Kia Mena Montessori Pre School

Kia Mena Montessori Pre School Inspection report for early years provision

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405131 Unique Reference Number 13 February 2008 Inspection date Claire Jean Douglas Inspector

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Foxgrove Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 5AS Setting Address

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020 8658 9009 m 0771 343 1527 Telephone number

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E-mail

Sharon Hudson Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Kia Mena Montessori pre-school is a privately owned group which operates exclusively from a single storey premises within the grounds of Beckenham Cricket Club. The group was registered in 1994 and has been operating from these premises since 2001. It is well established in the area. The premises comprise of a main playroom, toilets and kitchen facilities and an office. There is an enclosed, undercover area for outdoor play. During the summer months the group also has access to a large grassed area. The owner of the pre-school holds a Montessori Teaching Diploma. The manager of the morning session, holds a Diploma in Preschool Practice (DPP). The manager of the afternoon session holds an NNEB certificate and is also currently studying for a Montessori teaching qualification. All other staff have relevant child care qualifications and two of these are currently studying to gain further qualifications, one of which is the

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Montessori teaching qualification. A minimum of five staff are present at every session as well as long term students who also work at the group. The pre-school operates a key worker system and the children are grouped according to their age and stage of development for part of the session.

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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 The pre-school offers morning sessions between 09:15 and 12:15 each weekday. Afternoon sessions run from Monday to Thursday from 13:00 until 16:00, a lunch time session is also available from 12:20 until 12:55 for children to stay and have a packed lunch, giving the parents the option of full time care or extended morning or afternoon care if required. The setting is open during term time only. The pre-school is registered to provide full day care for 26 children aged from 2 years to under 5 years, of whom a maximum of 8 children may be under 3 years. The group prefer to start children when they are reaching two and a half years old. There are currently 59 children on roll, 37 of whom receive funding for nursery education. The setting is supporting two children with learning difficulties and or disabilities (LDD). There are no children

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

currently attending with English as an additional language, but there are some bi-lingual children on roll. The group receives support from the Bromley Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children benefit from effective procedures and practices which meet the children's physical, nutritional and health needs. The level of adult support and guidance helps children to gain a good understanding of hygiene and become independent in their personal care, for example, when they are asked to go and wash their hands before eating. A member of staff is on hand to guide them if they need help. Although children bring in their own lunches, they are positively encouraged to enjoy and understand the benefits of a healthy diet. Healthy foods are discussed and promoted as a theme of work and children are able to help themselves to a good range of fresh fruit at every snack time which parents are asked to contribute to. Children delight in the opportunity to develop their independence, as they pour out their own milk or juice from the jug or pass around the fruit tray. Drinking water is freely available to the children from a water

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Helping children to be healthy

Children take part in regular physical activities as part of the daily routine, which contributes to a healthy lifestyle and supports their physical development. Children practise new skills as they pedal on pedal frames and push cars and buggies around the garden. Children also enjoy taking part in physical activities inside the nursery during the routine, for example, balancing on beams or manoeuvring a parachute with their peers.

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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 secure and welcoming environment. Staff appear warm and responsive to the children, which helps them to develop secure bonds with their carers and fosters their emotional well-being. Staff are able to respond appropriately to minor injuries or accidents as there is always one member of staff with appropriate first-aid training on duty. Effective systems are in place for the confidential recording of accidents, providing an accurate account of what has occurred.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Possibilities of accidental injury are identified and minimised by staff, through effective on-going risk assessments. This means children are able to move around safely and independently. The staff are appropriately deployed ensuring children are always well supervised, for instance, escorting children whilst they move from one area to another. Children are familiar with the evacuation procedure, as fire drills are regularly carried out, promoting children's safety.

