Bridgend Tuition Centre

The Village Montessori Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 402282 Inspection date 13/10/2011 Inspector Rachael Owusu-Sekyere

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Setting address Theydon Bois Village Hall, Coppice Row, Theydon Bois, ESSEX, CM16 7ER Telephone number 07930313075 Email deborah.palmer@homecall.co.uk Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic 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 Village Montessori Nursery opened in 1999 and operates from one room in the village hall. It is situated in Coppice Row, Theydon Bois, Essex. A maximum of 18 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday on Monday and Wednesday from 9.15am to 3pm and on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.15am to 1.15pm for 42 weeks of the year.

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Description of the setting

All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 27 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Children come from both the local and wider catchment area. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery subscribes to the Montessori approach to education and has received Montessori Accreditation. It employs six staff, of whom four hold appropriate early years qualifications and one staff member is working towards a childcare qualification. In addition to this, the manager holds Early Years Professional Status and International Montessori Diploma and the deputy manager has a level 5 qualification and is currently working towards her Early Years Professional Status.

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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 children are making good progress in their learning and development because the staff have a good knowledge of the children's individual needs. They plan effectively to meet these whilst working closely with their parents, carers and other professionals. Children are safe and secure and enjoy learning about the world around them. Staff embark on continuous professional development. The setting are aware of their strengths and weaknesses, as they continously self-evaluate.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 keep a record of the risk assessment clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident. (Documentation) 27/10/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 extend partnerships, where children receive education and care in more than This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 one setting ensuring continuity and coherence by sharing relevant information with each other and with parents.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded and well protected in the setting because the staff have good knowledge of the local safeguarding procedures including whistle blowing procedures. Robust systems for recruitment and vetting ensure that all staff are vetted. Children are kept safe as staff supervise them vigilantly. Detailed risk assessments are in place for both indoor and outdoor areas and risk assessments are carried out for outings. This means that hazards to children are minimised when they use equipment and resources, such as the large slide. However, there are no dates for review or details of who carried out the risk assessment, which means the specific legal requirement is not fully met. Children are encouraged to 'be careful' and play with floor toys safely and they move around the room freely.

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the early years provision

The staff are knowledgeable of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this to support the children's learning embedding this with the Montessori approach. The environment is well organised and accessible to the children with activities from painting on easel to technological activities such as colouring on the laptop. Children are encouraged to make choices choosing what they would like to play with and most resources are at child level. This means the children can access toys freely and return them once finished enabling them to consolidate their learning and make good progress in their development.

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the early years provision

The staff attend regular training events and evaluate their practice and the nursery and take feedback from parents to support this process. They have meetings at which they share ideas and activities towards continuously improving the provision and activities for children. Targets have been set by the staff to improve areas within the nursery and they are actively working towards this, thus meeting previous recommendations effectively and promptly. For example, they plan to make better use of the garden area and have introduced some new garden equipment and activities, such as slides, outdoor yoga and free flow opportunities for children. The nursery has received Montessori Accreditation.

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the early years provision

The staff form close working relationships with parents and carers. They obtains useful information about each child, such as dietary requirements, personal care needs and likes and dislikes. This means that parent's and children's wishes are met effectively. Each child has a key worker. Staff and parents share important information about their child's development and progress. This means the parent becomes involved in the their child's learning and development. Effective relationships with other provisions/professionals involved with the children such as support for transition to school and nursery are in place. Additionally, this is in place with other professionals to meet the needs of children with special educational needs sharing resources and ideas with speech and language therapists and information on childrens needs with specialists such as educational psychologists. This means that children's well-being and learning are supported.

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the early years provision

However, partnerships where children receive education and care in more than one This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 setting are not well established to ensure continuity and coherence by sharing relevant information.

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the early years provision

Staff offer sensitive support to children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They readily adapt activities to ensure that all children can access them and also provide one to one activities specific to each child's individual need. Children learn to adopt positive attitudes towards themselves and others because the staff plan activities which explore other cultures, languages and attire. They celebrate a range of festivals such as Diwali, Hanukah and Christmas.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy being in the setting and are familiar with the routine. They know what is available to them because the staff provide suitable prompts for children to choose activities and also encourage children to play with them safely. Children are aware of where they can go within the setting and confidently keep themselves safe, for example, the children confidently move freely to access handwashing facilities before sitting for snack and after playing with messy activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children take part in yoga outdoors this encourage the children to stretch and exercise their bodies. Children have access to fresh air regularly throughout the sessions and drinking water is available at all times. As a result, they are developing their awareness of healthy practices. In addition to this, children are aware of healthy foods and take part in preparing the fruit for snack time by peeling and cutting bananas, while in small groups discussing which fruits they like and have tasted. Children are developing skills, such as walking fast or slow, running and climbing because they make use of a range of equipment such as the climbing frame/slide, the large tyres and balancing blocks extending and challenging their skills. Staff encourage the children to take equipment from one place to another carefully reminding them to walk slowly. The children plant and grow in the garden area gaining an understanding of how flowers grow and the

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress towards early learning goals because the staff plan for their key children around their needs and interests. Regular observations of what children can do are recorded and linked to their age and stage of development. From this information the staff accurately identify the next steps for the children and plan for this. This means the children make good progress in all the six areas of development. Children are developing good language skills and have access to a range of books, for example, when looking at books discussing where they can see the colour of the week. The children have plenty of opportunities for writing both indoors and outdoors. Some children write their own names on their work and the other children attempt writing their names, drawing lines, circles and tracing animals. They can independently choose pencils, felt tips and paper from the art trolley throughout the session. Children are confident at

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and outcomes for children

identifying numbers, colours and counting objects. Children are articulate and persevere through activities. During practical skills activities; for example, they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 pour, fill or screw nuts and bolts, this helps the children build confidence and prepares them for future learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave well in the nursery because staff offer clear explanations, set appropriate boundaries and involve the children in deciding how to resolve situations. For example, discussing with a child how they can ensure they all have a turn at the painting activity. Staff support one another when dealing with challenging behaviour as to ensure childrens behaviour is positive. Children are aware of themselves and other cultures as they celebrate birthdays, dress up in multi-cultural clothing and have visits from parents sharing information about their individual culture and attire, which promotes the children's understanding of diversity. 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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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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