College Fields Montessori Nursery

College Fields Montessori Nursery School College Fields, MARLBOROUGH, Wiltshire, SN8 1UA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/07/2013 29/01/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The staff recognise the uniqueness of each child and are highly successful in helping children form close bonds with those who care for them. Children are happy, settled and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging.  Children make good progress in all areas of their development but especially in acquiring personal, social and language skills. Staff prepare them exceptionally well for their move to school. Children's behaviour is exemplary.  Partnerships with parents are highly effective. They are very well informed and fully involved in their children's learning at home and in the nursery.  Children are generally enthusiastic, avid learners. They are confident, capable and independent individuals.  Staff monitor children's development closely so that gaps in learning are identified promptly and additional support provided when needed.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff are not involved fully in the self-evaluation process and in planning topic-based activities to ensure ideas are shared and implemented as effectively as possible.  The nursery has not developed fully effective links with other early years settings that children attend to provide consistency in children's learning.

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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 staff and children taking part in activities indoors and in the garden, including snack time and care routines.

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Inspection activities

 In the absence of the owner, the inspector held discussions with the deputy manager, other members of staff and talked with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records and samples of other documentation and policies, including planning and the Ofsted self evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation of an adult-led activity with the deputy manager inside the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of parents' views by speaking to them during the inspection and looking at completed parent questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

College Fields Montessori Nursery School moved to the present site in 1992. It registered with Ofsted in 2001. It is privately owned. The nursery operates from a single storey building, located near the leisure centre in Marlborough, Wiltshire. It provides one large play room, kitchen and toilet facilities. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery opens five days a week for 48 weeks of the year. Session times are from 9am to 3.30pm and children may attend for half or whole days. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is in receipt of free nursery education funding for two-, three- and four-year-olds. There are currently 42 children in the early years age range on roll. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. The owner plus three members of staff work with the

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Information about the setting

children. The owner and one other member of staff hold Early Years Professional Status and the deputy holds a foundation degree in the science of early years child care. All staff hold a range of appropriate qualifications including some with Montessori teaching diplomas.

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

 involve staff as fully as possible in the self-evaluation process to highlight areas for improvement, and in planning activities so they are always totally clear about what children are intended to learn and how to adapt activities for all children, in order to always engage everyone as well as possible

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

 further pursue links with all other settings that children attend so that information is regularly shared to ensure continuity in children's learning.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this nursery. The skilled and welcoming staff help children become highly independent and active learners so they make good progress in their learning and development. Children choose freely from a wide range of interesting resources and enthusiastically join in with generally exciting activities. They are busy and purposefully occupied at all times. They become engrossed in their own play or working alongside staff, who skilfully extend their learning and teach new skills. Staff have special responsibility for their 'key children' and they plan frequent individual time with them to develop specific areas of learning.

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who attend

However, staff do not contribute as well as possible to planning, so they are not always absolutely clear about what children are intended to learn from some adult-led activities, such as an imaginary aeroplane trip. On occasions, staff overly direct children's play as a result and do not adapt the activity for children's different levels of understanding. This leads to some become bored or distracted.

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who attend

Staff work closely with parents from the outset. They gather a wealth of useful information about children's development, care routines and family backgrounds. This level of information means staff know children and their families well. They understand children's starting points and are able to talk to them about things that are important to them, such as new additions to the family or exciting holiday plans. Staff observe children closely and with contributions from the children and parents, they record children's progress over time. Children keep their record books in their own drawers. They proudly choose pieces of work to put in them or enjoy looking at photographs of themselves with others. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their children's learning at home. The nursery emails parents each weekend with plans for the following week. Parents say they find this an especially helpful way of communicating as all adults at home can easily share

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who attend

the information. In response to the nursery theme of 'Australia', one parent found a didgeridoo to show their child, which helped bring the topic to life. Parents are encouraged to share any areas of expertise or knowledge with all the children, such as national recipes and dance demonstrations. Parents also send in special achievements or 'wow' moments from home. Staff celebrate these with all the children to raise children's self-esteem.

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who attend

Staff promote children's communication skills extremely well so they become fluent, confident speakers. Some of the staff are trained to assess children's speech and language development. This enables them to detect problems promptly and discuss these with parents, before seeking additional support, if needed. They have also trained in developing children's listening and speaking skills so they can provide skilled support to all children. Children join in enthusiastically with well-read stories; they shout out rhyming words and predict what will happen next. Older children make good progress in hearing sounds in words and beginning to link these to letters, for example, by using multiple senses to explore sandpaper letter shapes. Children use tools, such as tongs that strengthen their hands in readiness for writing. They practise making marks in fun ways, such as painting the fence with water. They are fascinated in how the marks dry. They

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who attend

work cooperatively with others to barrow over more water cans to paint more quickly. They are curious and motivated to learn.

