Fortis Green Nursery

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Fortis Green Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY372797 Inspection date 22/04/2009 Inspector Siobhan O'Callaghan

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Setting address Fortis Green Nursery Group, 70 Fortis Green, LONDON, N2 9EP Telephone number 02088 831 266 Email fgn@btconnect.com Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10). This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Fortis Green Nursery is a privately run provision. It opened originally in 1938 although re-registered in June 2008 due to changes of the executors of the nursery. The provision continues to remain under the same management. The nursery operates from a large purpose built building, which is situated in a residential area in Muswell Hill in the London borough of Haringey. Children have access to a large enclosed outdoor play area. The setting is open each weekday from 08.30 to 17.30 for 49 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 55 children from birth to five years. There are currently 102 children aged from 10 months to under five years on roll. The setting offers both full and part-time places for children. There are 20 members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to NVQ level 3 standard or above. A proprietor of the nursery is currently completing the Early Years Professional Status qualification. The nursery receives support from an administrator, secretary, cook and qualified early years teacher. The nursery provides funded early education for three and four- year-olds.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good. Children are making excellent progress in their learning and development as they independently explore a bright and stimulating environment that fully supports them in becoming active learners. Children are recognised as being unique individuals, which is demonstrated in the effective planning and assessment systems that focus on their personalised learning. Children's welfare is promoted through many positive policies and procedures, which help to keep them safe. The successful partnerships with parents further support children's safety and individual progression as parents are kept well informed of their children's development. The provision demonstrates a positive approach to continuous improvement, which is evident within their ability to involve all staff, parents and children within their self-evaluation processes.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve the organisation of sleep times  review existing arrangements for toileting facilities to further support children's independence with regards to their privacy.

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provision

The manager and provider of this setting work closely together and demonstrate a common sense of purpose with regards to providing good quality care and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 education for children. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure that all staff are deemed suitable to work with children. Consequently, children are cared for by a highly qualified and experienced team. The staff team are dedicated to improving their knowledge and skills, which can be seen in their commitment to attend ongoing training opportunities. The provision has in place many competent records, policies and procedures that support the safe and efficient management of the setting. Effective risk assessments are in place to monitor the environment and ensure that any hazards are highlighted and quickly removed. However, the current organisation of sleep times does not fully promote

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provision

positive hygiene practices. For example, children are allowed to walk across their sleep mats in their outdoor shoes as they are preparing to get ready for their sleep. Children are protected from potential harm or neglect as the staff team have a secure knowledge and understanding of Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures, and of their responsibility to work in partnership with outside agencies.

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provision

Children access a stimulating and inclusive learning environment with good quality resources, which are well organised and are easily accessible. The staff team are well deployed as they spend all their time interacting with children as they follow their interests and support them within their chosen pursuits. Children are further supported through the well established key worker system, which ensures that their individual needs are consistently monitored. Children benefit from the flexible organisation of routines, which results in them being able to make informed choices about where they would like to explore and what activities they wish to pursue. For example, children move freely from the inside to the outside play areas as these are always accessible. The setting promotes reflective practice as all staff are responsible for evaluating the experiences that they provide for children. Regular team meetings are held to discuss all aspects of the provision along with

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provision

discussing areas that can be improved. Children's voices are heard, as they are involved in sharing their views of the setting. For example, children's questionnaires gather information about what they enjoy doing at nursery, as well as finding out about aspects that they may not like. This information is then used to inform planning within the nursery.

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provision

The setting has established positive partnerships with parents, and with the schools that the older children will be moving onto. Parents are provided with good quality information about the early years provision and the policies and procedures that are followed within the setting. Parents share detailed information about their children's individual needs before they attend the setting. This enables staff to provide consistent care and to ensure that children receive a successful settling-in experience. There are good transition arrangements in place for children moving rooms within the nursery and for older children moving onto school. The manager has visited most of the local primary schools to establish these positive links. Educational planning is displayed throughout the nursery to keep parents informed of current topics and themes. Through discussions with parents it is apparent that they feel very satisfied with the quality of the provision. Some parents comments

