Carlton Hill Community Nursery

Carlton Hill Community Nursery 86 Carlton Hill, Maida Vale, London, NW8 0ER

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/12/2013 23/06/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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

 All children benefit from attending this bright, unique and vibrant environment, where they enjoy an excellent range of interesting and exciting experiences that support their learning.  Staff promote children's learning extremely well in partnership with parents and assess their progress accurately. Therefore, children make excellent progress in their learning.  The highly-resourced outdoor learning environment provides children with excellent opportunities to enjoy the benefits of outdoor play and develop healthy lifestyles.  Children demonstrate high levels of confidence and independence and their behaviour is exemplary. They play exceptionally well together and clearly benefit from the close and secure attachments that they have formed with staff.  Staff safeguard children expertly through highly robust policies and procedures, which they implement efficiently.  The leadership and management of the setting is inspirational. The management team

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This provision is outstanding

and staff share a clear vision and high aspirations for the nursery, which contributes towards the nursery's success.

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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 activities in all play areas for children of all ages inside and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector engaged in discussions with staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector engaged in a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector engaged in discussions with the management team.

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Information about the setting

Carlton Hill Community Nursery registered in 2005 and is one of 24 nurseries run by The London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), formerly known as Westminster Children's Society. The nursery operates from three floors in a large Victorian house within the London Borough of Westminster. All Children share access to a secure enclosed garden to play. The nursery is open each weekday 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 84 children in the early years age range on roll. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs 19 staff. Of these, 18 staff work with the children and all staff hold an appropriate early years qualification. Four staff have early years degrees.

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

 strengthen opportunities for children to work out solutions to simple problems for themselves.

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who attend

Children thrive in this highly stimulating and welcoming environment that positively reflects their diverse backgrounds and learning needs. Staff resource each playroom innovatively to provide children with excellent and high quality learning experiences in all areas. The committed and enthusiastic staff have a wealth of experience and an in-depth knowledge and understanding of child development and their roles in supporting children's learning. They expertly plan activities for each child's individual progress using a unique, high quality planning system that identifies children's interests and links to their future learning targets. Staff observe and assess children systematically and maintain comprehensive written and photographic records of their achievements. As a result, children are making excellent progress in their learning and outcomes are consistently outstanding. Most children are achieving beyond the expected milestones for their age.

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who attend

This means that they are becoming extremely well prepared for the next stages of their learning and as they prepare to move on to school.

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who attend

There is an excellent balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities and the flexible daily routine enables children to pursue their own interests both inside and outdoors. Staff have extensively broadened the outdoor learning environment to provide children with a wide range of experiences across the seven areas of learning. As a result, children relish in the fun they have as they readily explore and discover the joys of being outside. For example, babies enjoy splashing around in muddy puddles and staff ensure that they are appropriately clothed with waterproof suits and wellington boots. Other children enjoy digging as they search for their home grown vegetables. The 'mud kitchen', science and woodwork areas provide children with first hand experiences to explore and be creative free from any restrictions.

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who attend

Staff are adept at extending children's language and thinking skills. They ask thought provoking questions and continually engage children in conversation, although occasionally they miss opportunities to further children's problem solving skills. For example, while playing in the maths area, staff miss chances to challenge children to match or group colours of resources for themselves. This slightly reduces opportunities for children to solve problems. The exploration of letters and sounds encourages children's speaking and listening skills and there is very good provision in place to promote their early reading and writing skills.

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who attend

There are very strong systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who learn English as an additional language. Staff ensure these children are integrated fully into the nursery and provide appropriate support as required. Staff also encourage children to use their home languages in their play and use additional means and resources, such as dual language books and visual prompts and sign language to support effective communications.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents, carers and others involved in the care of the children are excellent and overall; make a significant contribution towards the children's well-being and learning. A focused progress report is completed when children reach the age of two and this precisely identifies if there are any gaps in learning or if children need additional support.

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

Children's safety and well-being is highly fostered because staff pay high regard to children's safety and there are thorough and robust procedures in place to protect children from harm. In addition, staff successfully promote children's understanding of safety issues. Consequently, children have an excellent awareness of how to keep themselves safe and learn to manage risks for themselves.

