Fen Drayton Montessori Nursery

Fen Drayton Montessori Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY426331 Inspection date 15/11/2011 Inspector Diana Rose

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Setting address The Old School House, High Street, Fen Drayton, CAMBRIDGE, CB24 4SJ Telephone number 01763247474 Email operations@sunhilldaycare.com 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

Fen Drayton Montessori Nursery is owned by Sunhill Daycare Ltd and was registered in 2011. It operates from a converted school house in the village of Fen Drayton. The nursery serves the local area. The children are accommodated on two floors and there are two fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round with the exception of bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 72 children may attend the nursery at any one time all of whom may be on the Early Years Register. There are currently 20 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery also offers care to children aged over five years to eight years. The nursery provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs six members of child care staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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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 enjoy themselves at this calm and welcoming setting and have formed positive relationships with staff. Well-developed knowledge about every child ensures their welfare is promoted and children are making suitable progress in their learning and development. Children benefit from the well-organised Montessori equipment and staff support children within their play. Overall children are safe and secure in an environment where most aspects of their welfare are well promoted. Positive relationships have been established with parents and most information is shared to promote continuity of care and support children's learning. Staff work well as a team and together identify the setting's strengths and areas for improvements.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the risk assessment to include the use of socket covers in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 electrical sockets, the arrangements for monitoring children who are sleeping and hygiene, cleanliness and minimising the risk of cross infection, this specifically relates to hand washing facilities in the milk kitchen  develop systems to ensure that observations of children's achievements relate to Early Years Foundation Stage and clearly identify next steps in order to plan for future learning  extend the use of the system of assessment to gather information from parents about children's starting points so that progress can be more effectively measured  increase further the opportunities for outdoor play so that it helps all aspects of children's learning and development  explore ways to increase children's awareness of other cultures.

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the early years provision

Children are effectively safeguarded as staff demonstrate a sound understanding of their role and responsibilities with regard to protecting children from abuse and neglect. The required documentation and records are efficiently maintained and parents and staff are made aware of the comprehensive range of policies and procedures. In the main, thorough written risk assessments have been implemented to cover both the whole of the premises and, any outing undertaken with the children and daily safety checks ensure children can play safely. However, upstairs there are a few health and safety issues that have not been addressed which could impact on the youngest children's health, safety and well-being. Access into the setting is via a member of staff and security systems are robust, including a record kept of all visitors. All staff hold valid first aid certificates ensuring that if a child has an accident they would receive appropriate care and

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the early years provision

attention. Effective evacuation procedures are in place and regular fire drills are completed, consequently, children understand how to keep safe.

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the early years provision

Strong partnerships are in place with parents at this setting. Parents are delighted with the service they and their children receive and of the care provided by the caring staff team. They speak of it as 'the only place I would leave my child' and 'loving in a calm way'. They feel confident and able to talk to staff about all aspects of the service provided. They are kept involved in their child's day through the use of newsletters and daily communication books. Displays in the entrance hall inform them of forthcoming events and important information. Staff place emphasis on getting to know the family and gathering information about the child from the parents. This means that parents' wishes and children's individual needs are met. Children's progress is shared with parents by providing them with 'learning journeys' and oral feedback. However, parents are not fully encouraged to share their knowledge of their children's learning when they start the nursery,

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the early years provision

therefore, making it difficult to track children's progress.

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the early years provision

Self-assessment is used by the whole staff team to identify strengths and some areas of development for the setting. Areas for further improvement that they have identified are to support the learning environment of the children outdoors and to develop systems of assessment. The manager and staff also work with the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 local authority to further develop practice, meaning they are committed to further improvements for the children and setting.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a sound level of understanding of the early years foundation stage and positive steps are taken to develop the children's learning and development. Children generally enjoy being at the setting, they are well settled and familiar with their key worker and routines because the staff are sensitive to meeting individual needs. Staff communicate with the children throughout the day and encourage them to respond. As a result the children are expanding their vocabulary. Children enjoy listening to stories and are encouraged to join in. They find their names as they register their arrival and indicate that they have had their snack. Children are helped to recognise numbers and count as they play a board game together. They develop mathematical concepts as they play with three-dimensional shapes and develop good problem solving skills as they try to fit different sized cylinders into the correct positions. The children's artwork, using a range of media, is beautifully

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and outcomes for children

displayed demonstrating to the children how their work is valued and fostering their self-esteem.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy tactile opportunities to learn, such as playing with cornflour and water. Activities enable them to explore the natural world, for example, as they gather fallen leaves. They experiment rolling hoops down the slide to see how fast and far they will travel. However, there are limited resources for children to extend their knowledge and understanding of cultures and beliefs other than their own. Children's larger muscle development is enhanced as they climb up steps to a house at the top of the slide. Opportunities to develop their fine motor skills are supported as they use tongs to pick up pasta. Staff regularly observe what the children can do and record their progress in relation to the use of Montessori equipment, however these observations are not related to the Early Years Foundation Stage and next steps. Therefore observations do not ensure that children's learning and development cover all six areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Good health is promoted effectively by the setting. Children are encouraged to wash their hands before each meal and after using the bathroom. They are learning about making good choices in food because the setting offers healthy options for snacks which includes fruit, ricecakes, milk and water. Fresh drinking water is also available at all times for the children. Children's independence skills are promoted as they prepare their own snacks, set the table and serve their own food at meal times. They are encouraged to eat in the calm, sociable atmosphere where individual health needs are accounted for. Children have opportunities to experience outdoor play on a regular basis, both in the garden and on outings to the nearby nature reserve.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning to make a positive contribution, demonstrating responsibility for their nursery environment as they willingly tidy up at the end of each activity This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 that they engage in. Children behave well in the setting, have good manners and respect each other, as the staff sensitively discuss appropriate behaviour with them and praise them appropriately. They are making satisfactory progress in language, numeracy and information technology skills. 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 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 2 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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