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provision

include 'My child is extremely happy and settled here. I feel very well informed about my child's progress. I attended a recent parents' evening which was very good. I have my child's profile book and I contribute towards this on a regular basis' and 'I have had two children come through the nursery and I am very happy This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 with everything they do. Staff are very approachable and both my children have had the same key worker, which has been good'. These close partnerships help to promote positive outcomes for children.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The staff team demonstrate an excellent knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and they plan an interesting and stimulating range of activities and experiences for children. Individualised planning is geared around their interests and abilities, whilst ongoing assessments clearly map children's progress and highlight future learning opportunities. Children benefit from a rich learning environment where they are supported and encouraged to become active learners. Those children who learn more effectively through physical experiences have good opportunities to play actively outside as this area is open throughout the day. Consequently, all children regardless of their starting points are supported to make outstanding progress towards the early learning goals. Children are extremely happy and settled within this provision. It is evident that they have established secure and warm relationships with their carers.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children confidently access their environment and enjoy taking on responsibilities. For example, they are delighted to help staff to get ready for lunch. Children take it in turns to lay the tables and to calculate how many places they need to set. Lunchtime is a social occasion, children chat amongst themselves and to the staff who also sit and eat their meals with them. They are developing excellent social skills as they display polite manners and show respect to one another. They are learning positive self-care skills as they independently access the cloakrooms to go to the toilet or to wash their hands before lunch. Although toilet arrangements are successfully organised the facilities do not currently fully support children's privacy.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are developing excellent communication, language and literacy skills. They enjoy sharing stories both in large groups and on a one-to-one level. Older children are making good progress in their mark-making skills as they label their own work and demonstrate a good knowledge of phonics. Children confidently self-register themselves in the morning, which supports their early reading skills. Children's knowledge and understanding of the world is promoted through successful practical activities, such as planting seeds and monitoring their growth. Weekly cooking sessions give children opportunities to develop their practical skills, such as cutting, stirring and learning about weight, space and measure. They learn about food and where it comes from and what happens when raw food is cooked. Children are delighted that the sandwiches they have made are to be shared at teatime. There are many opportunities for children to be creative. They enjoy

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

exploring a variety of textures as they play freely with water and sand out in the garden. Inside, children enjoy printing activities and exploring how they can make patterns with rice and snowflakes. Babies independently explore a sensory area within their own room. They are excited to play with small world zoo animals, which have been imaginatively set out at their level. They have real straw and wooden bricks, which help to support their purposeful play.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

All children enthusiastically engage within music sessions. They are excited to handle a variety of instruments and listen to the different sounds that they make. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 They are absorbed in listening activities, whereby they must close their eyes and guess which instrument is being played. Children confidently access an exceptionally stimulating and well resourced outside play provision. They have excellent opportunities to develop their physical skills as they are able to climb, run, jump and generally be creative in this area. There are extensive resources in the garden to promote all aspects of children's learning, including chalk boards to encourage mark-making and puzzles and construction resources to promote problem solving. Staff are skilful in providing both man-made and natural materials to encourage children to use their imaginations. For example, children are

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

delighted to make camps with old cardboard boxes and pieces of material. Whilst another group of children play purposefully under the climbing frame as they pretend to cook with real saucepans and utensils as they prepare food for their baby dolls.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children's welfare is promoted through many positive practices within their daily routines. They are provided with wholesome and nutritious meals, which they clearly enjoy eating. The nursery purchase organic foods, and ensure that all dietary requirements are discussed in detail. Meticulous records are in place to plan individual diets and for liaising with parents and the nursery chef about the foods that children are able to eat. Specialist foods are purchased for children with severe allergies, for example, the nursery currently has organic, soya and goats' milk in place to cater for individual diets. Children remain well hydrated throughout the day; younger children are offered regular refreshment, whilst older children help themselves to drinks from the water fountain in the garden. Children demonstrate kindness to each other, for example, an older child is proactive in helping a younger child to access a drink from the fountain. Children's good health

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

is promoted through a positive sickness policy, which helps to protect them from cross-infection. Staff encourage good personal hygiene as they discuss the importance of washing hands and explaining to children why it is important to hold your hand over your mouth when you cough, due to the possible spread of germs. Children are developing a good knowledge and understanding of how to keep themselves safe, for example, they participate in regular evacuation drills of the building and learn why this is important. During woodwork activities staff demonstrate how to use tools safely and explain why it is important to wear safety goggles.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are supported to feel a strong sense of belonging within this setting. Their art work and photographs of themselves at play are attractively displayed around the building. There is a good focus on valuing children's home backgrounds and their individual cultures. Children enjoy learning about each others differences as they participate in creative activities that help to contribute to the bright and informative displays around the nursery. Good quality resources and books further support children in developing a positive approach towards diversity and inclusion. Overall, the children are developing many important learning and development skills that set secure foundations for their future learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? 2 The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement.

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? How well are children safeguarded? 2

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 2 How well are children helped to be healthy? 2 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 1 How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being?

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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