1 - Suitable Person, National Standard 2 - Organisation, National Standard 3 - Care, Learning and Play, National Standard 7 - Health, National Standard 12 - Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers and National Standard 14 - Documentation.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Concerns were that there was no qualified manager; staff ratios were not being met; a keyworker was frequently changed; toys which were age inappropriate were given to children; children were not given bibs; accident records were not completed; parents were not informed in regards to staff changes and given inadequate responses in regards to questions about their children's care and Ofsted were not informed in regards to a change in manager.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Ofsted visited the provider to discuss the concerns raised and from the subsequent investigation, two actions were set under National Standard 12 and National Standard 14. The provider was also reminded of the requirement to inform Ofsted of significant events. The provider responded to Ofsted to confirm that suitable measures had been taken to meet the actions set. No further action was taken and the provider continues to be registered.

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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 good.

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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): • ensure that the child protection policy and accident records are updated with the necessary details

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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): • ensure that circle time activities meet the needs of all children

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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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