Footprints Montessori Day Nursery

Footprints Montessori Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY304311 Inspection date 12/10/2010 Inspector Lisa Cupples ISP Inspection

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Setting address Long Reach, West Horsley, LEATHERHEAD, Surrey, KT24 6LZ Telephone number 01483 285591 Email office@footprintsdaynursery.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 assesses 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 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 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

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

Footprints Montessori Day Nursery Ltd first opened in 2005. It is a privately owned setting which operates from converted premises in West Horsley, Leatherhead, Surrey. The setting is organised into four base rooms to accommodate children in different age groups. All children also have access to two outdoor play areas. The nursery provides care for the local community and surrounding areas. It is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year, excluding the week between Christmas and New Year and bank holidays.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered to provide care for a maximum of 62 children in the early years age group. Of these, not more than 20 may be under 2 years, and of these, not more than 6 may be under 1 year at any one time. The setting is not registered to provide overnight care. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 88 children in the early years age group on roll.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 24 members of staff, which includes the qualified owner, a cook and the administration manager. Of the 22 childcare staff, 21 staff have a range of qualifications from level 2 to a BA Hons Degree. Of these, eight members of staff are also working towards a higher qualification.

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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 in the Early Years Foundation Stage engage in a stimulating range of experiences at Footprints Montessori Day Nursery. A safe and welcoming environment is created to ensure all children are happy, settled and enjoy themselves as they play and learn. All children are making good progress towards the early learning goals and most procedures to monitor the children's development are effectively implemented. There are good relationships between staff, parents and carers and the welfare of all children is promoted successfully. The continual evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the setting and how the welfare requirements are met is clearly documented and most paperwork is maintained to a high standard.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop the information gathered from parents about their children's starting points, with regard to the six areas of learning  implement systems and procedures to effectively track the children's individual progress, monitor when their individual next steps are acheived This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and ensure the systems are consistent for all children  develop systems to share information with parents about the children identified next steps to enable them to extend their children's learning at home.

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the early years provision

All children are safeguarded effectively because the staff team have a good understanding of the child protection procedures and know how to implement them to protect the children in their care. Full written safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and referral charts are displayed for staff and parents throughout the nursery. All staff are clear about the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child in their care. All visitors are required to sign in and out of the building to ensure an accurate record of everyone coming into contact with the children is maintained. Full written risk assessments are carried out to ensure the children enjoy a safe and secure play and learning environment. Staff are vigilant and remove any potential risks to children. For example, all cleaning materials are stored well away from the children and plug sockets are covered. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are implemented effectively to ensure

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the early years provision

all adults are suitable to work with children.

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the early years provision

The setting has made good progress since the last inspection. They have addressed all of the previous recommendations to drive improvement. For example, the owner is now supernumerary to ensure she is available to speak with parents and visitors at any time, and all the policies and procedures have been updated to ensure they accurately reflect the practice within the setting and meet the regulatory requirements. The setting has completed an online self-evaluation form which accurately reflects the good practice observed and discussed during the inspection. The setting is good at identifying areas for improvement and acting on them. For example, the outdoor play areas have been developed to ensure all six areas of learning are covered both inside and outside and the forest school provides additional opportunities for the older children to explore their surroundings and enjoy the natural environment, while they reap the benefits of

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the early years provision

Staff deployment is effective and ensures all children receive good quality support and supervision during their time in the nursery. All children have access to a wide range of resources, activities and experiences that are suitable for their age and stage of development. Equipment and resources are stored on clearly labelled, low level shelves to promote children's independence and decision-making skills from the earliest age. All children have access to multicultural resources to promote their understanding of diversity and positive images are displayed throughout the setting. Children are also beginning to learn about the wider world through practical activities. For example, the setting celebrates cultural festivals through music, food tasting and art and craft and has also developed links with a school in Gulu, Africa. Each room has key people allocated to the children to ensure their individual needs are identified and met through observation and planning. The

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the early years provision

observations and planning are completed individually for each room and this works This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 well in most areas of the nursery. However, the procedures are not implemented consistently across the setting to ensure all children's individual progress is effectively tracked and their next learning steps are not always monitored to ensure they are achieved.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the good relationships developed between their parents and the staff at the nursery. The effective lines of communication ensure that children's needs are being met and parents are well informed about what their children can do. However, information about the children's next learning steps is not currently shared with parents to enable them to extend their children's learning at home. Parents have access to their children's records and are able to speak to their children's key person and/or the owner at any time. The setting values feedback from the parents and children and use a wide range of resources to ensure they listen and respond to the parents and children's views. For example, parent's fill out questionnaires, use the suggestions and comments box, form the parents link committee and attend meetings to share their views. Children answer questions about the setting, giving their views on what they like the most and what other

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the early years provision

things they would like to do at the nursery. Before the children first attend the setting, staff take the time to share detailed information with the parents about the children's welfare requirements, their interests, like, dislikes and their individual daily routines. However, little information is currently shared about the children's starting points, with regard to the six areas of learning to ensure staff can plan relevant activities and experiences for the children as soon as they start to attend. Good links are in place with local schools to ensure a smooth transition for the children, and partnerships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage are developing well to ensure consistency for those children who attend more than one early years setting.

