Claygate Montessori School

Claygate Montessori School Claygate Village Hall, Church Road, Claygate, ESHER, Surrey, KT10 0JP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/02/2013 12/05/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider does not meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements regarding staff qualifications, staff checks and providing a suitable deputy.  The observation and assessment does not clearly identify children's next steps or inform planning to ensure children's on-going learning and progress is effective.  Not all activities are fully inclusive and adapted so that all children can participate.  Systems to ensure confidentiality regarding written records are not in place.  The outside area is not being used effectively to promote children's learning.  There are few opportunities for parents to contribute to their children's learning.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy, settled and confident and enjoy their time at the school.  Caring staff manage behaviour calmly reinforcing sharing and team work.

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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 held discussions with the manager and staff at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector observed activities in the classroom and outside area.  The inspector looked at children's development and learning files.  The inspector spoke with some parents on the day of inspection.

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Information about the setting

Claygate Montessori School registered in October 2009. It operates from the small hall in Claygate Village Hall in Claygate, Surrey. Sometimes they use a larger hall for physical play, such as football. The group have shared use of the toilet and kitchen facilities. Staff accompany children when using areas of the premises which are not in sole use by the group. There are currently 20 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, although there are no older children attending currently. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 12:45pm term time only. All children bring a packed lunch. They have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. Children come from the local community. The pre-school has procedures in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities

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Information about the setting

and supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The pre- school employs five members of staff and an administrator. The owner/manager holds an appropriate Montessori qualification and one staff member has a level two qualification.

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must:

 ensure that at least half of all staff hold at least a full and relevant level 2 qualification and that there is a named deputy, who is capable and qualified to take charge in the manager's absence.

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must:

 obtain an enhanced criminal records disclosure in respect of every person aged 16 and over who works directly with children

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must:

 develop the use of assessments by observing what children 'can do' to identify their next steps and plan meaningful learning experiences which challenge all children.

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must:

 ensure that all activities are fully inclusive and adapted so that all children are able to take an active part in their learning and development.

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must:

 ensure information and records about staff and children are confidential and are held securely and are only accessible and available to those who have a right or professional need to see them.

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must:

 improve the educational programme for all areas of learning by developing the use of the outside area so that children can explore and investigate reflecting their different interests and supporting their learning and development across all areas of learning.

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

 strengthen the partnership with parents by encouraging them to share what they know about their child's learning and development and use this information to help guide parents in supporting their child's learning at home.

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who attend

Children arrive happy and confidently part from their parents and carers, displaying growing independence skills as they hang up their coats and change their footwear. Staff create an inviting environment where children are able to move freely between activities, choosing resources. Initial discussion with parents enables staff to gain information on children's likes, interests and care needs which contributes to ascertaining children's starting points. However, children's on-going development is not consistently monitored which means that planning, observations and assessment systems do not help staff to set clear goals for individual children across all areas of learning. This is due to most staff not having a sufficient understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage as they do not have an early years qualification. Therefore, there are missed opportunities on a daily basis for staff to extend children's learning and to support children who have additional needs. This

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who attend

limits children's progress and attainment across all areas of learning.

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who attend

The manager holds a Montessori qualification and has a good understanding of child development. For example, children enjoy building towers with wooden bricks, and she effectively asks open-ended questions to stimulate thinking and prompt intelligent answers.

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who attend

The manager makes good use of imaginative play to help children understand about their feelings and those of others. This enables children to form positive relationships and contributes to supporting a smooth transition when leaving the setting into school. However, not all staff follow this practice due to their lack of knowledge and skills. Consequently, children receive an inconsistent approach to their learning and development.

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who attend

The manager, through consultation with staff, implements plans which takes into account children's interests. However, these activities do not encourage children to be active in their learning. For instance, an activity to investigate objects that sink or float, do not allow children to experiment freely for themselves. Children have to wait for their turn to choose an object. In addition, there are no opportunities for children to record their findings, for example by making a mark on a card to indicate whether their object sinks or floats. The activity is not inclusive as staff do not enable children with additional needs to handle objects for them to get a greater understanding of the object's properties.

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who attend

Children confidently and independently select Montessori materials and return them to the shelf when they have finished playing with them. This shows that children are developing respect for their environment and the resources in it. Children enjoy playing with a shadow lotto game and show good hand and eye co-ordination when building towers with bricks and different size wooden cylinders. Some children are able to recognise their own name use workbooks to practice letter formation. This is reinforced by feeling textured letters and numbers.

