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 26/03/2013 25/09/2012

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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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children help themselves to a good variety of resources and play materials. Children in the pre-school have direct access to a stimulating outdoor play environment, which extends their learning.  Children have positive relationships with staff and each other. They show good levels of confidence and independence in the nursery.  Staff work well with parents. They use effective systems for communication, which ensure that parents are involved in their child's learning.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff are not always deployed effectively to ensure children's learning needs are met in the toddler room, as legally required. This affects how well staff support children's learning  Group activities for younger children are sometimes too long and staff do not plan them effectively to make sure all children remain interested and involved  Staff do not yet plan a wide range of outdoor experiences for younger children that encourage them to investigate the natural world.

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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 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 children taking part in indoor and outdoor activities and during meal times and care routines.  The inspector had discussions with the management team and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled records including children's files, planning, improvement plans and staff suitability records.  The inspector looked around the premises and outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents at the setting and read parent questionnaires and took account of their views.

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Information about the setting

Star Child Montessori Day Nursery registered 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. There are five playrooms for children, including rooms on the first floor, which are accessed by stairs. There are two enclosed garden areas for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 74 children in the early years age range on roll. The nursery also operates holiday provision for school age children during some school holidays. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. 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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Information about the setting

There are 21 members of staff who work at the nursery including the manager. Of these, 19 hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority through an early years advisor.

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must:

 deploy staff to ensure children's learning needs are met, particularly in the toddler room.

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

 review circle time activities for younger children to ensure these sessions maintain children's interest and provide appropriate opportunities for them to develop their listening and attention skills

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

 develop outdoor play experiences further for the younger children, including opportunities for investigations of the natural world.

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who attend

Staff gather detailed information about each child's background, starting points and needs before they start at the nursery. For instance, they ask parents to complete 'all about me' forms and talk to them during settling in visits. This ensures staff are familiar with children's individual needs and get to know them well. Staff throughout the nursery make regular observations of children's achievements and plan a variety of activities that help them make steady progress in their learning overall. They complete appropriate assessments of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and make sure suitable plans are in place for their care and learning. In the pre-school rooms in particular, staff show a good understanding of how to support children's learning through play. Pre-school children take part in a good balance of interesting activities and are confident, sociable and motivated to learn. However, there are not always enough staff on

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who attend

duty in the toddler room to ensure they can support all children well and make the most of the learning opportunities available. For instance, staff are not always available to encourage children to join in or fully develop an activity, so sometimes children become distracted and move away. In addition, staff do not always plan group activities for younger children effectively. As a result, circle time sessions are sometimes too long and do not sufficiently engage children's interest or support their listening and attention skills.

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who attend

Babies explore their environment confidently, choosing from the suitable variety of resources that staff make accessible to them at floor level. Their early communication skills are fostered when staff talk to them as they play, sing rhymes and share books and stories. Pre-school children learn useful skills and attitudes that prepare them well for the next stage of learning and for school. They listen attentively to staff at circle time, speak confidently and find their own coats when it is time to play outside. Staff support children's language development appropriately throughout the nursery, asking questions to encourage conversations and make children think. Staff support children who learning English as an additional language appropriately. They find out key words from home, use sign language and visual cues and enable children to speak their home languages, which helps to develop their confidence. Staff provide a wide range of opportunities for children

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who attend

to practise their early writing skills through practical activities as they play. Babies use crayons on big sheets of paper taped to the floor, toddlers explore paint with their hands and staff encourage pre-school children to make lists and write messages in the role play caf. Staff make effective use of everyday activities and routines to count and develop children's understanding of shape, space and number. Toddlers join in with familiar number songs and pre-school children work out how many more plates they need at their table for lunch.

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who attend

Children in the pre-school are keen to talk about their lives and families and staff encourage them to share their news at circle time. They explore the world around them when they dig in the outdoor area, grow sunflowers or observe the trees closely as the seasons change. Toddlers look through binoculars as they play outside, but staff do not yet plan a wide range of outdoor experiences that encourage younger children to investigate the natural world. Children have active imaginations. Toddlers and pre-school children enjoy playing in the role play area, setting the table in the caf for a meal or making dinner at the stove. Babies explore the texture of different materials and move their bodies in time to music and songs.

