Beechwood School Nursery

Beechwood School 55 Leigham Court Road, LONDON, SW16 2NJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/02/2013 28/07/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 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

 The management team monitors staff performance effectively and encourages the staff team professional development, which benefits the children.  Children are motivated and keen to learn. They are rapidly growing in self-assurance and show high levels of independence.  Children behave well and have positive relationships with staff and each other.  Staff provide interesting and stimulating activities that engage children and build on their interests.

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It is not yet good because

 The indoor learning environment does not reflect the children's diverse backgrounds and children are not given the opportunity to use their home language in the setting.  Staff do not make the most of opportunities to draw younger children's attention to shapes, patterns or give enough 'thinking time' to older children to express themselves.  Not enough is done to ensure the safety of the children and others on the premises in case of fire, any other emergency or in assessing the suitability of safety equipment.

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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 voluntary and compulsory parts 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 children's play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and manager undertook joint observations of several teaching activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to some staff from each classroom about their roles and responsibilities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation including a representative sample of children's records, learning journals, staff suitability records, policies, and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the registered provider company directors and the manager.

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Information about the setting

Beechwood School registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Court Green Investments Ltd, who is also registered with the Independent School Authority, runs the nursery. The nursery operates from a four storey detached Victorian house in Streatham Hill within the London Borough of Lambeth. Children are accommodated in seven classrooms and have access to a dining room, two sleep rooms, library, art room, hall and outdoor play areas. The nursery is open each weekday from 7am to 7pm for 50 weeks of the year. There are 85 children in the early years age group on roll, some in part time places. The nursery received funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disability and a number of children who speak English as an additional language. A total of 21 staff work

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Information about the setting

with the children, of whom 11 hold relevant National Vocational Qualifications at level 3 and seven hold similar qualifications at level 2.

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must:

 take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children and others on the premises; in case of fire or any other emergency by ensuring that the fire detection and control equipment such as alarm systems and fire extinguishers are in working order and fire exits are clearly identifiable; and by ensuring that safety equipment , such as radiator guards, are safe to children and fit for purpose.

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

 expand the educational programme for understanding the world by providing a range of resources which represents children's diverse background and reflect an inclusive ethos

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

 extend the educational programme for mathematics by drawing younger children's attention to the patterns which emerges when creating their own simple structures and arrangements e.g. square, circle, triangle and use descriptive words like 'big', 'little', 'long' and 'short'

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

 strengthen the educational programme for communication and language by explaining to parents that strong foundations in a home language support the development of English; learning and using key words in the home languages of children in the setting and giving older children time to think during story sessions by waiting for them to think about what they want to say.

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who attend

Staff have a secure understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. The overall planning takes into account children's interests and stages of development. This is broken down to provide daily flexibility and include both adult-led and child-initiated activities. Staff use documentation such Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance to help them support children effectively and to identify the next steps in children's learning. As a result, children are making steady progress in their learning and development in relation to their starting points. Parents contribute to their children's initial assessments, which staff use to settle children and to plan possible lines of development for them. Effective systems are in place to monitor children's progress. Staff regularly observe children's play, recording children's achievements, alongside photographs and

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who attend

samples of children's work. They use these ongoing observational assessments to complete children's progress reports. Parents attend termly meetings to discuss children's progress and achievements on a more formal basis.

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who attend

Children's communication and language skills are promoted effectively in most aspects. During spontaneous activities staff label equipment and talk through what children are doing. Children regularly share books with staff, who promote conversation to encourage them to talk about the pictures. Children learn new words such as 'scaffolding', 'radar dish', 'cockpit' and 'undercarriage' and discuss the use of these. Staff ask children questions that help them to think critically such as 'What are icicles made of' and 'What happens when ice melt?' Children sit and listen attentively to stories. However, staff do not always give older children enough 'thinking time' to put their thoughts together and say possible story endings or predict events. In addition, children have limited opportunity to use their home language in their play because staff do not learn key words in their home languages.

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who attend

Children have access to a variety of tools for making marks, such as colouring pencils, which helps develop their early writing skills. Staff use word and picture labels. This helps younger children begin to recognise their names and identify resources. Older children are encouraged to label their work with their name. Older and more able write and spell their names aloud to staff and other adults. They show confidence when demonstrating skills in writing other recognisable letters of the alphabet. Older children recognise numbers and supported to use number labels during one to one activities. Younger children count confidently when playing with construction toys. However, staff do not always make the most of extending children's mathematical learning. For instance, by drawing attention to shape, size or patterns which emerge when they create simple structures and arrangements.

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who attend

Children eagerly choose activities, explore the stimulating play experiences and learn important social skills such as sharing and listening to each other. Children explore and investigate a wide range of mediums and materials through sensory play activities and staff talk to the children about the different textures. For example, younger children enjoy feeling the 'rough', 'wet', 'grainy' sand between their fingers and using shovels to collect the sand to fill containers. Older children press, shape and use sculpting tools to manipulate clay. Children are encouraged to notice changes in properties of media. For example, staff explain to the children that by wetting clay with water and moulding it in their hands this helps the clay turn from 'hard' to 'soft'. Children make basketballs, eggs, carrots, and their creations are left to dry. Children take part in a range of activities where they can represent their thoughts and ideas, experimenting with colours and joining things

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who attend

together. For example, children paint 'things that make them happy' and design animal' from paper plates adding different textured fabrics such as wool and felt. Children use their imagination, as they pretend to hop like bunnies and fly like a bird or aeroplane. Children make believe in the outdoor playhouse and den.

