Seedlings Montessori Preschool

Seedlings Montessori Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY235081 Inspection date 01/09/2010 Inspector Sarah Morfett

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Setting address 227 Poverest Road, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent, BR5 1RD

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Telephone number 01689 608512 822340 Email 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. 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.

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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

Seedlings Montessori Pre-School opened in 2002. The pre-school is owned by the church and run by a management committee, which includes the Pastor and church elders. The committee employs the day to day manager and staff team. It is situated in Petts Wood in the London borough of Bromley. A maximum of 26 children in the early years age group may attend the pre-school at any one time four of whom may be under three. The pre-school is open each weekday from 09.30am to 1.00pm for 38 weeks of the year. The setting is easily accessible and all children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 38 children in the early years age group on roll. Of these 32 children receive funding for nursery education. This provision is registered on the Early Years Register. Children come from a local catchment area. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs eight staff. All of the staff hold an appropriate early years qualifications which included the Montessori International Diploma and NVQ level 2 or 3. Staff use Montessori teaching methods and also incorporate the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, activities including French and regular music sessions are also offered. The pre-school works closely with the Bromley Early Years team and the local area special needs co-ordinator.

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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

The pre-school staff meet the uniqueness of each child through their well developed knowledge of the children's individual needs. They effectively promote their welfare and learning through a broad range of activities which are based on the Montessori Method of teaching and effectively incorporate the Early Years Foundation Stage. This means that children benefit from both approaches to make good progress. The group's capacity for maintaining ongoing improvement is very good and they are realistic in identifying their strengths and areas for development having successfully addressed the recommendations from their last inspection. The partnership with other agencies is strong and ensures that children's learning and development needs are supported well. The partnership with parents is sound and contributes towards consistency of care. This ensures that children's welfare and their well-being is promoted to a good standard.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  ensure the daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises include their hours of attendance  continue to develop systems for working in partnership with parents including sharing information and involving them in their child's continuous learning and development

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the early years provision

Children are thoroughly safeguarded because of the procedures that are in place. For example, all staff are appropriately vetted and hold a current first aid certificate. Daily checks of the environment are made to ensure that it is safe for the children to play. The risk assessment procedure is carried out on a regular basis, signed by the manager once completed and a date of review is set. Staff have a sound knowledge of the local safeguarding procedures and clear understanding of signs and symptoms that would concern them. Therefore they are committed to keeping children safe from harm and neglect. All paperwork is available for inspection and mostly meets the welfare requirements. Details are recorded of the children on the premises each day, however, their times of arrival and departure are not noted. The setting operates a secure drop-off and collection procedure to ensure that the children are only collected by authorised people.

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the early years provision

Resources are effectively deployed within the setting. Furniture, equipment and toys are of good quality and suitable for the ages of children to support their learning and development. Children move around freely making choices about what they play with. Staff deploy themselves well throughout the session to give children maximum support whilst they learn through a balance of adult directed and child led play. Equality and diversity is promoted well throughout the session. Resources reflect diversity, for example within the books and the dressing up. This means children can learn about people's similarities and differences as they play. They take part in festivals from different cultures, sometimes drawing on parent and carers experiences and background to develop children's understanding of the world around them. Their ability to promote inclusion within the setting is strong, they work closely with outside agencies; such as, the area Special Educational Needs

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the early years provision

Coordinator, local health visitors, early years advisory teachers and speech and language therapists. This means that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as children with English as an additional language are supported well and make good progress in relation to their starting points. The partnership with parents is good. They report that they are happy with the care their children receive and feel that through the termly report on their children's progress they know what stage of development their children are at. An open door policy means that parents can come in at any time and speak to their child's key person. However, parents are unaware of who their child's key person is. This means systems for sharing information and involving them in their child's continuous learning and development is not fully robust. Parents say that they feel confident to discuss any issues regarding their children with all of the staff and

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the early years provision

express that they have a good relationship with them. They are kept informed by a newsletter telling them about events through the term and they are encouraged to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 help during the session on a rota basis. The staff team work closely together. They use reflective practice to evaluate the service they provide. They have identified recent changes within the group such as an extension of the opening hours and have made some changes to the planning and observation system. They have also adopted a new initiative which aims to further develop children's social interaction. The staff are excited about implementing this to enhance experiences for children. This is a very pro-active group who set high importance on moving forward.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy at the pre-school and are eager to attend each day. They are welcomed warmly on arrive and quickly settle into the familiar routine which helps them to feel safe and secure. A wide range of toys, resources and activities provide good opportunities for them to explore and investigate. Children are enabled to make decisions as they make independent choices about what they play with. They are thoroughly engaged and focused in their play. For instance a group of children build a structure out of bricks. They work well together each having input into the end result. They then proudly show this off and receive praise for their efforts. Children move freely around the setting and can easily access activities which promote all the areas of learning. There is a good balance of adult led and child led activities. Staff support children as they play, they ask them open questions which make them think. The activities that children take part in are designed to

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and outcomes for children

help them develop to their full potential. Children are confident talkers, chatting happily to each other as they play, often giving and following simple instructions from each other during the course of their game. For example two children are stirring a bowl of rice, some of this spills and one child goes off to get a dustpan and brush. Together with one holding the brush and the other sweeping they clear up the spill. They also demonstrate effective turn taking as they swap roles. This means they develop good listening and speaking skills. Children begin to understand the concept of mathematics as they use a variety of matching and sorting resources. They use numbers in their play and are encouraged to count how many children present at group time learning larger numbers as they count 25 today. They use a wide range of natural resources and explore the world around them through activities in the garden and occasional trips

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and outcomes for children

for nature walks. They can access the outside space each day using equipment which challenges their physical skills. They can express themselves through a suitable range of creative materials using tools such as scissors well in the mark making area. Staff have identified role play as an area for improvement and have made good progress by providing children with dressing up and small world play. Therefore children can act out familiar situation and begin to make sense of them. The staff have recently adapted the system for recording what children do and achieve. Staff plan for the next steps in children's learning by using their observational assessments to identify learning priorities for each child. This is then transferred to the planning system to ensure that activities are meeting children's individual needs. There is a good amount of flexibility within this and spontaneous This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

learning is positively encouraged. For example, if during an activity children's focus changes staff will run with this and adapt the activity to meet their needs. This newly reviewed system shows that children are moving forward and making good progress. Children have good opportunities to adopt healthy lifestyles. They enjoy a healthy snack each day and learn about what food is good from them as they discuss this whilst they eat. Staff liaise with parents to ensure the packed lunches children bring are balanced and all children's allergies and dietary requirements are respected. Children enjoy being active and play outside most days. They particularly love to dance and benefit from a qualified dance instructor who visits regularly. She adapts routines to help them stretch and move their bodies to music. Children learn to keep themselves safe as they take part in regular fire drills. Staff remind them not to run inside and to remember to push their chairs in.

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and outcomes for children

They explain why this may be dangerous. Therefore children learn about their own personal safety. Children behave well in the group because they are engaged in activities which interest them and help them to learn. Staff praise children constantly and offer encouragement where they see they are trying hard. This means that they become confident learners with good self-esteem. 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 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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