York Montessori Nursery Ltd

The Home To Home Nursery (York) Company Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY364167 Inspection date 03/05/2011 Inspector Carol-Anne Shaw

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Setting address Logistics House, 33 Hospital Fields Road, Fulford Industrial Estate, York, YO10 4DZ Telephone number 01904 642666 Email handh@grationhome.freeserve.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

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 Home to Home Nursery is a privately owned provision, registered in 2007. They follow the Montessori ethos to develop children's learning. They have another nursery in Strensall, east of York. The nursery operates from a two-storey building in the Fulford area of York. Younger babies are cared for on the ground floor in an open-plan room which has an integral kitchen, nappy change and sleep facilities and older children are cared for on the first floor in three rooms, organised according to their stage of development.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 52 children at any one time. Of these, 18 may be under two years. There are currently 80 children aged from babies to five years on roll, who attend for sessions of variable lengths. Funded nursery education places are available. The nursery is also currently included on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register, however, at the time of the inspection they were not offering a service for older children in relation to this part of their registration. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are strategies in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 14 members of staff. The majority of the staff, including the manager, hold early years qualifications at various levels as appropriate to their role. There are four staff members who have relevant degrees. Additional staff are employed for duties such as cooking. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association. They are members of the Montessori Schools Association.

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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 partnership with parents is highly effective. The staff have a detailed knowledge to promote each child's individual care and learning needs. Children become confident, independent learners and they make good progress and, in some areas, outstanding progress in relation to their starting points. Children's health is a high priority and excellent systems are followed to ensure children's health is promoted and maintained. The staff team and owners are motivated in their endeavours to make improvements in the facilities and outcomes for children. The staff team work to maintain the environment and ensure it is effectively organised, offering a good range of inclusive learning opportunities to all children.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop the baby room and promote children's independence by providing experiences and furniture which will help them to develop growing This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 independence to do things for themselves  further improve the systematic approach to using observations and assessment, use to plan for individual developmental progress in all sections and regularly review this approach.

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the early years provision

Children are effectively safeguarded because the policy and procedures support the provision in safeguarding all children. The staff team demonstrate a clear understanding of their role in safeguarding children from abuse and neglect. They regularly update their training in safeguarding issues. The staff team are confident in the systems and they would promptly report any concerns or allegations in line with Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. There is a named person who is responsible to monitor, and the nursery's policy and procedure identifies relevant contact details. There are robust recruitment and vetting procedures in place and records are maintained for inspection. Security is effective, with clear systems for entry to the building, security buzzers, a visitor's book and secure entry doors.

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the early years provision

Children's health is very effectively managed by the staff, the nursery has consistent daily and weekly cleaning systems in place that ensure the premises and equipment are maintained to a very high standard at all times. Children are enabled to manage their own hygiene from an early age. They demonstrate an excellent understanding of health issues and protecting themselves and others from infection. The nursery works cooperatively with parents to prevent the spread of infection through illness, following the sickness policy to exclude children who are ill. All staff have a current first aid qualification so are able to manage any minor accidents and emergencies for their key children. Clear emergency systems are in place and practiced with the children.

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the early years provision

There is an outstanding partnership with parents, with the staff working very closely with parents. They make many observations of children at play to establish their level of development. This is used to plan for children's continued learning and development across all areas of learning and to keep parents fully advised of their progress. The children's profiles are maintained systematically in most sections and these are effective in targeting the possible next steps in their learning for individual children. These are linked to the parent's evenings that support communication with parents and show the full extent of the records they have made of children's progress. These, together with the newsletters and website, are extremely effective in keeping parents fully aware of their childs time in nursery.

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the early years provision

The owner, manager and staff are confident in each other's abilities and there is good teamwork and communication to ensure the smooth running of the provision overall. Recommendations set at the last inspection have been successfully addressed, improving the outcome for all children. There are many opportunities to attend training and the support for staff development continues to enhance the quality of the provision. The manager and staff attend ongoing training to keep informed of current childcare and learning issues. The wide range of Montessori This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 activities and resources are extremely well organised to provide a welcoming, stimulating and enabling environment. The very well-qualified staff team is effectively supported by management and moral is very high. The key person system is working. This is effective in supporting individual children's wellbeing in

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the early years provision

all sections. The ongoing improvement and development of the nursery has been driven by the passion and drive of the owner and management team. The baby section is the last area to be developed and is ready to start its redevelopment. The staff team work in partnership with other professionals in order to effectively support children with any learning difficulties/disabilities and systems are in place to support children who use other languages.