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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 Children have access to a good range of clean, safe resources and equipment suitable for their age and stage of development which means they can play safely. All toys and play resources are checked each time they are used for safety and cleanliness appropriate action is then taken by removing equipment if it becomes hazardous, for example during an outside play session, a child bumped his pedal car into another pedal car which caused the steering wheel to come off, the broken toy was immediately removed from the play area.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected by staff, who have competent knowledge of child protection policies and procedures and give priority to children’s welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are greeted individually by staff as they enter the setting, which helps the children to settle confidently, they appear to be happy and at ease with the environment. Children relate well to one another they socialise and make friends with other children. The behaviour is good. Children's welfare is promoted as staff combine the Birth to three matters framework, the early years foundation stage and Montessori teaching methods to plan a range of activities and play opportunities which develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities. The organisation of resources and deployment of staff, allow the children to make choices about their play and promotes their independence. Staff engage well with the children at their individual levels and they are enthusiastic and get involved in the children's play. Children enjoy the activities that are provided for them.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good progress towards the early learning goals with the support of staff who have a sound understanding of the Foundation Stage and of how children develop and learn. Staff are good role models and demonstrate a positive attitude towards learning by presenting activities in an enthusiastic manner. The pre-school are developing the way in which they plan for the children's learning along side advise from the early years development team. During this period a temporary system has been developed to ensure consistency, however, it is clear to see how links are being made from records of observations and then used to plan for the children's individual needs. As a result, children's learning is developing well.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children investigate using their senses. They discuss similarities and differences using natural objects, for example when the children were learning about mini beasts, they looked at the differences in the sizes of each one and compared their lengths and heights. Most children have good pencil control as pencil work is available during activity sessions, however, opportunities for children to attempt writing for different purposes, for example making lists out whilst on the telephone or writing an appointment in the book when using the home corner as a hair dressers are limited. As a result, children's communication , language and literacy needs are not always met.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop warm relationships with adults and other children. They co-operate and work well together by taking turns. Children are beginning to count confidently both in English and French and they are starting to recognise numbers that are important to them, however, the environment does not encourage number recognition fully as numbers are not being used as labels for counting around the setting. Children are able to recognise the properties of simple shapes and are able to make simple patterns with construction toys. Children have opportunities

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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 to use information and communication technology, they have access to one computer and a selection of age appropriate computer games, this helps them to develop hand and eye coordination.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is good. Parents of pre-school children are provided with information about the Foundation Stage curriculum through verbal and written communication and information on the notice board, information about children's attainments and progress is shared regularly. Very positive feedback was received from all the parents who were asked about the care and education their child received at the setting. Parents have friendly relationships with staff throughout the setting and find them relaxed and approachable. There is an 'open door' policy which means parents can ask to see their child's key worker or developmental records at any time.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed and play a full part in the nursery, because staff value and respect their individuality and family context for each child, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Information about children's individual needs is gathered through discussion with parents before they start. Children learn to value diversity as they play with a variety of resources that reflect the wider community, such as multicultural play figures with disabilities and puzzles with positive images of people from a variety of religious and ethnic back grounds. Staff have a calm and consistent approach to managing children's behaviour and treat children kindly and with respect, this results in a calm atmosphere where children behave extremely well. The provision fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is good. Parents of pre-school children are provided with information about the Foundation Stage curriculum through verbal and written communication and information on the notice board, information about children's attainments and progress is shared regularly at parents evenings. Very positive feedback was received from all the parents who were asked about the care and education their child received at the setting. Parents have relaxed relationships with staff throughout the setting and find them friendly and approachable. There is an 'open door' policy which means parents can ask to see their child's key worker or developmental records at any time. All parents are made aware of the settings comprehensive policies and procedures when their child starts at the setting,

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure that children are cared for by appropriately qualified staff who are suitable to work with children. Staff work very well together as a team and have clear roles and responsibilities. They have good knowledge and understanding of child development and work well with the children both individually and as a group. All staff are committed to their roles and dedicate their time to providing an environment where children are happy and ready to learn. Children are cared for by consistent staff that they know well.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is good. The managers are committed to development and are aware of areas which need improvement. They are open to advice and are making use of external support for raising standards. Staff are given support to develop their skills and knowledge through on-going training and regular appraisals. The managers and

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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 staff are able to combine areas of the Birth to three matters framework, the Foundation Stage curriculum and the Montessori methods of teaching very well and know how to use them all in practice to support children's development.

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Organisation

Required records, policies and procedures which contribute to children's health, safety and welfare are in place, however, the Safeguarding children procedures need updating to refer to the local safeguarding children board, (LSCB). The induction training ensures that all staff understand the policies and procedures and can refer to them when necessary, however, further knowledge and understanding of the requirements following a significant event or incident need to be addressed, to ensure the correct procedure is followed. The managers are aware of the regulations with regards to Complaints procedures and a system for logging complaints is in place. Space, staff and resources are well organised throughout the setting. There is an established daily routine that ensures children are occupied and stimulated throughout their time at the setting and the range of the activities provided ensures they enjoy what they do

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Organisation

and achieve well. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last children Act inspection the provider was asked to ensure children's records include details of children's ethic origin, language, religion and culture and ensure that risk assessments are carried out on a regular basis and that appropriate written records are kept. Both these areas have been addressed appropriately improving the overall service provided.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted 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): • update the Child protection procedures to include the local safeguarding children board, (LSCB) • ensure all staff are fully aware of the correct notification procedures, following any significant events.

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The quality and standards of the care

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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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): • encourage writing for different purposes, using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions • develop the opportunities for children to use numbers as labels for counting.

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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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