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who attend

Children benefit from daily use of the outside area to promote their physical development. Children enjoy using chalk to practice early writing skills on a chalkboard and on the ground. A small area is used for children to use ride on toys. However, the provider has not enough thought has been given to how this area can be used to promote learning across all areas of learning and development. As a result, some children lose interest and drift inside where they join in with a game of 'Simon Says.'

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who attend

Staff work reasonably well with parents to keep them up to date about the pre-school's activities and their child's development. Displayed notices inform parents about themes and ask parents to contribute towards children's learning at school. For instance, by bringing in a flower from the garden, to help children understand about the changing seasons. However, this is not always successful. There are no systems to enable parents to contribute to their child's development record by providing information about what children do at home. Consequently, staff are unable to provide a complete picture of children's development, or plan activities that build on their interests.

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

Children's personal, social and emotional development is fostered appropriately. Staff welcome all children enthusiastically creating an environment where children feel secure. When children are upset, staff deal with the situation calmly, reassuring the child and finding activities to help settle them. Although staff know children's starting points from the outset, staff do not successfully build on children's achievements. The pre-school implements a key person system, which works sufficiently well to supports children's emotional needs.

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

Pictorial timetables showing photographs of the various activities help children understand what is going to happen next and promotes an understanding of the passing of time. The manager plays calming music so that children know it is time to pack away and move on to the next activity. Most children respond well to changes and staff support individual children who become upset. Therefore developing their confidence and helping children feel secure.

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

Healthy eating is promoted as staff encourage parents to provide a healthy snack and lunch box for their child. Through daily opportunities to exercise outside, children are learning how to keep themselves healthy. For instance, one child pretends to use the building bricks as weights, commenting on how exercise makes you strong. However, planning for the outside lacks imagination, and does not encourage children to explore, investigate to support and extend their learning across all seven areas.

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

Staff help children develop appropriate hygiene routines by making sure children wash their hands after using the toilet and by using hand sanitizer before snack and lunch time. Staff check the environment on a daily basis for risks and to make sure it is clean. Children are reminded to put rubbish, such as used tissues, in the bin to prevent the spread of infection. Children behave well and staff are caring and consistent when dealing with disputes. Children are encouraged to share and work as a team when playing together. Opportunities for children to develop their independence are encouraged during the session. Children have their own low-level pegs, which allow children to find and hang up their own coat. Most children are able to put on their own coats and shoes with minimal help. Fresh drinking water is available and there are pictures to show children how to pour their own drinks.

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provision

The provider does not meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. The inspection was brought forward, following a concern, and notification from the provider about staff qualifications. The manager is also the owner of the pre-school and holds a Montessori qualification. The inspection found that the provider operates with a staff team who are not sufficiently qualified. This is a breach of the statutory requirements. Consequently, children are not sufficiently challenged in their learning and development to make the best possible progress given their age, ability and starting points. In addition, the provider has not requested a criminal records bureau check on the most recent member of staff. However, there are systems in place to monitor unchecked persons and they have restricted and supervised duties.

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provision

Most staff, including the manager, have completed training in safeguarding including the manager. The pre-school's child protection policy has recently been up dated and staff are aware of the changes to enable them to implement them if they have concerns about a child. This helps promote children's well-being and safety.

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provision

The manager is aware of the changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage and she has begun to up-date the children's developmental files. Monitoring of the educational programmes is solely the responsibility of the manager, because staff do not have the necessary qualifications, knowledge and understanding to provide effective support. The manager takes these files off the premises to update. However, there are no systems in place to ensure the documentation is handled confidentially. This is a breach of statutory requirements.

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provision

Staff appraisals are completed by the manager on an annual basis. This enables management and staff to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. The provider is keen to encourage staff to take up training. However, not all staff feel confident to pursue childcare qualifications.

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provision

Self-evaluation is in its infancy, as the manager does not have an effective system to seek and include parent's views. Staff talk with parents at drop off and pick up times and the manager uses the parent's notice board as a means to communicate information about weekly topics and themes. This means there are limited opportunities for parents to contribute towards their child's development assessments. Since the last inspection, recommendations made have only been partially addressed. This means there has been little improvement in practice.

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provision

The pre-school has developed partnerships with other organisations to support individual children. This has not been in place long enough to show how it is helping to improve the outcomes for children. During the summer term, the manager contacts local schools to help support children's transition into their new environment.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children has an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check  ensure that at least half of all persons caring for children have successfully completed a qualification at a minimum of level 2 in a relevant area of work.

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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 EY403015 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 901905 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 20 Name of provider Sophie Mackrell Date of previous inspection 12/05/2010 Telephone number 02083988104

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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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