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the early years provision

There are systems in place to evaluate and monitor the provision. The joint partnerships with other providers are in place and working well. The owner, jointly with the management team, work effectively together using their knowledge and skills to make changes that improve the outcomes for children. There are good systems in place for staff supervision and meetings that enable the ongoing development of the provision.

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and outcomes for children

The staff in every section work well as a team to provide the Montessori ethos each day, creating an effective learning environment where children are confident and motivated. The trusting relationship that children have with the staff further promotes the happy, settled atmosphere. Children part easily from their parents and wave happily to them as they leave the building. The well-organised, relaxed environment is a key factor in the success of the nursery and in children's learning and development. Children are proud of the warm praise and encouragement they receive for their efforts and behaviour. They are confident and behave very well. They play cooperatively and take turns with the minimum of adult support and show a great deal of consideration towards their friends. The daily group discussions in the pre-school section further encourages their appreciation of their friendships.

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and outcomes for children

Children become confident in the well-rehearsed routines that promote independence in relation to their welfare and their learning. For example, they confidently select their own resources, they ensure their name is available and easily find their favourite number game on the low-level shelves. Older children confidently mark make. The younger children confidently ask the adults for support when required to use the toilet and older children freely access the bathroom and inform staff they have washed and dried their hands properly.

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and outcomes for children

Due to the inviting, accessible presentation of the Montessori range of resources, children make good choices in their play and learning. For example, whilst playing in the sand children will spontaneously reach for other resources to support their play. The staff team are skilled in supporting children's learning and development wherever they choose to play and to extend their learning. They skilfully use conversational questioning to help children to think about the colours they are making with the paint in their creative activity. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are often very creative. They concentrate for prolonged periods as they use the glue or paint for their creative work. They engage very confidently in role play and join in games that support their language development. Children are encouraged to respect and value each other's differences and abilities using the

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and outcomes for children

activities and resources freely available to promote children's understanding of diversity.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe whilst on the premises. Because children are so confident in daily routines, they know how to organise themselves ready for group time, put on their coats and shoes to play outside. They learn the climbing and balancing skills which are necessary for keeping themselves safe as they become more adventurous in their play. They have visits from the local police and fire department to support their understanding of staying safe. Children confidently discuss their health and hygiene needs with staff which helps them to become very aware and capable in managing their own hygiene needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very well nourished. They receive varied and nutritious meals which are freshly prepared on the premises each day. The children enjoy the healthy snacks of fruit and inviting meals and they develop a high level of understanding of healthy eating. The cook is an additional strength in the nursery, providing a wide range of meals that support children's healthy eating. She works to support children with any dietary needs, cooking individual meals as required. Vegetables and fruit are pureed for the younger children, building in consistency as they are weaned. All children eat well and enjoy their meals. The older children discuss how many vegetables and fruit they have eaten in the day. Excellent information is available to parents about food and favourite recipes the children enjoy are shared with parents. The younger children have meals planned to their own routines. The proactive staff make sure that children have plenty to drink and that parents

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and outcomes for children

understand the importance of the younger children having exercise and access to fresh air. The baby section is caring and staff meet individual children's routines as required. However, at times they do too much for the children and limit children developing their growing independence, for example, such as self feeding. The children concentrate on their play and enjoy the outside learning opportunities in the fresh air.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare and learning is given high priority. The staff team demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how to meet children's individual needs, resulting in all children making good progress and, in some areas, outstanding progress considering their starting points. Children are supported to access a wide variety of play-based experiences following the Montessori ethos. The documentation is comprehensive and effectively organised to support the welfare and learning of the children. All children are very effectively included in all aspects of the provision. Successful partnerships with parents ensure that children's care and learning needs are well supported. The children have access to a fully-enabling environment, both indoors and outdoors. The provision demonstrates an ongoing capacity to improve outcomes for all children through evaluation and reflection. they review and continue to build on the good outcomes in place with continuing development.

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and outcomes for children

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 1 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 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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