Oratory Montessori Day Nursery

Oratory Montessori Day Nursery 10 Lower Britwell Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL2 2NJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/04/2013 13/12/2010

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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 are happy and well behaved. They engage well in their play and consequently have fun.  Children have warm and friendly relationships with the staff who care for them and parents are happy about the day-to-day care their children receive.  Staff encourage children's enjoyment of books and stories from an early age and support children's communication and language development well.  The nursery is under a new management structure with clear targets for their future improvement.

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It is not yet good because

 The nursery has not reviewed risk assessments appropriately, which has an impact on children's safety.  Observations on children and the tracking of their progress are inconsistent and therefore staff do not fully plan for children's ongoing progress, individual needs and interests.  Staff do not effectively share strategies with parents about how to continue children's learning at home.  Staff do not make full use of the outdoor learning environment to enable children to play and explore.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 the children in their play and in their interactions with staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the management team, staff, children and parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's development records and the nursery's documentation.  The inspector read and took into account the nursery's self-evaluation form.  The inspector invited the manager to take part in a joint observation.

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Information about the setting

The Oratory Montessori Day Nursery registered in 2000. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a large house situated in Burnham, in Berkshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to an outdoor play area at the rear of the property. There is a separate garden for babies and a play area to the front of the building. There are currently 55 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery gets funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. Children come from the local and surrounding areas. The nursery employs 16 staff. Of these, all except one member of staff, hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery employs a cook and an administrator.

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must:

 ensure that the premises are safe for children by determining the risks to children's safety, reviewing these assessments regularly in relation to specific issues, and managing these risks through effective daily practice

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must:

 ensure consistency in assessing children's individual needs, interests and stage of their development to plan for enjoyable and interesting experiences in all areas of learning

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must:

 involve parents, in partnership, to promote the learning and development of all children to ensure they are ready for the next stage in the learning, and work with parents in assessing children's achievements and progress.

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

 extend opportunities for children to play and explore by using the outdoor environment more effectively.

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who attend

Children demonstrate they are happy and content at the nursery. They enjoy toys, resources and activities that promote their learning across all areas. Consequently, children are making sound progress and are developing the skills they will need for the next stage in their learning. Overall, staff have an acceptable understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, planning for children's ongoing progress is inconsistent and teaching is not sharply focused on children's individual needs and interests. Staff understand children's starting points on admission to the nursery through discussions with parents. Staff verbally exchange a basic record of transition for each child when they move from one age group room to the next stage. However, the assessment of children's progress overall is inconsistent for individual children and this has an impact on their learning and development.

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who attend

Staff are warm and caring. Children enjoy activities as groups. For example, a phonics session in the pre-school room engages children well and therefore they are becoming familiar with sounds and letters. This, in turn, promotes early reading and extends their understanding of language. Toddlers gain independence because they benefit from free- flow play and are able to make choices about what they do each day. Babies enjoy singing action rhymes together. While some snuggle up with staff, the more physically able babies join in with actions to favourite songs such as 'twinkle, twinkle little star'. They excitedly clap themselves at the end of the session to show their enjoyment of the activity. Children enjoy outdoor play where they are able to develop their physical skills. However, staff do not make full use of the outdoor learning environment to extend opportunities for children to play and explore.

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

Children have warm emotional bonds with the staff who care for them and they behave well throughout the day. Most staff demonstrate a sound understanding of children's backgrounds to enable them to meet their needs. Staff help children to develop aspects of their own independence and confidence. For example, older children put on coats and shoes ready for outdoor play and help lay the table for lunch, which promotes their confidence and self-awareness. Babies show that they feel emotionally secure and content through their close interactions with staff. The staff are caring and attentive to the babies as they carry out nappy changes and therefore babies cooperate willingly. All of the younger children have a care plan so that staff can provide feedback to parents at the end of the day in respect of nappy changes, milk, food and sleep times. Parents therefore understand children's routines of the day and are well informed about their child's well-

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

Children have regular opportunities for outdoor physical play and consequently enjoy fresh air and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy a choice of healthy snacks and meals provided by the nursery. There are some opportunities for children to gain independence at lunchtime and learn about hygiene routines. For example, younger children and babies happily feed themselves and understand the need to wash their hands prior to eating. Mealtimes are sociable occasions where children are able to sit and chat to one another while they eat. Staff are deployed appropriately in order to supervise children indoors and outside. Toddlers and pre-school children learn about their own safety by listening to staff who explain about holding on to the rail as they walk down the steps to the garden. Children can easily select resources and make choices in their play. This means they engage appropriately in their learning. Children are developing secure relationships with others,

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

and important personal and social skills, through their role play and group activities. They understand their routines and follow instructions well, which helps them feel comfortable and secure.

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provision

Staff at the nursery demonstrate a sound understanding of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They acknowledge their responsibilities to safeguard children and understand the procedures to take if they have a concern about a child in their care. All staff are currently booked to update this knowledge through a child protection awareness course. Most staff hold a current first aid qualification to enable them to treat any minor accidents children may have. Forthcoming training is in place for all staff to further update their skills in administering first aid to children if and when needed.

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provision

The nursery inspection was brought forward because of a concern about children's safety outdoors. The concern raised issues around the gates that lead from the road and parking areas into the nursery garden. The leadership and management team have taken some effective action to protect children, such as fitting a spring mechanism to the gate and sending parents reminder notes to close the gate after them. However, the risk assessments and daily checks on the environment are not fully robust to help staff further protect children's welfare. Therefore, the nursery is not always effectively promoting children's safety. Overall, the manager has reviewed most risk assessments to a satisfactory standard and these cover other areas of the environment that have an impact on the safety of children.

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provision

The nursery implements suitable policies and procedures to promote children's health, safety and well-being. They share these with parents appropriately and they are currently under review, as part of the nursery's drive for improvement. The new management structure has started to evaluate the provision of care for children and is aware of the strengths of their practice and targets for future improvement. For example, the nursery is replacing existing resources and the changes to the outdoor garden areas have made the environment safer and more stimulating for children.

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provision

Staff work well together as a team and are welcoming and approachable. The deputy manager has recently updated her knowledge of recruitment and vetting practices to help ensure the suitability of the staff employed. There are appropriate supervision and appraisal systems in place to monitor staff performance and identify training needs. This has a positive impact on the outcomes for the children at the nursery. The staff have a sound overview of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, practice is not consistent in assessing children's individual needs, interests and stage of their development. The nursery has implemented systems to conduct the required progress check for children when they are aged between two and three years. These systems of assessment are in their infancy. The nursery is developing ways to further monitor children's ongoing progress to help staff plan

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provision

enjoyable and interesting experiences in all areas of learning. Children enjoy and engage with activities, which promote their development satisfactorily towards the early learning goals.

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provision

Parents are positive about the care their children receive and find staff helpful and friendly. There are regular meetings between staff and parents throughout the year to discuss children's progress. Staff keep parents informed about their children's achievements. However, staff do not provide parents with consistent or effective guidance to enable them to work in partnership with the nursery in supporting children's continuous learning at home. There are satisfactory partnerships with schools to promote children's ongoing development and support the children to be ready for when they move on to school.

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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:

 undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment at least once in each calendar year, and immediately, where the need for an assessment arises to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)(Suitability and safety of premises and equipment).  undertake risk assessment of the premises and equipment at least once in each calendar year, and immediately, where the need for an assessment arises to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)(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 action. 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 105631 Local authority Slough Inspection number 910050 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 55 Name of provider L G Montessori School Limited Date of previous inspection 13/12/2010 Telephone number 01628 665621

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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

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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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