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

Staff are warm, approachable, highly-skilled and sensitive in helping children form secure emotional attachments. The effective key person system strongly contributes towards the strong bonds and positive relationships that are formed. Babies and toddlers benefit from close attachments with staff, who show a genuine care and affectionate towards them during their care routines and everyday activities. Older children interact extremely well with their peers and staff and they respond well in social situations. As a direct result, children display high levels of confidence and independence. Children are extremely well behaved; they are very polite and caring towards one and other, reflecting the way they are treated by staff. Older children are fast becoming extremely independent in their self- care, as they take themselves to the toilet and assist their personal needs and as they serve themselves and help clear away at mealtimes. These skills help to prepare children

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

for the transfer to school when the time comes.

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

Staff promote children's health, physical and dietary needs to an exceptional standard. The environment is safe and very clean and staff are very knowledgeable about any allergies and all special dietary requirements are very well catered for. Children demonstrate a very positive approach towards eating healthily. They learn about the food that is good for them as they grow a wide variety of vegetables in the garden. There are also regular cooking activities to encourage children to taste and try new foods. Children have excellent opportunities to enjoy the outdoor environment in all weathers. These rich and varied experiences enable children to develop their understanding of the importance of regular exercise and maintaining healthy lifestyles.

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provision

This inspection took place as a result of an investigation into the nursery procedures for dealing with allegations made against staff members. As a result of the investigation the provider was given three Notices to Improve, which required them to: improve the safeguarding policy and procedure, to train all staff to understand this and to notify agencies with statutory responsibilities without delay. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that they are fully complying with the requirements. They have reviewed the safeguarding policy and procedure to include clear timescales for reporting concerns to relevant agencies. All staff have completed further training on this and demonstrate that they have a very secure knowledge and understanding of their role in safeguarding children. They always act in the best interests of children, taking prompt and swift action to respond to any concerns or allegations. In addition the provider has set up systems to

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provision

support staff through the process, if they need to report concerns. This demonstrates the provider's extremely good commitment towards safeguarding and protecting children.

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provision

The nursery is led and managed by a highly motivated and inspirational management team. The nursery's success is attributed to the strong leadership and hugely committed staff team. All staff take immense pride in their work and maintain exceptional practice so that all children have excellent opportunities to thrive and flourish in the nursery. They demonstrate an excellent understanding of their roles and responsibility to ensure that the nursery meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are effective systems to promote this. As a result, children are exceptionally well safeguarded. All staff complete rigorous checks before they begin their employment in the nursery and to ensure that they continue to be suitable to work with children.

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provision

All staff implement assessment systems extremely well. They evidence clear observations of what the children know and can do, along with their interests. This enables staff to plan accurate learning opportunities that are tailored to support children in making excellent progress across all areas of learning. There is an extremely strong commitment to ongoing professional development as staff are actively encouraged to update and improve on existing qualifications. They continuously increase their knowledge and skills through comprehensive in-house training. The management team communicates ambition and drive and there is a strong ethos of inclusive and reflective practice throughout the nursery. The provider has met all previous actions and this, together with rigorous monitoring, results in continuous improvement being achieved and sustained.

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provision

The nursery promotes excellent relationships with parents, providing them with a wealth of information about the nursery to ensure that they are fully informed. The nursery staff value the views of parents. They regularly invite them to contribute their opinions and suggestions. They can also attend event and weekend workshops where they can join in activities such as sensory play, craft activities and much more. This supports their understanding of how their children learn and enables them to better support their children at home. All parents spoken during the inspection express their pleasure with the service they receive and the progress their children are making. They praise the efforts of the staff team and comment that they feel fully involved in their children's learning. They advise that they would recommend the nursery to other families without hesitation.

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provision

Staff establish partnerships in the wider context particularly well and these make a strong contribution towards children's achievement and well-being. Collaborative working with other key agencies is exemplary, staff work extremely closely with the area special educational needs coordinator to ensure that children and families receive any additional support they need. The nursery is continuing to forge links with local schools to aid the transfer as children move on to school.

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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 EY305988 Local authority Westminster Inspection number 918366 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 66 Number of children on roll 84 Name of provider The London Early Years Foundation Date of previous inspection 23/06/2010 Telephone number 0207 624 3814

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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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