Patchwork Montessori Nursery

Patchwork Nursery Patchwork Nursery School, Chiltern Road, MAIDENHEAD, Berkshire, SL6 1XA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/01/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

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

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This provision is outstanding

 Children behave exceptionally well at the nursery and benefit from a calm, peaceful atmosphere.  Staff have an excellent understanding of children's individual needs and meet these very sensitively.  Children develop very good concentration and listening skills. They are extremely well motivated to learn and demonstrate a high level of enthusiasm and engagement in their learning.  Children take part in a wide range of play experiences and activities both indoors and outside. Staff are very supportive to children, extending their learning and promoting their progress highly effectively.  Children develop excellent skills and staff support them very well so that they are ready to progress to school.  The management and staff demonstrate a high commitment to the nursery and work very effectively together. Self-evaluation is robust to sustain ongoing improvements.  There are excellent partnerships with parents and the management demonstrates a

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This provision is outstanding

very positive attitude to working with other settings and professionals.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play, activities and interaction with staff both indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the provider, manager and staff about their roles and responsibilities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of paperwork, including children's progress records, policies and procedures, and records of staff suitability.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to a small number of parents on the day of the inspection to gain their feedback and views about the nursery.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Patchwork Nursery originally registered in 1991 and re-registered in 2013 due to a change of ownership. It is owned by Patchwork Nursery Limited who also has two other Montessori Nurseries in the area. The nursery operates from purpose built premises adjacent to Oldfield Primary School in the village of Bray, near Maidenhead, Berkshire. It serves children from the local community and surrounding areas. Children are accommodated in four age- related base rooms with their own toilets and nappy changing facilities. They all share access to an outdoor play area. Staff have use of a hub in the centre of the building which they use for meetings and break times. There is a separate toilet for staff along with an office for private meetings. The nursery employs a cook who prepares meals on-site in the kitchen.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 48 weeks of the year. It is closed for two weeks during the summer, one week at Easter and another at Christmas. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children are able to attend from birth up to eight years and free early years education funding is available for three and four year olds. There are currently 93 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery follows the principles and philosophy of Maria Montessori, which is supplemented by traditional teaching methods.

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Information about the setting

The nursery Principal holds a level 6 qualification, a Montessori teaching certificate, and has gained Early Years Professional Status. The Manager holds a level three qualification and is supported by two joint deputy managers, who are both qualified to level 3. There are a further ten staff, of whom eight hold early years qualifications at level 3 and two at level 6. Two staff are currently working towards gaining or furthering qualifications. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries association and receives support from Windsor and Maidenhead Early Years and Childcare Service.

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

 enhance the toddler's mealtimes by extending discussions to contribute further to their social experiences.

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who attend

Staff have an excellent understanding of children's individual learning needs and styles. This enables them to identify and plan for children's progress extremely well. On entry to the nursery, the children's key person works closely with parents to find about children's starting points and individual needs. Staff undertake an initial assessment of children's level of development in addition to this. This enables them to plan significantly well for children's next steps in learning from the start. Ongoing effective exchanges of information with parents, both formally and informally, enable staff and parents to continue to work closely together. This helps staff and parents to promote children's learning consistently at home and at the setting. For example, the staff's use of 'weekend books' encourages parents to share activities and events from home, and staff provide daily feedback and regular written progress reports of children's learning and

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who attend

development. Staff undertake meaningful regular observations of children's achievements which they use purposefully to identify ongoing next steps in learning. This means staff continually review and consider children's next steps in learning, ensuring children are fully supported. As a result, children very effectively progress in their learning and development.

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who attend

Children are extremely well motivated to learn and the quality of teaching is excellent. All ages of children engage exceptionally well in adult-led and child-initiated activities. They join in the wide range of activities and play experiences with great enthusiasm. For instance, a member of staff completely entrances the babies by showing them pictures of animals, talking about the animals and making the sounds they make. The staff member talks in a lively tone which captures the babies' interest extremely well, and gives a commentary about what she is doing. This supports the babies' listening and concentration skills extensively, and encourages their understanding of the links of the words to the pictures. Staff working with the older children ask very effective questions to promote children's thinking skills. They encourage discussions to widen children's knowledge and understanding, such as how pears grow. Staff use signing alongside words

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who attend

with all ages of children, which promotes effective communication with all children and supports those who speak English as an additional language extremely well. Children in all areas of the nursery enjoy plenty of conversations with staff, such as their home experiences. Occasionally during mealtimes in the toddler room the conversation mainly focuses on what the children are eating or cutlery they have dropped, which lessens the social side of the meal.

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who attend

Children enthusiastically make marks and use their developing writing skills outside using chalks, sand, and water and paintbrushes. This enables children who learn better outside to have very effective opportunities to develop their early writing skills. Children recognise letter sounds and the older children enjoy beginning to write their name on their own work, forming recognisable letters. Staff provide timely interventions, such as gentle reminders of how to hold the pencil before children pick them up. As a result, children hold the pencils in the correct grip, which means they have effective control for writing and drawing. Staff provide a wide range of activities to promote children's early writing skills. For example, children use tweezers to pick up small items which promotes their small physical skills very well. Mathematics is interwoven exceptionally well into the daily routines and activities for all ages of children. Staff count with babies and toddlers as they

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who attend

carry out routines with them and sing number rhymes and songs. The older children use addition by counting the number of children present, and use subtraction as they sing number songs and find out how many snowmen are left. Outside children measure the amount of coloured rice and pasta they have filled the tubes with. These experiences, along with excellent social and independent skills, mean that children are extremely well prepared to move to school.

