Linden Tree Nursery School

Baby Room 18 Old Town, Clapham, London, SW4 0LB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/11/2012 24/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 A well-established key person system helps children to form secure attachments and promotes their well-being and independence. Staff address their individual care needs well.  Children's good health and understanding of the importance of a healthy diet is well supported with the range of healthy, nutritious and balanced meals and snacks that the nursery provides for all children.  The indoor and outdoor learning environment provides interesting and stimulating activities that engage children and develops their understanding of the world around them.  Practitioners have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and secure knowledge of how young children learn. Consequently, children enjoy stimulating play experiences across the seven areas of learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not always given enough time to allow them to become fully engaged and able to explore activities fully as daily routines and staff intervening interrupts their learning and development.  Babies do not have the opportunity to explore many natural materials and everyday objects to gain familiarity with them.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the playrooms.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of documentation including planning, a sample of the children's development records and policies.  The inspector talked with a number of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children.

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Information about the setting

Baby Room Nursery registered in 2009. It is one of four nurseries run by Baby Room Nurseries Limited and operates from four rooms in a building in Clapham, London. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6.30pm, 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 45 children attending who are within the early year's age range. The nursery currently supports children who speak English as an additional language. There are 11 members of staff, nine of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least NVQ level 2. The deputy manager has achieved Early Years Practitioner Status. A housekeeper is employed on the premises.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 allow children to have uninterrupted time to play and explore within daily routines

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 provide a range of natural and everyday objects for babies to explore and investigate, such as treasure baskets.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at nursery. Children that are new to the nursery are supported by staff to settle in gradually, which means that children feel safe and secure in their new surroundings. Children experience a range of activities, which enables them to explore and make connections through play. For example, older children enjoy pretending to be fire fighters in the role-play area and then make firework pictures using colourful tissue paper and glitter. Babies have a range of plastic toys to play with; however, they have access to a limited variety of natural and everyday objects. This means that they have limited opportunities to explore and investigate the properties of other materials. Staff support children's learning well and encourage children to think critically using open-ended questions. However, children do not always have time and freedom to become deeply involved in activities. For example, staff interrupt children's play for snack time and swap

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who attend

children's paintings for fresh paper before finding out if they have finished their picture.

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who attend

Staff conduct regular observations on the children and these are recorded in their learning journals. The children's assessments and next steps are used to inform future planning and support children's next steps in their learning and development. Staff have a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and have knowledge of how to implement the two year progress check. Staff use daily sheets to ensure that all parents are informed of their children's activities, achievements and daily routines.

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

Children's well-being is nurtured through effective provision for personal, social and emotional development. The key person system is well established and develops children's feelings of security and having a special person to provide support when needed. Babies respond to their key person, with smiles and put their arms up for cuddles. The key person responds back providing warm, loving and consistent care. Children are well behaved and respond to staff and each other politely. Children know how to keep themselves safe and demonstrate secure knowledge of walking up and down the stairs to access the outside area and toilets. Children learn how to protect themselves in an emergency through practising regular fire drills and through fun activities outside, such as practising safe ways to cross a road. The children are currently learning about fireworks and how to phone for emergency assistance in the event of an emergency. Staff ask the

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

older children what telephone number they should call in an emergency, to which the children respond '999'.

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

Children are supported to develop a good understanding of the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle. They enjoy fresh fruit and rice cakes for snack. The older children sometimes serve the fruit for themselves, demonstrating their independence. All children have access to fresh drinking water should they become thirsty. Children's good health is further supported by the range of healthy meals supplied by a subsidiary company of the nursery chain. Children requiring pureed meals and special dietary requirements are well catered for. Arrangements for changing nappies in the younger rooms are suitable. The older children have to go downstairs to use the toilet facilities appropriately supported by staff.

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

Children are able to self-select resources from the low-level shelves all around the nursery. Colourful wall displays show children's work and pictures of other cultures and celebrations that the children have taken part in. This helps them develop an understanding of diversity and difference. Other resources, such as dolls and dual language books, are available for children to further this understanding of the wider world around them.

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

All children have access to the outside play area, which has a suitable range of equipment. Older children enjoy an activity arranged by staff to help them develop an awareness of road safety. Younger children enjoy a painting activity, which includes a variety of glitter and shapes for them to experiment mixing different media. This also helps them develop their fine motor skills.

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provision

The management team monitor the implementation of safeguarding policies within the nursery. They act quickly in the event of any incidents and check carefully whether procedures need updating or changing as a result of concise action plans. Staff have regular safeguarding training, which ensures that they are aware of the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child. The secure entrance buzzer and camera system is an effective security measure and good risk assessments and daily checks ensure the nursery is safe for children. All required documentation is in place and managed well to support children's well-being and maintain confidentiality. All actions from the previous inspection have been met, although one recommendation has not been fully implemented. Babies do have many opportunities to explore and investigate natural and everyday objects.

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provision

Systems for recruiting new staff are thorough, ensuring all staff complete the necessary checks to be working with children. Staff have regular appraisals, which enables management to identify any additional training needs and support staff to progress towards higher qualifications. Two inset days each year provide opportunities for the whole staff team to attend training run in-house or through an external training provider. The management team have yet to formulate a written self-evaluation plan; however, they have clearly identified areas for future development to promote continuous improvement of the nursery.

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provision

Parents have opportunities to become involved with their child's learning and development through regular sharing of information via monthly newsletters, emails, verbal conversations and their child's learning journals. Parents have access to a good range of information about the staff and the nursery through the notice boards around the nursery and the information pack provided at the start of any care arrangement. Parents are invited to share special celebration days with their children. Some parents come in and share information about their culture with the children through food, stories and traditional clothes. This enables staff to promote good relationships with the parents and carers. The nursery has links with local authority early years advisors and are able to access a range of training programmes to support the staff's professional and on-going development. Links with local schools are not supported, as the majority of the children

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provision

who attend go to schools outside the borough. However, staff would spend time developing links with local schools in the future if this became relevant.

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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 EY387820 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 815888 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 41 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Baby Room Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 24/06/2009 Telephone number 0207 498 9450 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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