Star Child Montessori Day Nursery

Star Child Montessori Day Nursery Wiltshire Road Hall, Wiltshire Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon, CR7 7QN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/09/2012 11/03/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children behave well and play together confidently. They make positive use of the new resources and facilities in the outdoor play area.  Children and staff have formed strong attachments due to the well-established key person system. Staff support children as they settle in and during transition as they move from age group to the next. This enables children to feel secure in the nursery environment.  Children have active imaginations and enjoy role-play activities. This supports their creative development.

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It is not yet good because

 Some resources and activities for literacy are not appropriate and staff have an inconsistent approach to helping children to develop their early reading and writing skills. This means that children are not appropriately supported in developing the necessary skills to support their future learning.  Some resources in the baby room are not safe.  Not all staff have a good understanding of how children learn, which means that they do not all plan rich learning experiences to support children's learning and development. As a result, children sometimes lose interest and lack motivation.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the provision and the registered provider.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector took account of views of parents spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Star Child Montessori Day Nursery opened in 2004. It is privately owned and became a limited company in 2008. It operates from two halls in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon. Children have access to five playrooms, a large activity playroom, a library room, toilet facilities and two secure outdoor play areas. The nursery also has a staff room, laundry room, an office and staff toilets. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 74 children on roll aged from eight months to under five years. The nursery also operates an out of school provision for children age five to under eight years. It is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs 21 members of staff. Of these, 19 hold

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Information about the setting

appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. It follows the Montessori education philosophy.

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must:

 ensure that all equipment and toys are safe for children to use  develop the educational programme for personal, social and emotional development by ensuring that activities are relevant to children's interests and do not last for periods beyond their ability to concentrate, and by ensuring that all staff understand the need to praise children's efforts and acknowledge their contribution during activities  develop the educational programme for literacy by ensuring that all staff have a consistent and effective approach to helping children to link sounds and letters, by- creating an environment rich in clear print with words spelt correctly so that children can learn about words appropriately and by supporting individual children's writing as opportunities arise without the use of worksheets.  ensure that all staff have appropriate skills, so that they are able to identify effective ways in which to challenge and extend children's current learning and

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who attend

Key persons monitor children's on-going development in order to plan activities to support their learning. However, not all staff have a good understanding of children's development, which means that they sometimes set targets which are inappropriate for their progress. This means that not all children are effectively challenged or benefit from well-planned engaging and enjoyable activities to support their individual needs and learning. For example, some children become bored during circle time when it goes on for too long and some staff fail to praise children's efforts and contributions. However, most staff show an interest in what children have to say and further motivate children's thinking by asking many questions. For example they ask children about their families and what they have enjoyed doing at home. As a result, children chat openly and describe their experiences about their home life.

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who attend

Children in all age groups enjoy making marks. Babies create large paintings, toddlers enjoy drawing around one another and older children create recognisable symbols and letters. However, the nursery uses formal worksheets, which are not developmentally appropriate for preschool-age children. Staff display many signs, words and pictures around the nursery to develop children's interest in print. However some of the print is not legible and some words are spelt incorrectly. Staff do not all use the same systems to help children link sounds and letters. This means that the nursery has an inconsistent approach to supporting language and literacy. Staff equip the role-play area with a wide range of toys and resources which children enjoy sorting in different ways. Children demonstrate active imaginations, pretending to set up home and cook food. Children are also imaginative in the outdoor area and chase each other around enthusiastically taking on

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who attend

pretend roles and laughing as they play.

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who attend

Children enjoy puzzles, they fit shapes into spaces and use blocks to create their own simple structures. They enjoy filling and emptying containers in the water tray and concentrate as they explore the capacity of the various containers. Staff encourage children to use mathematical thinking throughout their play. For example, they ask children to compare the lengths of wooden measuring rods and encourage them through discussion. As a result children think and talk about the pieces of wood. Consequently, children use mathematical terms such as 'long, longer, longest' and 'short, shorter, shortest'. Staff ask children to think about other ways to play with the wooden rods. Children think about the possibilities and have fun creating a maze out of the rods and attempt to balance between the spaces. This demonstrates how some staff are aware of how to make activities flexible and fun according to children's personal levels of interest

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff in the baby room are committed to supporting babies as they settle in. They spend a few sessions watching closely to observe who babies form attachments to before allocating key workers. This approach demonstrates the staff's commitment to meeting babies' specific needs and tailoring the provision in order to make the settling-in experience personal and intimate. As a result, babies are secure and explore the resources available to them. They crawl enthusiastically to key workers, squeal with delight whilst playing, and enjoy many cuddles. Children are supported as they progress to older age groups as staff carefully plan settling in periods and work in partnership with parents to make the transition process as supportive as possible. This enables children to feel secure as they get to know their new key person and settle in. Staff also share relevant information with local schools when children are preparing to move on to school. This

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

supports continuity in children's care and learning.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children talk enthusiastically about their time at nursery. For example, during breakfast they talk about what they are looking forward to doing, such as playing in the garden, riding on the scooters and playing with friends. This shows that some children have a positive attitude and are confident and outgoing. Most children enjoy sharing their news, but some staff do not focus on the quieter children. For example, during group discussions staff allow confident children to dominate, this results in quieter children becoming withdrawn.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children's good health is encouraged throughout the nursery. Children know to wash their hands after using the toilet and prior to eating, staff encourage them with gentle reminders. Children enjoy playing physical games using a good variety of equipment such as bikes, and balancing resources outdoors, this promotes their physical development. They take safe risks with toys and equipment as they climb and clamber over the climbing frame. Staff are good role models who provide clear guidelines and boundaries to support children's behaviour. Consequently, children behave well and play together positively.

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provision

Management and staff have undertaken the relevant safeguarding training and understand their responsibilities to protect children well. The nursery has made positive improvements in systems for monitoring risks and staff implement a range of safety procedures, such as checking all areas, toys and resources are clean and safe. However, despite staff identifying the need to glue the lids on to bottles filled with different materials to make them safe for babies to use this has not actually been done. This compromises children's safety.

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provision

The registered provider shows an adequate understanding of their responsibility to meeting legal requirements. They plan for improvement through self-evaluation, incorporating the views of staff and parents. The nursery has successfully met all actions and recommendations from previous inspections and made further improvements such as developing the provision to enable children to enjoy learning in the outdoor environment. Although staff are inconsistent in their understanding of learning and development, management are in the process of incorporating a new observation, assessment and planning system to enable staff to develop their skills.

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provision

The nursery has worked hard to develop suitable partnerships with parents. Parents benefit from a variety of communication such as newsletters, email and contact books. They enjoy informal chats with key persons and meetings to discuss children's progress. This enables parents to understand their child's progress and how to support their learning at home. The nursery has developed suitable partnerships with other professionals and agencies. They seek additional support for children when necessary and welcome visits from some local primary schools. This supports partnership working and continuity for children and families.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY385314 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 815852

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 108 Number of children on roll 74 Name of provider STAR CHILD NURSERY LTD Date of previous inspection 11/03/2010 Telephone number 02086896532

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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