York Montessori Nursery Ltd

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

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Unique reference number EY364170 Inspection date 26/05/2011 Inspector Ingrid Szczerban

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Setting address Oxcarr Lane, Strensall, York, YO32 5TD

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Telephone number 01904 490339 Email strenhometohome@aol.co.uk 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

Home to Home Nursery was registered in 2007. It is located in the village of Strensall, on the outskirts of York. It is privately owned, along with a sister nursery in Fulford, York. Children are cared for in three playrooms within a converted bungalow and a purpose-built timber lodge. Enclosed outdoor play areas are available to all children. Children from the village and surrounding areas attend. Disabled access is provided throughout the setting.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered to care for a maximum number of 56 children at any one time. There are currently 81 children on roll, of these, 15 receive government funding for nursery education. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and the voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

Opening times are each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm all year round, except Bank Holidays. Seventeen staff are employed, including the manager. Five of the staff are qualified to degree level and 10 have a level 3 qualification, of whom three are working towards level 4. Two of the staff are training towards Early Years Professional status. The setting is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association and the Montessori Schools Association and they are currently taking part in a local authority quality assurance scheme. The 'Every Child a Talker' scheme to promote the use of literature to children and families has also been completed.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Superb attention is given to meeting the individual learning and development needs of children. They take part in an extensive range of activities and make excellent progress in all areas of learning. Inclusive practice is promoted exceedingly well and children are very much valued and respected as individuals. There are robust systems in place to promote the welfare needs of children. Relationships with parents and carers and links with external agencies are exemplary. The provider assesses the effectiveness of the setting very well indeed and areas for improvement are accurately identified. An outstanding capacity to continuously drive improvement is demonstrated in order to ensure that outcomes for children develop positively.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 make more freely accessible to parents the children's development records in the pre-school room. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded very well and there are robust systems in place to promote the welfare needs of children. The staff are suitably vetted, undergo a well-supervised induction program and receive regular training in safeguarding. Discussions reveal that they fully understand the signs of abuse and know what to do should the need arise. Comprehensive risk assessments are implemented effectively so that children remain safe on the premises and on outings. Coded door locks prevent anyone entering the playrooms and ensure that children may not leave unsupervised, and a log of all visitors is kept. All accidents are recorded; these include injuries sustained by children at home. The staff all hold a current first aid certificate.

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the early years provision

Due to excellent organisation, children can safely access all toys and equipment independently, and so are very autonomous and supremely confident. The furniture is of high quality; sturdy wooden chairs and tables are provided so that children cannot tip them over accidentally. Excellent levels of supervision are provided for children because the nursery exceeds the required adult-to-child ratios.

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the early years provision

Extremely effective leadership and management in the nursery results in a well- skilled and confident staff team which implements the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage exceptionally well. Self-evaluation demonstrates rigorous monitoring and searching analysis of what the setting does well and areas for development. Recommendations from the last inspection have been fully implemented. This has improved documentation relating to left or uncollected children by adding details of the regulator, and children's experiences of the wider world, through regular outings in the local community. The evaluation process includes the whole staff team, parents and children, and through completing quality assurance schemes. A wealth of improvements have been made since the last inspection. These include the building of a new timber lodge for the pre-school children, a refurbishment of the outdoor play areas with astro-turf, a climbing

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the early years provision

tower, balancing beams and raised planting areas. A fantastic start has been made to achieving the nursery's vision of becoming an eco-friendly setting. Sustainability features strongly in many areas, for instance, to save paper, staff are given a computer memory stick with updated policies to read, parents are invited to receive monthly newsletters by email and the majority of the food used is locally sourced.

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the early years provision

Relationships with parents and carers and links with external agencies are exemplary. Parent forums and questionnaires are used to great effect. Their input is valued and acted on, for instance, while they appreciated receiving the daily feedback sheets, they requested something more permanent and less wasteful. Now each child has their own journal which exchanges two-way information and parents get to keep. The children's development files are freely accessible to parents in the baby and toddler rooms, but not yet in the pre-school room. Parents said they were interested to learn more about Montessori practise, so bi-annual This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 information sessions are now provided. Innovative practice between home and nursery, such as sharing personal weaning plans which list all solid foods as they are introduced to babies, means that allergic reactions are detected early. The

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the early years provision

nursery has recently made excellent arrangements to share important information quickly with all parents via a mobile phone text messaging service. For example, procedures to follow in the event of extreme weather conditions, nursery closures or reminders about parent evenings.