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who attend

Children learn about the world they live in. Themed topics help children to learn about different cultural and religious festivals. Children take care of the nursery pet hamster and goldfish. Children use materials and objects to play with that work in different ways for different purposes. From an early age, children learn to operate mechanical toys and information communication technology equipment, such as computers.

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

Overall, babies and younger children begin to learn early skills to support future learning and older children secure the skills and attitudes to underpin their eventual move to school. Children comply with safety, health and care routines that prepare them for their transitions within the nursery and other settings. Children are happy and settled in the nursery because staff are attentive to their individual needs. This promotes children's self- confidence and self-assurance. The key person system helps children to form secure attachments that support their well-being. Children are helped to understand their emotions through themed topics and activities such as 'All about me', 'feelings' and 'interests'. Children are provided with a calm and stimulating environment, which promotes their exploration and enthusiasm for learning. There is a wide and varied range of accessible indoor and outdoor resources, which develops children's growing

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

independence, motivation and cooperation. However, few reflect the children's backgrounds or the wider community.

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

Children behave very well and form good relationships with staff and their peers, which show they feel safe in the nursery. They quickly learn what is acceptable through staff consistent praise and clear guidance. Children are self-motivated and keen to practise their skills because staff use every day routine and provide activities to help children learn to keep themselves and others safe. Staff use gentle reminders so that younger children learn to sit on chairs correctly when eating and to walk up and down stairs safely holding on to the banister. All children learn to leave the premises quickly and safely because staff regularly practise the emergency evacuation procedures with the children. Older children learn to use scissors correctly to cut up collage materials and are encouraged to think about their space and others when taking part in vigorous exercise sessions. However, the unguarded radiator poses a potential risk to children's safety.

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

Children learn to take care of their own personal needs from a very young age. Staff have well established routines so that the youngest of children in the setting begin to learn good hygiene practices. Staff explain the reasons why the children need to wash their hands. Children excitedly and confidently explain to visitors that their 'hands are dirty and need to wash them before having lunch'. Children benefit from healthy meals freshly prepared on the premises. They can help themselves to fresh milk twice a day and drinking water is readily available. Children enjoy a varied range of activities indoor and outside that contribute to a healthy lifestyle and develop their physical skills. Indoors, children listen carefully and are eager to join in exercise session following staff instructions. Children run fast or slow on the spot, and do star jumps. Staff talk to children about health awareness and the effects of exercise on their body. Children state that they

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

feel 'hot' and 'tired'. They cool down by stretching and having a drink of water. Younger children excitedly play ball games where they learn new skills such as kicking, throwing and catching a ball. The outdoor area is well resourced and provides sufficient challenge for children to develop their balance and coordination. Staff divide the outdoor space so that children can dig in the garden plot, use drawing boards, climb on structures, use the trampoline and manoeuvre wheeled toys.

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provision

Safeguarding procedures are secure and all the required checks have been carried out. The staff are suitably trained and know what action to take in the event of a child protection issue. An effective recruitment procedure help to ensure that people looking after children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their role. The manager holds a full and relevant level 3 childcare qualification. The management team has introduced an effective programme for training and professional development arising from the assessment of staff needs. Three staff are currently working towards a professional qualification and many have completed training in food safety and catering, first aid and safeguarding children. This will help staff to reflect, monitor and improve the quality of care and education they offer to all children. Staff deployment is effective, the required ratios are in place and this ensures that children are well supervised at all times. There are

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provision

suitable contingency arrangements in place to cover for absences and maintain staff to child ratios. This ensures that children receive the necessary adult support to help them feel secure and confident. However, the safety of children and others on the premises in case of fire or any other emergency is not monitored effectively. This is because the inspection of the fire detection and control equipment such as alarm systems and fire extinguishers are not frequent enough to ensure that they are in adequate working order. In addition, not all fire exits are clearly identifiable. These weaknesses put children at risk and are a breach of requirements. This is also a breach of requirements of the Childcare Register.

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provision

For most part, staff are successful in monitoring the educational programmes. Children receive a broad range of experiences to help them make steady progress in their learning and development. Staff use the available resources well to achieve their planned goals for children. Staff generally work well with parents and external agencies to meet the diverse needs of the children. Daily diaries for babies and young children ensure continuity of care and meet individual needs regarding care. Staff involve parents in their children's learning by giving suggestions about activities that can extend learning at home. For example, children and their parents can chose books from the nursery library to take home and read. Parents help their children to take care of the nursery 'monkey' at home. They contribute to the 'monkey's adventure diary' by writing up events supported with photographs.

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provision

The key person and the special educational needs coordinator for the nursery work together to seek appropriate interventions for individual children identified with additional needs. Staff talk with parents and share their observations and assessments of children's development regularly at planned meetings. This consultation is used successfully to work with parents to create plans for children who may need additional support and outside professional support for children is sought as appropriate. However, staff do not explain to parents who speak English as an additional language that strong foundations in a home language support the development of English.

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provision

Self-evaluation is based on appropriate levels of monitoring and takes into account the views of staff and parents, and the children's interests. Parents are able to make suggestions through an active parent forum representative. Future plans are likely to bring about adequate improvements to the early years provision. For example, staff have identified Spanish lessons for the children. Those in charge demonstrate adequate capacity to tackle areas of weakness identified through inspection and have made improvements that contribute to children's welfare.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purpose of the childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment)  ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purpose of the childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment)

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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 EY386062 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 905337 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 87 Number of children on roll 85 Name of provider Court Green Investments Ltd Date of previous inspection 28/07/2011 Telephone number 02086778778

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Setting details

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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