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who attend

Staff keep parents well informed about children's progress through daily verbal feedback and regular parents evenings. They also keep parents up-to-date with their child's next steps effectively, so that they can support their learning at home.

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

Children throughout the nursery make good relationships with staff and each other. They come into their room happily when they arrive. The key person system is well established. Babies form secure attachments to their carers, who make sure they follow familiar routines from home. This effectively promotes children's emotional and physical well-being and helps them settle well. Children of all ages respond well to the calm, positive approach of staff and their behaviour is good. They quickly become familiar with the routines and expectations of the nursery. Toddlers gain confidence as they choose an activity for themselves. Pre-school children show high levels of independence as they pour a drink when they are thirsty, select resources from the shelf and put them away when they have finished.

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

The nursery is welcoming and well equipped, with a wide variety of safe, age-appropriate resources available for children to choose from both indoors and outside. Staff conduct daily checks of the premises and outdoor area and supervise children closely at all times. As a result, children move safely around the nursery and play with suitable toys and equipment. Toddlers are beginning to understand how to manage risks and keep themselves safe when they hold on to the banister carefully as they go up the stairs. Older children know they need to carry their drink carefully at lunchtime to make sure it does not spill. Children take part in regular fire drills so that everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

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

Children's good health is promoted well. Toddlers and older children learn to manage their own personal needs when they wash their hands before they eat or get a tissue to blow their nose. Staff follow careful procedures for changing nappies such as wearing aprons and gloves, which help minimise the risk of cross-infection. Children benefit from well- balanced meals and snacks that are freshly prepared on the premises and meet their nutritional needs. Babies begin to feed themselves with spoons and toddlers manage their forks competently. Pre-school children confidently serve themselves their rice and meatballs with big spoons, enjoying their favourite lunch. All children play outside every day as part of a healthy lifestyle, enjoying the fresh air and exercise. Younger children practise their physical skills riding bikes up and down in the garden. Pre-school children take on physical challenges when they use giant blocks to build a ladder so they can climb

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

up onto the lower branches of the big tree.

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provision

Suitable arrangements are in place to safeguard children's welfare. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that staff are appropriately vetted and qualified. All staff attend child protection training. This ensures that they understand their responsibilities towards the children in the nursery and the need to provide a safe environment. The management team monitor staff performance through regular supervision and appraisals and staff regularly attend local training courses. This means that staff are appropriately trained and supported. Staff work well together, sharing tasks and responsibilities throughout the day. All the required paperwork that promotes the smooth day-to-day running of the setting is in place.

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provision

The management team are committed to continually developing the nursery and are keen to make any changes necessary to improve outcomes for children. For instance, recent changes to the organisation of resources in the pre-school rooms have further enhanced children's independence. Since the last inspection, the management team have worked hard to develop staff's understanding of the learning and development requirements. They have also established clear systems for monitoring and reviewing the educational provision. As a result, staff now support children's learning effectively in most rooms in the nursery and monitor their progress closely, for instance, using tracking sheets.

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provision

The inspection found that staff deployment is not effective in the toddler room for some periods of the day. This is a breach of requirements. This affects how well staff in this room support children's learning at such times. However, there are sufficient staff in the nursery overall to meet the child ratio requirements and to supervise children and promote their welfare. Suitable assessment systems are in place and staff support children appropriately to promote their individual needs. Toys and equipment are safe and suitable for their purpose.

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provision

Staff work closely parents and encourage their involvement in the nursery. Parents find staff friendly and approachable and feel that their child is safe and well cared for. They are happy with the progress their child is making. Parents have access to a wide variety of information about the nursery through newsletters, the notice boards and regular meetings. Staff also share information with other settings that children attend and establish clear links with other professionals where needed. They work effectively in partnership with other professionals to make sure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities experience a well-coordinated and consistent approach to their learning and care.

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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 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 EY385314 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 910650

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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 25/09/2012 Telephone number 02086896532

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Type of provision

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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