Queens Park Montessori

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 09/03/2005 Inspector Name Anne Legge

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Queens Park Montessori Setting Address 155 Richmond Park Road Bournemouth Dorset BH8 8UA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

Queens Park Montessori Day Nursery opened in 1991. It operates from the ground floor of a private house, close to Bournemouth town centre. The nursery serves the local area and is registered to provide care for 29 children aged 4 months to under 5 years of age. There are currently 61 children on roll. This includes 25 funded three- and four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The group supports children with special needs, and children for whom English is an additional language. The nursery opens five days a week, all year round (except Christmas and New Year) and is open from 08:00 to 17:45. Nine staff work directly with the children, the owner is supernumerary, and a cook is also employed. Seven members of staff, including the owner, hold early years qualifications and two are currently training. The setting receives support from the advisory teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, and uses the Montessori method of

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Information about the setting

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

Queens Park Montessori Nursery provides high quality nursery education and children make very good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is very good. Staff have a clear understanding of the foundation stage curriculum and plan a very good variety of activities, from which children choose freely. Staff use their excellent understanding of children's development to promote learning, using questions, discussion and carefully graded tasks very effectively. All children are challenged appropriately to move to the next stage of learning, especially in mathematics and literacy. Planning and assessments are used very well to meet children's individual learning needs, taking their interests and abilities into account, although systems are not yet clear in showing coverage of the whole curriculum. Staff provide excellent support for children with special needs or with English as an additional language. They manage behaviour positively and

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How effective is the nursery education?

successfully, using plenty of praise and encouragement. Leadership and management are very good. The owner and her staff work very effectively as a team, meeting regularly to monitor and evaluate the quality of provision. All roles are clearly understood. There is a very good commitment to improve, with systems in place to identify staff training needs and areas for future development. The nursery has a very good partnership with parents. Staff provide clear information about the curriculum in newsletters, an introductory leaflet and at parents' evenings. There are good systems for sharing progress information and children's future targets with parents, in regular written reports and informal contacts with key workers, although progress records do not yet clearly show progress towards all the early learning goals. Parents are encouraged to become involved in their child's learning by adding comments to reports, providing resources or offering

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What is being done well?

• Staff provide an excellent range of activities and resources, appropriate for children's stage of development. Children are encouraged to try increasingly challenging tasks, but with very good adult support and in an ethos of 'no failure'. • Staff are very effective in their use of questions, discussion and a mainly Montessori approach to teaching, to develop children's confidence, skills and understanding. • Children make outstanding progress in their personal, social and emotional development. They become exceptionally independent in their personal care and in managing their own play and learning, and they learn to relate to

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 others with confidence and consideration. • Children develop excellent mathematical understanding, due to the wide range of mathematical resources and activities provided for them. They use practical tasks throughout each session, to explore number and shape and to solve problems. • Staff have established very good systems to monitor and support children with special needs or with English as an additional language, working closely with parents and other agencies. • The nursery is reflective in its practice, and effective systems are in place to identify and address any areas which need to be improved.

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What needs to be improved?

• the planning systems, to more effectively show coverage of all aspects of the curriculum • the assessment records, to show parents more clearly how their child is making progress towards the early learning goals.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the nursery was asked to improve provision for role play and imaginative play, and for large physical play. The nursery has made very good progress in addressing these issues. Children now have daily opportunities for role play and staff develop their imaginations successfully, in a variety of media and activities, providing good resources. Physical development is now very good, with daily opportunities for children to climb and balance, and develop control of their large movements.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are very confident and settled. They are enthusiastic learners, eager to try all activities, and they concentrate very well at their chosen tasks. They relate very well to each other and to adults, learning to share resources and take turns with toys. They develop excellent independence skills, managing their personal care, such as dressing or washing their cups, and organising their own play. They behave very well, responding to the high expectations and positive approach of staff.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children talk with great confidence, using a wide vocabulary. They use language very effectively, to describe events or explain what they are doing, as when cutting out rectangles. They enjoy stories and choose to share books, using them well to find information. They learn about letter shapes and sounds, progressing to early reading skills when ready. They write for a variety of purposes, such as making lists in role play. They are well supported in their attempts to form letters correctly.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children recite numbers and match them to groups of objects in a wide range of daily practical tasks, such as counting blocks in a tower. They recognise numerals and match them to groups, using an excellent range of resources. They begin to combine and compare groups and have many opportunities to solve mathematical problems, such as when sequencing numerical blocks. They explore two- and three-dimensional shapes, discussing their features and comparing their size and weight.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children develop their curiosity through a very good variety of investigative activities, such as comparing sounds or examining flowers. They learn about the natural world, planting seeds and bulbs, indoors and in the garden. They design and make, using construction materials and in a variety of art and craft activities. They develop a good sense of time and place through constant discussions with staff about events in their lives and places they know. They use a computer with confidence.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children use spaces very well, negotiating obstacles when running or riding tricycles, and finding spaces indoors to set up their activities. They move confidently, carrying trays, jumping or climbing and balancing, with very good control. They use small equipment, such as tweezers, pens and scissors with very good co-ordination. They use large equipment, such as the climbing frame and wheeled toys, with great confidence and skill. They practise and improve their ball control skills.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children learn to use their senses in an excellent variety of activities, such as grading colours, discriminating sounds, or playing with foam. They create freely with dough, paint or crayons and in a range of art and craft activities. They closely observe objects, such as flowers, and draw them. They develop lively imaginations in role-play and small world play, as well as in construction tasks. They sing daily, enjoying a wide range of familiar songs, and use musical instruments regularly.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • planning systems, to more effectively show coverage of all aspects of the curriculum • assessment records, to show parents more clearly how their child is making progress towards the early learning goals.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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