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

Children are exceptionally happy and settled at the nursery. They benefit from a calm and peaceful environment and atmosphere where they feel very relaxed and at ease. Children form excellent relationships and bonds with the staff, who know them extremely well. Staff welcome children and parents warmly on arrival, ensuring parents have time to speak to them and keep them updated with any relevant information. As a result, staff understand and meet children's needs highly consistently. Children are respectful of each other and form extremely good friendships with each other. For instance, toddlers happily play together and babies enjoy interacting with one another. At snack time, the older children pass the plate and use each other's names as they politely ask the child next to them if they would like something to eat. Children demonstrate an extensive understanding of the routines and children independently help and take on responsibilities.

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

Staff provide an excellent role model to children as they are kind, caring and respectful. Children's behaviour is exemplary and they play harmoniously together. They develop high levels of confidence and self-esteem at the nursery as the staff value their backgrounds, efforts and achievements highly. Children demonstrate an excellent understanding of safety, for example, the older children immediately walk along the top step to the railings at the side to walk down them safely to the garden. Staff vigilantly promote children's safety. For example, staff sit the babies in the low chairs and secure them before giving them a small snack and a drink.

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

Children develop excellent independence and self-care skills. Staff encourage children to put their own coats and shoes on from a young age. Staff are sensitive to children's individual needs for support and give plenty of positive, warm praise and encouragement. Children independently make choices from the toys and resources stored at a low level in all areas of the nursery. The nursery environment is inviting and welcoming with photographs and children's artwork on display. The different languages children speak are extremely well valued, with words on display alongside English and with greetings and key words used by staff. The outdoor area is very stimulating and provides resources to cover all areas of learning. For example, there are mirrors at a low level for children to observe themselves, musical instruments, books, numbers, words and sentences and signing symbols on display. Children's physical development is promoted very effectively, such as

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

through balancing and climbing equipment, and they build their muscles as they propel themselves on wheeled toys. All children benefit from fresh air daily as the babies safely sleep outside and spend time in the main garden. Staff raise children's excellent awareness of healthy lifestyles, for example, through discussions about the importance of drinking sufficient fluids, healthy eating topics and visits from a dentist.

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

Children are prepared very well for changes. For example, when they move rooms their readiness for this change is fully assessed. Children undertake visits with their current key person, ensuring they have a familiar adult at hand until they develop their confidence in being in their new room. The staff's proactive approach encourages teachers to come in and visit the children at the nursery, prior to them leaving to go to school. Teachers are encouraged to bring in resources, such as photographs of the school, which help children emotionally prepare for the change to school.

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provision

The manager and the provider have an excellent understanding of their responsibilities to meet the safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Safety is given a very high priority at the nursery and staff undertake daily safety checks indoors and outside to maintain a safe environment for children. Staff demonstrate an extremely good understanding of their responsibilities to children's welfare. They have undertaken relevant training and have a very secure understanding of the steps to take in the event of concerns arising about children's welfare or staff practice. Managers use robust recruitment procedures which enable them to recruit staff with the relevant experience, skills and qualifications. There are highly effective procedures to promote staff suitability as they start and continue their employment. For example, staff undertake the required suitability checks and are required

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provision

to inform management of anything that could affect their suitability.

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provision

The staff's meticulous planning for children's learning experiences and next steps promotes children's progress at the nursery very effectively. The nursery manager very closely monitors the experiences children have as she spends time in each room on a daily basis. She speaks to staff daily about the children and their learning needs. As a result, staff are extremely well supported. Both the manager and the provider are 'hands on' enabling them to provide an effective role model to younger and less experienced staff. Staff work extremely well together as a team and show a strong commitment to the nursery, such as attending further training. They benefit from ongoing training opportunities to support their professional development, both in-house and externally. Self-evaluation systems are very effective. Staff, parents and children are all encouraged to offer their views, opinions and ideas. The manager and provider have an extremely

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provision

good understanding of the nursery's strengths and identify further improvements. They implement action plans to continuously target these and demonstrate an excellent capacity to maintain ongoing improvements.

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provision

Parents benefit from excellent communication and a wide range of information. For example, there is a notice board about children's learning and development with photographs and information about the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents receive ongoing feedback about their children's time and progress at nursery. Parents spoken to at the nursery were highly complimentary about the nursery and staff. Staff demonstrate they fully understand the importance of working with other professionals to support children's progress when needed. The manager takes very positive steps to form partnerships with other settings children attend, using different styles of communication to support this. This promotes a consistent approach to meeting children's care and learning needs.

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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 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 EY461527 Local authority Windsor & Maidenhead Inspection number 919188 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 53 Number of children on roll 93 Name of provider Patchwork Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01628628898

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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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