Iverna Gardens Montessori

Iverna Gardens Montessori Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY387406 Inspection date 23/09/2009 Inspector Helen Maria Steven

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Setting address Armenian Church Hall, Iverna Gardens, LONDON, W8 6TP

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Telephone number 02075 650 850 Email admin@iverna.com Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Iverna Gardens Montessori School was first registered in 1988. It is one of two nurseries owned by Multistori Limited and was re registered in 2009. It operates from the ground and lower ground floor of a church hall in a quiet residential street in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The setting has the use of a kitchen, an office area and bathroom facilities. There is an enclosed outdoor play area available for children. Children attending come from the local community.

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Description of the setting

The group is registered to care for a maximum of 40 children at any one time. Children attend both sessional and full days. The setting has no funded children. The group is also registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare register. There are currently 57 children on roll in the early years age range.

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Description of the setting

The setting is open five days a week from 09:00 to 15:30 hours during school term times. The morning sessions end at 12:00 hours and the afternoon sessions begin at 13:00 hours. The setting also cares for children up to the age of eight years during some school holidays.

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Description of the setting

There are nine staff members, all of which have early years qualifications. The setting focuses on providing care and learning based on Montessori principals.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at nursery; they thrive in a safe and welcoming environment which enables them to make good progress in their learning. The management and staff team are enthusiastic; they are reviewing ways to further establish children’s starting points and capabilities and developing the monitoring systems to improve children’s learning journeys. The provider has completed an Ofsted self evaluation document and has successfully identified the settings strengths and areas for development; there are plans in place to further improve this process by consulting with the parents more formally. The staff team have effective relationships with parents and forge links with other agencies so that children can receive the care they require. An effective keyworker system is in place to ensure that children’s individual needs are met.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve communication between the staff using the outside area and the staff working inside to provide assistance readily  enrich the learning environment with text and numerals to give children opportunities to practise their developing skills and continue to develop the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 range of resources and learning opportunities to support children's knowledge of information communication technology  ensure that the registration certificate is displayed more prominently to enable parents to view with ease

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the early years provision

Children are protected because staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures and know when to take action to protect children in their care. Further training has been organised to ensure the team keep their understanding of safeguarding updated. Robust recruitment procedures are in place and appropriate checks are taken out on all staff. Risk assessments are in place for the building and additional risk assessments are being drawn up by the current staff team for each and every outing to be undertaken this term, thus ensuring that everyone is aware of how to reduce hazards. The staff ensure that children are only collected by known adults and have photos of relatives/carers pictured with the children to check identities. Currently the outside area is undergoing reconstruction and measures are in place to ensure children’s safety during this time. Staff members working with children in the outside area sometimes find it difficult to attract the

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the early years provision

attention of colleagues indoors when, for example, a child needs to access the toilet, as the front door does not have a bell and staff do not routinely carry the ‘walkie talkie’ as a way to communicate.

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the early years provision

There are detailed policies and procedures in place which parents can access via a handbook and the nursery’s comprehensive website. The registration certificate is on display in the lower ground floor, but is not easily accessible for parents who only drop off and collect their children in the main room on the ground floor. Although this is the first inspection since registering as Multistori Limited the staff have addressed previous recommendations to benefit the children. The provider has undertaken a detailed self evaluation and through input from others she has identified areas that they wish to develop, demonstrating a commitment to making ongoing improvements. The main room is bright and welcoming and very well organised. The low level shelving and boxes enable children to self select from a vast range of resources, most of which are Montessori.

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the early years provision

The partnership with parents is very positive and ensures that each child’s keyperson develops an excellent understanding of their welfare and learning needs. Parents give very positive feedback about the nursery and feel that the friendly staff team are a core strength, they relish the photos that the staff take when tracking children’s progress, which are used in their profiles and also burnt onto CD’s when children leave. Staff have links and relationships with various child development specialists whom they are able to call upon if needed to ensure children’s individual needs are met. They have forged links with local schools to enable a smoother transition for children in their care. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children throughout the nursery make good progress towards the early learning goals as staff plan and provide interesting and challenging activities. There is a balance between child-led activities which children self select and adult led activities, for example, discussions and an experiment to demonstrate volcanoes. Information from parents and staff’s observations help to establish children’s starting points. The managers are exploring and trialling different ways of tracking and monitoring children’s progress. In addition they are continuing to work on linking the Montessori practices to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Beautiful photographs illustrate children’s involvement in a wide range of activities and demonstrate their development towards the early learning goals. Children learn about different cultures and religions as well as their own, through activities and displays within the nursery. For example, children are currently learning about

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and outcomes for children

Eid and are listening to music, dressing in costumes and have opportunities to complete a jigsaw puzzle depicting Arabic letters. Parents actively support the staff by providing knowledge, artefacts and resources. They learn French each week with a specialist teacher. There are reflective resources such as books available, but some children are unable to see their home language displayed anywhere in the nursery.

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and outcomes for children

Children settle well in the nursery, they are confident and have a strong sense of belonging. New children are afforded time to settle, as their parents leave, children are comforted by their keyperson and are gently shown and reminded about the routines and procedures. Children behave extremely well because staff are excellent role models and speak to the children and each other calmly and with respect. They explain their expectations and offer meaningful praise and lots of encouragement. Children are polite to each other, asking ‘Can I join you?’ when interested in an activity being undertaken by their peers. They are learning to take responsibility for putting their things away and cleaning up after themselves using the available resources such as brooms, mops and cloths. Children learn about nature and are fascinated by the tropical fish in the nursery, they observe the differences, watch as they disappear and reappear from behind the plants and

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and outcomes for children

discuss with their peers the food they eat. There is no computer available to the children, but the provider is currently increasing resources to support children in developing skills in their information communication technology, however this area of the curriculum is not fully implemented at this time. Children have many opportunities to develop their mathematical skills as there are vast numbers of resources which support this. For example, children are making shapes with elastic bands on a peg board; they copy a pattern from a card and correctly identify that they have made a rhombus. Children are introduced to the pleasure of books as they snuggle down in the cosy book corner and read independently and with their friends. They are encouraged to develop an understanding of phonics and how to make words plural. However, although the environment includes activities that support literacy and numeracy the setting is not rich in text or numbers, for

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and outcomes for children

example, photos on display are not labelled and there are no simple instructions to enable children to give meaning to text. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children’s creativity is enhanced by opportunities to explore different media, musical activities and drama. They use their hands as well as brushes to create huge sweeping patterns over the large easel, working independently and in pairs. Children have many opportunities to develop their fine motor skills by using tools such as pencils and scissors. There are opportunities for ballet each week and everyday the children have time in the garden for physical play and fresh air. Children develop a good understanding of healthy lifestyles, for example, they enjoy growing their own vegetables. They self-select fruit and vegetables during the day when they identify they are hungry, preparing the snack themselves by,

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and outcomes for children

for example, using the apple corer to prepare the fruit. They access drinks throughout the day and wash up their cups after use. They are aware of using only clean water to wash their hands and skilfully fill up the bowl with fresh water, use soap and paper towels and empty the dirty water when they have finished. Children who stay at nursery all day are provided with healthy lunches by their parents who adhere to the nursery’s healthy eating policy, staff are aware of children’s dietary restrictions and procedures are in place if children forget their lunch. 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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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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