Montessori by Busy Bees North Chiswick

Mace Montessori School Unit 21-22 Block F, Factory Quarter Larden Road, North Chiswick, London, W3 7HJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/12/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are making good progress in their learning and development. They confidently explore stimulating learning environments and show high levels of motivation and perseverance in their play.  Babies are happy and secure in the care of their key person. Staff are receptive to their individual needs and interests and value children's home routines to promote consistency of care.  Children are developing successful communication and language skills as staff are focused on supporting this aspect of learning. Children speak confidently in group situations and clearly enjoy sharing their experiences with each other.  Staff establish good partnerships with children's parents and outside professionals to support a continuous approach towards children's care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are many good opportunities for children to develop self-care skills but the older children are not able to visit the cloakrooms independently to use the toilet or wash their hands.  Babies do not have consistent access to resources that encourage them to build confidence in pulling themselves up to a standing position.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interaction, both indoors and outside in the garden.  The inspector and manager undertook a joint observation of a circle time session.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with staff and held meetings with the manager and two area managers who support quality practice within the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation including a representative sample of children's records, risk assessments, safeguarding policies and staff suitability records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Mace Montessori Nursery opened in 2013. It is one of seven privately owned nurseries owned by Mace Montessori Schools Limited. The nursery operates from a purpose built building in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Children have access to three playrooms on the ground floor and two playrooms upstairs. All children have access to a secure garden. There are cloakroom facilities easily accessible on both floors. There is lift access to the first floor. The nursery serves the local and wider community and is open all year round, closing for one week over the Christmas holiday period and also closes for all bank holidays. The setting is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children may attend on a full or part-time basis.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery provides funded early education for two, three and four- year-olds. There are currently 64 children aged from five months to under five years on roll. The nursery currently supports a number of children who learn English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are 17 members of permanent staff working with the children alongside one part-time student. The manager holds a Btec Diploma in Childcare and has a qualification at Level 4 in Management. There are two qualified teachers employed to work with children and the majority of all other staff hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 extend the older children's ability to manage aspects of their self-care by promoting independent access to their cloakroom facilities

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

 strengthen babies' access to resources that support them to use and develop their standing and cruising skills.

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who attend

The staff team have a good knowledge and understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. They effectively support and extend children's learning through well planned activities and experiences which encompass the seven areas of learning and also the Montessori ethos. Planning is focused on children's interests and individual abilities as staff work closely with parents to engage them within their children's ongoing learning. Children are frequently observed by staff as they monitor their progress and set clear next steps to support their further progression. This good practice supports all children to make good progress given their starting points. Staff have effectively implemented the progress check for two year old children in partnership with their parents. Staff have ensured that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported through

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who attend

effective partnerships with their parents and outside professionals. Children who learn English as an additional language are making good progress. Discussions with their parents demonstrate that they are very happy with children's development in their English speaking skills. They say that staff provide good language role models to children. Parents also comment that many staff are bilingual and are able to communicate with children in their home language which they say is really valuable.

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who attend

Staff provide children with a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning opportunities. For example, staff effectively plan circle time sessions to encourage children to listen, take turns and communicate in group situations. The result is that children are confident to discuss and share items they have brought in from home. Children are excited to show their friends a picture of an aeroplane and inform them that they will soon be travelling on a plane to go on holiday. Staff skilfully ask open ended questions to challenge children's thinking and effectively use props to support children's discussions. For example, staff question who else is going on holiday, and suggest that the children may want to share photos of their family members who are also travelling with them. Photographs of children's families are attractively displayed in the environment which supports children's sense of belonging within the setting and in this

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who attend

scenario supports and extends their discussions. Equally staff engage enthusiastically within children's self-initiated play. They are happy to play the facilitator when children are keen to play doctors and nurses. Staff skilfully introduce new challenging words such as pharmacy, stethoscope and medication. Children are excited to give their diagnosis and reassure the teddy bear that they will only need a small injection to help them get better. Children show good levels of concentration and perseverance in all activities they pursue. This further supports their personal, social and emotional development.

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who attend

Children have good opportunities to be active and engage in challenging physical play both indoors and outside in the garden. Children are confident to climb apparatus and to balance along low-level walls with adult supervision. They have access to bikes and wheeled resources to support their physical skills and coordination. Babies enjoy the challenge of crawling through tunnels and manipulating many small objects with growing confidence and skill. However, babies do not always have access to resources to support them in developing their muscles to stand. Babies are motivated and keen to join in with the play activities and resources offered. Babies are intrigued to play with large rolls of paper which they place over their bodies and eventually decide to sit on top of the paper. They are curious to smell, taste and touch the texture of the paper all within the safe proximity of staff who sit on the floor with them to support their exploration.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to working in partnership with parents. They have involved parents in sharing children's starting points and they continue to engage parents in sharing their children's interests through comprehensive diaries. Discussions with many parents demonstrate that they are very happy with the care and learning opportunities available to their children. They say that staff are good at listening to their wishes and responding to their requests. Parents who have very young children attending the setting comment on the good relationships that have been established with their children. They say that staff are flexible and are always willing to meet with them informally at the beginning or end of each day and also more formally to discuss their children's individual progress. These successful partnerships with parents fully contribute towards children's emotional well-being in the setting.

