Blue Butterfly Montessori

Blue Butterfly Montessori 5 Barrow Point Avenue, Pinner, Middlesex, HA5 3HQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/07/2013 14/05/2012

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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 nursery staff and management create a welcoming and happy atmosphere and build sound relationships with parents whose views reflect they are happy with the nursery and their children enjoy coming.  Staff teach children well to think about their own health and safety; particularly with regards to being outside in hot weather.  Staff have initiated the building of a positive and productive relationship with a local school, which has been successful in helping prepare children for the move to school.

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It is not yet good because

 The key person system is not monitored to ensure the allocation of key persons consistently meets children individual needs in particular when allocating a member of staff to children who are new to the nursery.  Some aspects of the daily routine such as tidy up time or preparation for snack and meal times, can on occasion interrupt children's play and activities.  The range of resources the nursery provides is not extended to include a range of different real life utensils and materials that mirror children's real life experiences.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector spent the inspection time observing children and staff in all the nursery rooms and the garden.

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Inspection activities

 Safeguarding was discussed with the manager and staff and the nursery's policy was sampled.  The inspector sampled children's information and development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector shared discussion with the manager and staff, and a joint observation took place with the manager during the inspection.  Parents views were gathered through discussion with some parents.

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Information about the setting

Blue Butterfly Montessori registered in 2011. The nursery is owned and operated by an individual proprietor. The nursery is situated in a detached house in Pinner, in the London Borough of Harrow. There is access to two play rooms on the ground floor and two play rooms on the first floor. There is a secure outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm all year round except for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. They are registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 75 children on roll and the nursery receives funding for early education for three- and four-year-olds. The nursery supports children learning English as an additional language and children with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs a team of 18 permanent staff, who work with the children, including the manager and deputy. Of these, nine hold qualifications in childcare at level 3, one has a qualification at level 4 and one has a qualification at level 5 and three at level 6 qualifications. In addition three members of staff hold Early Year Professional Status and one member of staff is working towards a professional qualification. The nursery also employs three kitchen staff and five bank cover staff.

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must:

 ensure the key person system is implemented consistently to help ensure that every child's learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs; in particular by reviewing how staff are allocated when new children are settling or visiting.

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

 review the provision and organisation of activities to consistently reflect individual children's stages and monitor the daily routine to make sure children's play or experiences they are interested in are not interrupted

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

 extend the range of resources that reflect children home lives and everyday life to mirror real experiences, to encourage children's use of creatively and imagination.

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who attend

The staff team plan and provide an appropriate range of activities and play experiences that children enjoy. The majority of these reflect children's individual needs and support children in making sound progress in their learning and development. The nursery environment is interesting and welcoming for children and is equipped with a varied range of equipment and play materials. Many aspects of the nursery routine help prepare children for the next stage in their learning. For example, they are acquiring skills such as listening, taking turns, and building independence and self confidence. Experiences such as visits to other rooms in the nursery help to prepare children as they approach the move to an older group.

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who attend

Staff share affectionate and caring interaction with children, recognising young children need to share firm bonds with their key person. Staff provide a secure base for children to explore from and return to for reassurance. However, on occasion, the arrangements for allocation of the key person, when children are new to the nursery are not fully effective in enabling staff to meet individual children's needs. This is a legal requirement. For example, allocating the same key person to more than one new child settling on the same day means that the member of staff cannot fully support each new child.

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who attend

Some staff are animated and enthusiastic in their interaction with children generating interest and encouraging children's language. For example, a member of staff finds an interesting corner in the garden protected by the shade of a play cave on a hot day. A small group of children sit with her in the cave and discuss photographs linked to the current theme of 'people who help us'. Children are interested in the photographs and recognise familiar images such as ambulance and police car. Staff talk about the colours in the photographs and children successfully recognise and name different colours they see. They discuss what the police and ambulance crew do to help us, encouraging children's awareness of the community around them. Children giggle and laugh as they make 'ne nor' siren noises, and are adding words such as 'ambulance' to their developing vocabulary. Staff use simple signing with babies to encourage vocalisation and

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who attend

communication and older babies join in with familiar actions during singing activities. Some picture communication is on display which supports children learning English or who may have speech delay or special educational needs.

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who attend

Children are generally busy and interested in their play. However, some aspects of the daily routine such as tidy up time or preparation for snack and mealtimes can on occasion interrupt children's play. For example, toddlers enjoy a drawing activity, in the baby room, using pens to press and make marks on paper. They vocalise excitedly as they see their marks on paper, use physical skills to hold and manipulate the pens and exclaim when the ink makes marks on their fingers. However, the planning of this activity with children standing around a table results in there being limited space for all children to use large arm and hand movements as they draw. Staff clear the activity away, in preparation for another planned activity, and later snack time, when some children show interest in continuing. Children thoroughly enjoy being outside on a hot and sunny day. The garden provides shaded areas where they can relax and play quietly, as well as expending energy and

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who attend

using their large physical skills and coordination.

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who attend

Older children concentrate and persist in their play and activities, demonstrating independence, confidence and a growing readiness for school. For example, they show interest in a new sorting table game, set out by a member of staff, involving recycling. The member of staff explains to a child the different ' boxes' in the game are for different materials such as paper, bottles, aluminium, and cans. Other children show interest and join the group, finding out and learning the rules of the game together. They investigate the empty boxes, asking 'why do the boxes have holes in them?', and learn new words such as 'aluminium'. Children take turns, waiting and helping each other. They make suggestions, such as, which box the card with a picture of a can needs to slot into. Children thoroughly enjoy this game and link it to how they use recycling boxes at home. However, this experience is not extended in nursery to include a range of resources

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who attend

mirroring real experiences. For example discussing with children how they could sort real packets and plastics into real size recycling boxes or providing real utensils and food for children to use in their imaginative play.

