Greenacres Primary School

Oratory Montessori Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 105631 Inspection date 13/12/2010 Inspector Tracy Bartholomew

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Setting address 10 Lower Britwell Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL2 2NJ

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Telephone number 01628 665621 Email oratorymdn@gmail.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. 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

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

The Oratory Nursery registered in 2000. It is operates from a large house situated in Burnham. The nursery rooms are set out over three floors. A maximum of 52 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00, 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 74 children aged from three months to under five years on roll. Of these, 31 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local and surrounding area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 18 staff. Of these, 17 staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery employs a cook and administrator.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy and safe in this welcoming and friendly environment. Most children are broadly content, settled and willing to take part in activities. They achieve well in most aspects of their learning and their welfare requirements are maintained. Appropriate partnerships are in place with parents, and the nursery develops suitable links with other professionals to support individual children where necessary. Staff show a commitment to further development, although they do not always identify key weaknesses through the self-evaluation procedures.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve systems to maintain the good health of children by reappraising existing policies in relation to hygiene practice, with particular regard to the carpet areas and daily cleaning procedures  support further children's learning and development by helping all staff to interact positively with the children  improve the balance of adult-led and freely-chosen or child-initiated activities develop further the systems for maintaining children's safety by improving the registration system across the nursery. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Safeguarding procedures maintain the children's safety appropriately, overall. Daily attendance registers are in place and most staff are aware of the number of children in their room. However, there are inconsistencies within this which means some children have not been signed in or out by their parent/career, causing confusion as to how many children are present. Regardless of this, the main attendance register does reflect the correct number of children present. All staff have appropriate background checks and almost all hold suitable qualifications. Regular appraisals and training opportunities encourage staff to develop their professional expertise. Staff demonstrate an acceptable understanding of safeguarding children procedures and how to record and report concerns.

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the early years provision

The nursery provides a welcoming environment and resources are deployed appropriately, overall. Children have numerous murals to admire and their work is attractively displayed. However, some systems to maintain hygiene do not always work well in practice, posing a risk of cross-infection; for example, carpets are in a poor state and bins are dirty. Most rooms offer a balanced range of resources but the quality of staff interaction with children varies. Some staff engage in personal conversations rather than working with the children, which hampers learning.

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the early years provision

Staff promote equality and diversity appropriately and provide suitable support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work closely with support workers and parents to enable children to fully integrate within the setting. Staff develop generally positive relationships with parents and links are in place with other settings which children attend, such as local schools.

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the early years provision

The leadership and management team is committed to making improvements for children. The nursery has a self-evaluation procedure in place. It is based on appropriate levels of monitoring and analysis whose rigour is uneven but adequate overall.

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and outcomes for children

Children arrive confidently and are eager to explore with the resources available. Overall, children make sound progress in their learning and development, however, the quality of learning differs depending on the individual staff members working directly with the children. For example, some staff are skilled at engaging with the children and promoting quality interaction, whilst others lack the skill to maintain this, which results in inconsistent learning across the nursery.

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and outcomes for children

Children have opportunities throughout their day to engage in activities, which are linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. Planning is in place as are the children's individual records, which enable most staff to make informed decisions about how to progress the children's development. Children enjoy This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 activities when these are tailored to their interests, such as using toy vehicles and play dough. At times, however, there is an imbalance between adult-led activities and those that children chose, with too much adult direction. This sometimes limits children's creativity. Nevertheless, children enjoy developing their sensory skills as they engage in exploratory activities, such as using foam or participating in cooking. These activities help children develop their language skills too as they discuss what they do, see and feel. However, not all children benefit from these

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and outcomes for children

activities owing to how they are organised. Sometimes staff do too much for the children, such as deciding how paints will be used rather than encouraging individual creativity.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy singing and music time as they practice for a carol concert. They enjoy musical games, in which they all are valued and treated fairly. Books and story time are promoted well. Children are keen to go outdoors and enjoy a good range of resources there, including a sandpit, playhouse and slide.

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and outcomes for children

Babies settle well with their key persons and good systems are in place to find out about their individual needs and routines. Staff work closely with parents to build good relationships and to help parents feel reassured when leaving their young children. Daily diaries clearly detail information about activities, progress, feeding and sleeping. Babies enjoy stimulating activities, such as exploring beads, shape sorters and push along toys, sensory activities are promoted as are action songs and one to one story telling. These all have a positive effect on their welfare and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children throughout the nursery show that they feel safe and secure. They have sound relationships in place with staff and benefit mainly from their friendly approach. Behaviour is acceptable and staff adopt a positive approach to remind children about behavioural rules. Children learn about social rules, such as sharing and respecting each other.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about safety, such as carefully holding a handrail and taking their time as they come down the stairs under the close supervision of staff. They also have suitable opportunities to learn about health and hygiene. Children sit sociably at snack and mealtimes, and learn to wash their hands prior to eating. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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