King Charles I Secondary School

Marsham Street Community Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 135060 Inspection date 27/06/2012 Inspector Martha Darkwah

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Setting address 121 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4LX

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Telephone number 020 7233 8341 Email marshamstreet@leyf.org.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. 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

Marsham Street Community Nursery was registered in 1992. It is one of 23 nurseries run by London Early Years Foundation.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is on the ground and first floor of a four-storey building, which also houses London Early Years Foundation's Central Office and Sure Start with drop in service. There are training rooms and crche facilities on the third floor. All floors are served by a lift. The nursery provides a service for families from the local community, which includes placements funded by Social Services. Children have access to an adjacent outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 60 children may attend the nursery at any one time and there are currently 72 children on roll in the early years age range. Children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery opens each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks in the year and offers both full-time and part-time places for children.

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Description of the setting

TThe nursery supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They also support a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 19 full-time staff; of whom 14 have an appropriate childcare qualification. Of these, two have level five qualifications, one has Early Years Professional Status and another is currently training as an early years professional. Three staff members are working towards a childcare qualification.

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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

Children are happy and secure in this setting where staff meet their individual needs successfully. They are making good progress in their learning and, overall, staff use effective systems to monitor their progress. Excellent partnerships with parents are a key strength and are significant in making sure that staff are able to support the individual needs of all children. Ongoing self-evaluation by the whole staff and management team identifies priorities for improvement. The enthusiasm of the management team and staff is reflected in their consistent ongoing efforts to achieve continuous improvement in all areas.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  strengthen the system for monitoring children's progress towards the early learning goals by evaluating observations consistently  organise regular evacuation drills and record details in a fire log book of any problems encountered and how they were resolved.

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the early years provision

The management team and staff have a good knowledge and understanding of their role in relation to child protection matters. The management team take active steps to ensure that staff are well informed about safeguarding through refresher training and discussion. Systems in place to keep children safe include regular risk assessments, rigorous recruitment and suitability checking at the time of staff employment. Staff make comprehensive risk assessments for outings to identify and minimise any potential hazards. Children participate in fire drills and demonstrate good awareness of how to leave the premises quickly and safely. However, although these are organised regularly, the records do not show in sufficient details any problems encountered and how they were resolved. Parents receive copies of the clear policies and procedures, which underpin staff practice. Required documentation is in place for the welfare and safety of children, for

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the early years provision

example, staff maintain attendance registers and accident reports effectively.

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the early years provision

The management team and staff reflect on their practice to evaluate areas for further development. They are keen to improve outcomes for children. They embrace parents' views as part of the evaluation of the provision. Children's views are obtained through children's committee meetings where ideas are discussed and noted. The management team has a clear commitment to staff's professional development and regularly updates their skills through training.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the highly positive and excellent partnerships established with parents. Parents report that they are extremely happy with the care. They talk about improvements in their children's development that they notice in a short space of time. They appreciate receiving feedback on a daily basis and find it comforting and fascinating to know what different activities their children engage in each day. Parents attend regular meetings with their child's key worker to discuss ways to work together to enhance children's learning. They are involved in the evaluation of the service through questionnaires and attending workshops on relevant topics, such as 'tantrums and tears'. Good partnerships are established with other agencies. This enables the setting to work alongside other professionals in order to promote continuity and support children's individual needs.

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the early years provision

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Integral to children's play are a broad range of resources that positively promote diversity. Children listen with great interest to stories about other people, share books and play with dolls and small world figures that reflect diversity. These include people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are able to explain the significance of valuing and respecting others in way young children can easily understand. They deploy resources well in baskets and open-fronted shelves and cabinets, which This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 enables children to make choices about what they want to play with.

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the early years provision

Children have a good range of toys, books and craft materials, which they can access easily to make independent choices. Children benefit from having access to a sensory room, with resources that are very appealing to their interests.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy the warm, welcoming and stimulating environment. They benefit from the child-centred environment where they enjoy the activities on offer. Staff provide a broad range of experiences and learning opportunities, which generally stimulate and challenge children's knowledge and understanding. Systems to observe and assess children's progress work generally well to identify learning priorities. Staff use this information in planning learning experiences for each child. Learning journals include photographs and samples of children's creative work. Flexibility in planning and child lead evaluation and review takes account of children's individual learning needs. The planning of interesting themes and topics successfully supports all areas of learning. The staff teams are clear of how to assist children in making progress towards the early learning goals. However, the records are not always evaluative in order to support the monitoring process. Staff

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and outcomes for children

Children develop the skills that they need for future learning. They think critically, solve problems as they complete simple puzzles and explore numbers and shapes. They play with mobile phones and use toy cash tills and calculators, which help them develop mathematical ideas. Children love to investigate. They develop their early writing skills using mark-making equipment, such as pencils, crayons, chalk and paint with increasing confidence. They enjoy using computers developing controlled mouse skills, which helps them develop concentration skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children's communication, language and literacy skills are improving as they develop a healthy interest in books. Staff sit with the children and share books with them. They take the children to parks and museums. Children also use a good range of indoor and outdoor play resources. They recognise numbers from one to 19, identify shapes, and use mathematical language. They use mathematical language to compare the height of the towers they build. They engage in water and sand play, exploring volume as they fill containers and moulds using scoops. At other times, they have many opportunities to relax in the cosy sensory room. Here, children participate in listening to stories or use the push buttons to create visual light and sound effects, and look at the changing projected images in focused activities. They work out that one action has an effect on others. During these activities, children are developing their talents and skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

Children are consistently busy and interested in what they are doing which results in respectful, calm and good behaviour. They are helped to behave well and show care and respect for their friends; for example, babies are reminded to 'play gently' when sharing and taking turns. Young children show a sense of pride and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 achievement when staff praise their efforts, which develops their self-esteem and confidence. They show a good understanding of how to keep safe and use equipment, such as scissors, safely. Children enjoy healthy and well-balanced meals and take plenty of exercise each day. Children are extremely content because the staff meets their individual health, physical and dietary needs to an exceptional standard. They show an excellent understanding of healthy eating and the benefits of fresh air and exercise.

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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 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 1 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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