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

Children are generally happy and demonstrate they enjoy their time at the nursery. They share affectionate and caring interaction with staff who have a sound knowledge of individual children's personalities and needs. Babies receive close physical reassurance from staff sitting nearby as they play and having a cosy lap for children to climb onto for a cuddle. However, the arrangements for settling new children, through several short visits, are not consistently well planned to consider other children's needs.

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

Children behave well, they show care for each other, listen to and follow instructions and are learning to take turns according to their age and stage of development. Children demonstrate a developing awareness of their own safety. For example, they use utensils such as pens, brushes and watering cans appropriately. Children use the stairs carefully, holding a member of staff's hand and the child height hand rail. Staff encourage children's awareness of their own safety. For example talking about the sun cream they apply before children go outside protecting their skin, and that wearing hats protects their heads and keeps them cool.

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

Older children demonstrate a developing confidence and independence in their play and self care. For example using the bathroom independently and understanding the need to wash their hands before lunch. There are some opportunities for them to increase independence by helping with handing out meals to their friends at lunchtime and serving themselves with additional vegetables.

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

The nursery provides a healthy vegetarian menu, which encourages children's awareness of healthy eating. Information is obtained from parents regarding any allergies, dietary needs, and children's preferences. Staff and the nursery cook are made aware of these to ensure they are adhered to and followed. Children physical development and good health is encouraged appropriately during daily outdoor play and planned 'stretch and grow sessions' which are provided by an external company during term times. Children use their coordination, and physical skills outdoors as they ride, dig, balance and climb.

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provision

The manager and staff understand their responsibilities relating to safeguarding and child protection. They are aware of issues that can raise concern and the procedures to follow if concerns regarding children's welfare arise or they have concerns about a colleague. Staff supervise children appropriately, encouraging children to be careful in their play and as they use the stairs and bathroom. Risk assessments are used appropriately to monitor and review safety in the nursery and on outings. As a result of the current hot weather these have been appropriately reviewed to keep children safe in the sun.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward following concerns raised to Ofsted in relation to the nursery's procedures and how these are implemented in relation to adhering to children's food allergies. Ofsted followed up these concerns and issued a Welfare Requirement Notice to improve which required the owner/manager to respond to four actions that were set. The owner/manager has taken suitable steps to address these actions, throughensuring that information from parents and carers about a child's dietary needs is acted on and that all staff are aware of all children's allergies and specific dietary requirements. Management ensures the procedures that are in place to promote equality of opportunity for children cover how the individual needs of all children will be met. She also ensures records are maintained to help ensure the needs of all children are met; in particular recording incidents when children at the setting have accessed or been given

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provision

food they are allergic to. This inspection has found that the manager and staff now have a clear understanding of these requirements and their responsibilities in implementing them.

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provision

The manager and deputy are newly in post, and there have recently been some staff changes. Appropriate systems are in place to recruit staff and establish they are suitably qualified and vetted to work with children. New staff complete an induction process to make sure they understand their responsibilities and the nursery's policies and procedures. The manager undertakes regular individual supervision with each member of staff. These are used as a focus for development, to identify training needs, individual strengths and interests and build towards the annual appraisal. Effective use is made of resources such as training to facilitate this development. For example one member of staff has recently worked towards and achieved Early Years Professional Status and other staff have attended a baby signing workshop.

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provision

The manager demonstrates appropriate use of self-evaluation by identifying and prioritising where improvement is needed. For example, she has identified that she and the deputy need to undertake observations of practice in all rooms and use these to improve consistency, although this is not yet implemented. The manager has also identified inconsistencies in planning and staff maintaining children's individual assessment folders which she is currently monitoring. The nursery receives regular visits from the local authority advisor and the manager acts on advice given to focus improvement. The required documentation and records are maintained and the manager has systems in place to monitor and ensure legal requirements such as the required ratios are adhered to.

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provision

Staff monitor and track children's development appropriately. They obtain information from parents about children's individual needs, stage of development, likes and interests when they first start at the nursery. Staff use this information to begin their planning of activities for children and make sure they have toys that are familiar or that children show interest in easily accessible. Staff record observations of children play and learning, illustrated by photographs and examples of children's creative work that reflect their progress over time. These are made accessible to parents and some children enjoy looking through these and rearranging their contents. Staff identify children's next steps, for example, continuing with letter recognition, writing on chalk boards and threading beads to help children with preparation for writing. These are then included in their planning of activities and play opportunities.

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provision

Staff provide a varied range of appropriate play equipment, furniture, and resources to enable children to play eat and rest comfortably and safely. Although the use of resources reflecting everyday life, such as real kitchen utensils, empty food containers and real vegetables for imaginative play, is less well developed.

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provision

The staff team build sound relationships with parents and create a welcoming atmosphere. Parents views reflect they are happy with the nursery, feel information is shared well with them, and understand the procedure to follow if they have any queries or concerns. Parents are actively involved in children's learning. For example, through the sharing of information about activities and themes children are following at nursery, regular newsletters, information relating the Montessori ethos and how this can be continued at home being displayed, and daily communication with staff and the manager.

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provision

Staff work effectively with other professionals involved in children's care, sharing information and supporting individual children in making progress. Staff are in the process of developing relationships with a local school, which has resulted in exchange visits between teachers and staff. The school has provided meaningful resources for nursery staff to use, such as a book bag, school uniform, and books of photographs of different aspects of the school. All of which help support children at this time of change and new experiences.

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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 EY438813 Local authority Harrow Inspection number 923018 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 75 Number of children on roll 75 Name of provider Blue Butterfly Limited Date of previous inspection 14/05/2012 Telephone number 02084299446

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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

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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