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

Children arrive confidently in the morning and quickly settle into the nursery environment. The warm welcome they receive from staff contributes towards them feeling secure and happy at nursery. Staff effectively nurture children's personal, social and emotional well- being as they provide them with secure emotional attachments. Babies clearly enjoy lots of cuddles and one to one games with their key person. Discussions with staff demonstrate that they always spend special time with their key children where they are able to support their individual interests. Staff also plan opportunities for children to work together. Overall, these positive experiences support the strengthening of good relationships as children interact positively with staff and with one another. The result is that overall, children behave very well. They are developing polite and respectful manners as they say please and thank you and want to help with chores such as tidying away their

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

Children are developing many important self-care skills as they help to serve their own healthy foods at lunch time and they are able to access drinking water at all times. However, older children are unable to visit the cloakrooms independently as stair gates are located on their pre-school room door. This does not fully promote them to take a more proactive approach to managing their own personal hygiene. Children are however, developing a good awareness of important health and safety measures through topics and through successful staff role modelling. For example, staff encourage children to think about hygiene and how to prevent the spread of infections. Therefore, children know why they need to wash their hands and why they must not put resources into their mouths. Children learn about risks as staff consistently teach them safe practices including how to manage themselves safely on equipment in the garden. Children are supported to

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

understand the importance of taking regular exercise and keeping their bodies healthy as staff discuss this with children as part of their daily routines.

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

Staff are focused on prioritising children's welfare. They consistently monitor accidents that happen in the nursery and any injuries that children incur away from the setting. Staff are secure in their knowledge of safeguarding matters and confidently discuss the procedures they would follow if they had any concerns about children's welfare. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in this welcoming setting. They approach staff confidently and are able to express their wishes. Children have access to a well-resourced learning environment both inside and out in the garden area. There is a balance of Montessori resources and equipment alongside more traditional nursery resources. These are well organised to support children's developing independence and confidence in making choices about their play. Staff manage positive transition arrangements for children in partnership with their parents. For example, the nursery promotes a gradual

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

settling-in process for children who are moving into their new rooms within the nursery. This means that they have time to adjust and to also develop relationships with their key person. The manager of the provision has also begun to develop partnerships with local schools in readiness for those children who will eventually move onto school.

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provision

The staff and management team demonstrate a robust knowledge and understanding of both the welfare, and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are secure recruitment, vetting and induction procedures in place to help ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. The majority of staff working with children have early years childcare qualifications which contributes to the good quality experiences that are presented to children. The management team are focussed on safeguarding matters and have ensured that this training has been available for all staff. The result is that staff are confident to discuss safeguarding policies and procedures including in the event of allegations being made against themselves or colleagues. There are ample staff working with children who have up-to-date first aid training. Consequently, children are well protected in the event of a minor accident.

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provision

The manager works closely with her staff team to monitor the quality of teaching and learning experiences offered to children. She achieves this through spending time working within the rooms observing practice and giving feedback to staff about what they do well and how they can improve. The manager demonstrates that she is a reflective practitioner. For example, when engaging in joint observations with the inspector she was able to discuss the strengths and areas to improve within the activities that were observed. This effective practice supports all children to receive challenges and make good progress in their learning as continuous evaluation is part of everyday practice. Although this is a relatively new provision the nursery benefits from having an experienced management team. This means that documentation requirements including the implementation of planning and assessment systems are familiar and clearly understood

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provision

Staff demonstrate that they are happy working within this setting. This is demonstrated in the enthusiastic way they engage with children and how they positively manage their roles and responsibilities. There are good systems in place for their professional development as they engage in supervision meetings with the manager. It is evident that they are encouraged to attend ongoing training events to develop their personal skills and expertise. There are clear systems in place for self-evaluation where all staff and parents are encouraged to share their ideas for improvement. Parents' spoken to say that they are very happy with the nursery. They say that staff are very good at sharing information and always take time to speak with them. There are positive partnerships evolving with external agencies which again support staff in meeting the individual needs of all the children including those with special educational needs/and or disabilities.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 EY464878 Local authority Hammersmith & Fulham Inspection number 922569 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 103 Number of children on roll 64 Name of provider Mace Montessori Schools Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 02087492871

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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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