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the early years provision

Links with external agencies are successful in promoting very positive outcomes for children. The manager attends regular Local Partnership meetings to share information with other settings delivering the EYFS. Meetings are arranged to formulate Individual Educational Plans for children with special educational needs. Parents, healthcare professionals and key workers work successfully together to provide consistency and ensure that all children are optimally challenged and their needs are met. Key workers attend appointments with children if parents are not able to, for instance with a speech therapist. A member of staff is designated as the link between local schools where children will attend and the children are invited to events at school, such as fairs.

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and outcomes for children

A rich, vibrant and varied environment, coupled with meticulous individual observations, assessments and plans, means that all children are eager to attend, show superb levels of curiosity and make significant gains in their learning. An excellent key person system is established and the wishes and views of children are given utmost priority at all times, particularly at times of transition. For instance, when children start, they are allowed time to show a natural affinity towards an adult they prefer and this person then is allocated as their key worker. Before children move up to toddler or pre-school rooms, the key person introduces them to equipment from that room for them to become familiar with.

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and outcomes for children

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Relationships are very strong at all levels. The children are happy; they can share, enter the setting confidently and have friends they like to be with. Children readily approach adults and engage in small group activities with or alongside their peers. Staff motivate and inspire children with their enthusiasm and very effective questioning techniques. The individual interests of all children are consistently observed by staff and their ideas are acted on by staff. For example, a current dinosaur theme was child-initiated and extended by staff to make dinosaur bones, display children's dinosaur artwork and create a dinosaur cafe in the home corner.

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and outcomes for children

Independence, decision making, respect and consideration for others all feature strongly in the setting. In line with the Montessori ethos, all activity tables are left clear so children take out what they want to play with and return the equipment for the next child to use. Children are very curious to find out how things work and delight in turning the handle of a hand whisk to make bubbles in a bowl of soapy water. Babies are very secure in their loving relationships with their staff. Their individual routines and preferences are closely adhered to by staff. For instance, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 after lunch, babies are cuddled or have their heads gently stroked, so they fall asleep quickly.

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and outcomes for children

Children move around between inside and outdoors with absolute freedom, so fresh air and exercise are integral to their daily routine. They love to be active and healthy lifestyles are promoted very well indeed. Weekly yoga sessions are enjoyed by the children, so they learn to notice the effects of exercise and how to control their bodies. In the garden children confidently climb, balance, ride wheeled toys and manoeuvre wheelbarrows with very good control. Healthy, well-balanced and nutritious home-cooked meals are provided for children and the daily menus always include fresh vegetables and fruit. A gardener is employed to help children to discover the wonders of nature and to learn about where food comes from. She involves them in growing fruit, flowers and vegetables in the garden, which they really enjoy. The children eat food from around the world regularly, such as pasta and curry dishes. The celebrations of festivals from around the world also include

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and outcomes for children

food tasting. Children learn very well about diversity, they are frequently spoken to in French and happily repeat simple sentences.

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and outcomes for children

Through visitors to the setting and regular local outings, children learn superbly well about the world around them. The pre-school children go to the local farm shop in the village each week to buy fruit and vegetables for the nursery. They are involved in selecting produce and paying for it and so learn to make decisions and how to count and use money. The dental hygienist teaches children about oral hygiene and children often quiz the community police officer about their job. The local library is used to encourage children to know how to seek out information, for instance, to look for books which support their interests. Separate bins are provided in playrooms for children so they learn well about how to recycle materials.

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and outcomes for children

Children are clear and confident communicators. They use facial expressions, gestures, simple words or fluent speech to make absolutely clear their ideas and preferences. Literacy is promoted through stories, plenty of spontaneous mark making opportunities and meaningful practical activities, such as the use of menus in the role play cafe. Children are taught well how to keep themselves safe. Role play is used to promote safety and regular fire drills are practised. They are shown the correct way to use knives when buttering toast and are reminded not to splash too vigorously in soapy water in case it gets in their eyes. 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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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