Moniques Montessori Day Nursery

Moniques Montessori Day Nursery 41 Chipstead Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 2AJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/09/2013 18/04/2013

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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

 Highly effective staff deployment and interaction of staff helps children to make good progress.  The thoughtful and inspiring organisation of the environment significantly enhances children's enjoyment and encourages them to develop independent learning skills.  Children enjoy many experiences which allow them to investigate and learn about the natural world.  An impressive range of equipment is available to encourage children to offer children physical challenge and to promote their coordination.

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It is not yet good because

 The nursery has arrangements to maintain the required records of information provided by parents and carers about their child's dietary needs but these are not routinely updated to reflected changes. Staff do not always find out why children can not have certain things to eat.  The nursery has some resources in place to support children who speak English as an additional language but these do not fully support children in all possible ways.

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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 viewed all areas of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the provider, staff team, parents and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the interaction of staff and children during a range of activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation including incident records and children's progress records.

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Information about the setting

Moniques Montessori Day Nursery opened in 1989. It is privately owned and operates from a converted house on three levels. There is also a fully secure garden for outside play with a variety of outbuildings which are also used as play areas. The nursery is situated in a residential area in Sevenoaks, Kent.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 44 children aged from three months to under eight years on roll. The nursery supports some children with special educational needs as well as those who speak English as an additional language. There are 12 members of childcare staff, nine of whom hold appropriate early years and/or Montessori qualifications. Other staff are employed to cook and complete administrative tasks within the nursery. The nursery operates in line with the Montessori ethos and receives funding for free early education for three and four-year-olds.

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must:

 maintain a record of, and act on information from parents and carers about their child's dietary and health needs.

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

 extend further the range of activities and resources aimed at supporting children who speak English as an additional language.

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who attend

Children make good progress in all areas of their learning as they enthusiastically join in the broad range of activities on offer. Staff competently assess children's interests and abilities through ongoing discussions with their parents and through regular observation. This enables them to plan activities which children enjoy and which offer the right amount of challenge to support their individual development. Regular monitoring of children's progress supports staff to identify any gaps in their achievement. Parents are fully involved in their child's learning, contributing observations from home and regularly viewing their developmental files. Appropriate arrangements are in place to complete the required progress checks for children aged two years.

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who attend

Children benefit from a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities throughout each day. Staff plan this purposefully so that children develop their independence while also learning to follow instructions. Both of these skills help to prepare them well for their future learning. Staff consistently use effective strategies to promote children's communication and language. They use songs and rhymes with repetition to help children learn familiar words. In addition, they speak clearly when naming events and objects to increase children's vocabularies. For example, as a baby wakes from a sleep a member of staff asks 'Have you just had a nap? did you have a lovely nap?' When the child nods in agreement saying 'nap', staff offer warm praise and recognition. The use of open-ended questions by staff encourages older children to consider their responses. They express themselves confidently during lively and interesting conversations. They use language well

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who attend

to share their views, ask questions and to negotiate with their friends. The nursery has some arrangements in place to support children who learn English as an additional language. Staff ask parents to share some key words to help them communicate when children first arrive. They are developing a range of resources which reflect languages other than English but recognise that this is an area for ongoing improvement.

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who attend

Children love to play outside. They concentrate well as they dig in the earth, plant flowers and observe the mini-beasts and reptiles around the pond area. The arrangements to promote children's physical development are particularly impressive. An outbuilding has been fitted with a variety of climbing equipment for children to explore. Some of this offers a high level of challenge and children begin to take carefully managed risks as they test their physical abilities and coordination. Children also enjoy using ride-on toys, playing ball games and going out for walks locally. Children in the baby room regularly explore the outdoor play area but also have space and resources in their group room to allow them to practise walking.

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who attend

Staff skilfully engage children's interest in adult-led activities by preparing resources well and making sure that they are appealing. For example, when providing a cooking activity, staff set up individual work stations with all required utensils. They also have a central table for children to visit, laid out with numerous small bowls containing the different ingredients. Children each have laminated books with pictures giving step-by-step instructions. Children show very high levels of independence and understanding as they measure out the correct amounts using colour-coded measuring cups. Staff are on hand to offer support but do this well by helping children to interpret the instructions rather than offer them direction.

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who attend

One member of staff takes responsibility for coordinating the care of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and has attended training for this role. Effective partnership working with parents and other professionals means that children's individual needs are clearly understood and prioritised. As a result, children receive the additional coordinated support they need to help them reach their potential.

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

Staff deployment within the nursery is effective and the key person system works well. For example, children seek out their trusted carers to get a reassuring cuddle when they first wake up. This helps them to feel secure. Children are polite, friendly and behave well, following the positive examples set by staff. They learn the importance of sharing, taking turns and are able to wait patiently when necessary.

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

Some effective arrangements are in place to teach children about the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles. They enjoy nutritious snacks and meals prepared on site. They also have constant access to drinks. Children routinely wash their hands before eating and after using the toilets. In addition, they brush their teeth after lunch. Staff follow the instructions given by parents in relation to children's individual care needs. However, there is no procedure in place to encourage staff to explore the background information relating to changes in children's diet or health. For example, when asked to reintroduce foods previously suspected of causing an allergic reaction they do not investigate this fully with parents. They do not routinely ask whether this is based on medical advice or whether the item has been given to the child at home to monitor for any adverse effects.

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

The thoughtful organisation of space and the appealing presentation of resources create a stimulating environment which children confidently explore. This extends their enjoyment and promotes their learning. Appropriate arrangements are in place to ease children's move to school. Staff liaise with parents and teachers to share information about each child. They also provide activities, such as reading stories, to help children understanding about the changes that they are going to experience.

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provision

This inspection took place following a notification made to Ofsted by the nursery provider. The provider followed the correct procedure by notifying Ofsted of a medical situation which required a child to be taken to hospital. An investigation of the incident showed that staff were vigilant in their observations of the child and took appropriate action. However, a weakness was identified in the arrangements to maintain the required records of children's dietary needs where information is shared by parents. Information is recorded in specific detail when children first start at the nursery and this is shared well with all staff. However, these records are not always updated when parents notify staff that food can be reintroduced. Generally, safety arrangements within the nursery are appropriate. Staff undertake regular risk assessments along with health and safety checks to make sure that the premises and activities are safe. Robust recruitment procedures ensure staff

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provision

suitability. One member of staff takes lead responsibility for safeguarding and has completed training for this role. Overall clear procedures are in place to respond to concerns about the welfare of any child. These also include the process to follow in the case of any allegations against staff.

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provision

The leadership and management team are aware of their responsibilities to promote children's learning and development and do this well. Effective arrangements are in place to monitor the success of the educational programmes. These involve comparing the rates at which children are progressing in each area of learning to identify any areas which may require more focus. Similarly, regular self-evaluation of the nursery highlights the strengths of the provision and helps to create action plans for future improvements. A system of team meetings, one to one supervisions and annual appraisals is in place to support staff. The management team use these to share information, promote consistency of practice and identify any training needs.

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provision

Children benefit from the positive relationships in place with their parents. This helps them to settle and helps to ensure that their evolving needs are regularly discussed. Parents spoken to during the inspection are very positive about the quality of the service they receive and feel that their children are doing well. Effective arrangements are also in place to work alongside a range of other professionals and early years practitioners involved in offering support to the children.

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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 127387 Local authority Kent Inspection number 934433

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 27 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider Monica Denise Maria Purdy Date of previous inspection 18/04/2013 Telephone number 01732 452931

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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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