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who attend

Children use mathematical language spontaneously as they play. They count accurately at snack time and work out how many cups and plates they need. They use finely engineered Montessori equipment to develop their understanding of shape, size and volume. They use and extend their understanding as they play, for example, stretching fabric over canes to make a shelter in the garden. They learn a great deal about the natural world, often through their own investigations. A very young child is fascinated as they closely study a flower through a magnifier. Another child is excited to find the tadpoles have grown legs and continues this interest later by noticing the bug in the story has three legs.

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

Children form close bonds with the adults who care for them. Their dedicated 'key' member of staff works in close partnership with parents to meet children's needs to a consistently high standard. Because of this, children settle very well and become confident, secure individuals.

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

Children's behaviour is exemplary and they respond positively to the nursery's strong emphasis on grace and courtesy. Children prepare and pass round plates of fruit at snack time, offering politely and thanking each other. Younger children are guided by the very good example, set by older children, as they learn to share and take turns. Children take great care of their environment as they carefully put away resources, ready for the next child. Staff are excellent role models and they offer helpful advice to parents on managing children's behaviour at home. This consistent approach helps children quickly learn right from wrong and to be sensitive to the feelings of others. Children learn about the lives and beliefs of one another and others in the wider world.

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

Children are developing an excellent understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles. They benefit from being able to choose to play in the garden for much of the day, especially the more active children and those who learn better outside. They know they need to wear hats and sunblock to protect their skin from the sun. Those who may be reluctant to draw or write on paper, including some of the boys, enjoy painting the fence, making patterns in sand or chalking on the path, helping everyone develop good early writing skills in readiness for school. Children recognise the need to rest and all enjoy taking part in the 'silent game', which encourages them to listen to sounds around them and be aware of their bodies. They are calm and peaceful after the activity. Children eat healthily. They bring in healthy lunches and enjoy fresh fruit snacks. They grow fruit and vegetables, which further encourages them to make healthy choices. A visit from a dental

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

practitioner helps children understand the importance of cleaning their teeth and avoiding sugary foods. Parents are pleased that it helps allay any fears about visiting the dentist.

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

Children play in a welcoming and well-organised environment. Staff carry out rigorous daily checks to ensure all areas are clean and free of hazards so that children can safely and independently explore their surroundings. Children develop a mature approach to keeping themselves and others safe. They practise carrying chairs and using scissors safely and they are mindful of others as they play in messy areas with sand or water. Children learn to play cooperatively, be helpful and polite. They become highly independent and manage their own self-care extremely competently. These attributes prepare them exceptionally well for school life.

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provision

The management and staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The owner follows robust procedures when recruiting and vetting staff to ensure they are cleared as suitable to work with children. The senior staff have received advanced safeguarding training. They ensure all staff have a thorough understanding of child protection issues and are able to implement the nursery's clear procedures to help protect children. Staff are vigilant in supervising children inside and outdoors. They use risk assessments effectively to provide an environment that is safe for children to explore.

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provision

The nursery has been able to make progress in all areas recommended at the last inspection. Because of this, children have greater freedom to play outside and staff support children more effectively in their chosen play. The staff team benefit from the on- going support from the owner, who encourages them to continue improving their practice through additional training.

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provision

The nursery has forged highly effective inks with outside agencies, such as the local authority and speech and language therapists to support staff in providing high quality care for children. The nursery has contacted other early years settings that children attend but with limited response. Some links are in place; these are not developed as effectively as possible to ensure a regular exchange of information and provide consistency in children's learning.

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provision

The management and staff all have a very good knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The owner takes the lead in planning topic-based activities with contributions from the staff, parents and children. Staff take responsibility for planning and assessing their key children's learning but they are not always completely clear about planning prepared by others. Nevertheless, staff provide meaningful and stimulating experiences to meet each child's needs well overall.

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provision

Staff discuss their practice throughout the day and make changes, such as to the room layout to benefit the children. However, they do not contribute fully to the nursery self- evaluation process to help ensure that areas identified for improvement are implemented effectively, such as introducing regular formal staff meeting to ensure everyone is aware of what is going on and can share ideas without interruption. The nursery values and actively seeks parents' views and contributions. Parents speak very highly of the nursery and when asked say 'this is a wonderful place, where I know my child is happy and learning all the time'.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary 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 146048 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 846660 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Elizabeth Barnes Date of previous inspection 29/01/2009 Telephone number 01672 515486

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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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