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and outcomes for children

Staff across the nursery are skilled at incorporating the Montessori philosophy of teaching alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage to promote the children's learning, ensuring they continue to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Children of all ages are engaged in a wide range of purposeful play and learning activities and experiences. The youngest children separate easily from their carers and hold their arms out to staff for cuddles on arrival. Babies have access to a wide range of treasure baskets and are able to reach them and pull them off the shelves themselves, promoting their independence. The staff sit with the children interacting well and talking to the children, introducing new vocabulary and making eye contact as they develop the children's communication skills effectively from an early age. Babies explore the contents of the treasure baskets, while other children laugh and giggle as they stack up cups and watch

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and outcomes for children

them fall over. Children practise their physical skills, reaching for play resources, crawling and standing up, attempting to walk and taking a few steps unaided, all staff support this well. Older children practise their climbing and balancing skills on the adventure playground and ride wheeled toys with precision, demonstrating good spatial awareness. All children are able to express themselves creatively and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 use their imaginations well during role-play, art and craft and musical activities. Children count at every opportunity and recognise numerals. They have ample opportunities to problem-solve during Montessori tasks and persevere well, developing their concentration skills. Staff are attentive and respond well to the children's individual needs. They know when to stand back and let the children work things out for themselves and they also know when to intervene, preventing

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and outcomes for children

the children from becoming frustrated. This has a positive effect on the children's learning and encourages them to show curiosity and ask questions to learn more. All children have access to the outdoor play areas daily to ensure they enjoy the fresh air and staff plan activities to ensure all six areas of learning are covered both inside and outside. The older pre-school children enjoy outings to the woods during their regular forest school activities and enjoy building dens and tents. Children are also beginning to learn how to keep themselves safe during their visits to the forest. For example, children talk about the importance of not picking and eating the berries unless an adult is with them, and they recognise dock leaves that can be used if a child is stung by the nettles. All children have access to everyday technology to develop their skills. They use the computers with ease and enjoy the tape recorders and the programmable toys, such as the 'Beebots'. All

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and outcomes for children

children practise their emergent writing skills in a wide variety of ways for different purposes. Younger children mark-make with different materials, such as, corn flour, and chunky chalks, older children write their names and take notes or write shopping lists in the home corner. All children have access to a broad selection of books and learn how to handle them correctly from an early age. They listen carefully to stories and often predict what will happen next, showing that they understand that text has meaning.

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and outcomes for children

All children practise regular fire drills to ensure they know how to evacuate the building quickly and safely in the event of an emergency. Older children are able to explain clearly what happens during a fire drill, demonstrating a good understanding of the procedures. Children of all ages learn the importance of keeping themselves safe. They learn to use scissors safely and take responsibility for their own learning environments. For example, they push their chairs under the tables when they finish at an activity so that others will not trip over them. Children also learn about the importance of a healthy diet and exercise, recognising that when their hearts beat faster it is good for them. They also know to help themselves to water if they become thirsty during activities. The nursery employs a cook who provides an extensive range of well-balanced nutritional meals and snacks, sourced locally, for the children. They talk about the type of food that

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and outcomes for children

is good for them during the social meal times. Good hygiene procedures are implemented throughout the nursery. For example, children are actively encouraged to wash their hands at appropriate times and children who need to rest have individual, clearly labelled bedding to help prevent the possible spread of infection.

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and outcomes for children

All children, including the babies, show an extremely strong sense of security and belonging within the setting. They are very confident and settle well, developing excellent relationships at every level with adults and their peers. All children show extremely high levels of confidence and self-esteem. They work exceptionally well independently and with their peers showing good negotiation and cooperation skills. Children's behaviour across the setting is exemplary because all staff This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 implement clear rules and boundaries consistently, so the children know exactly what is expected of them. Children take responsibility for their play and learning environment and show respect for the resources and each other. For example, children pick up resources that have fallen on the floor and help with general cleaning tasks after meal times. They show consideration for others, allowing

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and outcomes for children

children to finish tasks independently and share and take turns with ease. Children are encouraged to express their feelings in an appropriate way and staff role model these ways in their daily interaction with the children, particularly when dealing with behaviour issues. For example, children are always given the chance to explain their behaviour so that it can be dealt with fairly and sensitively. Staff are skilled at recognising and acknowledging the children achievements and efforts and use distraction with the youngest children to prevent any unwanted behaviour from developing. All children receive lots of appropriate praise and encouragement throughout the day, building their self-confidence extremely well. 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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 1 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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