Little People of Willow Vale

Little People of Willow Vale Montessori Nursery, 9 Willow Vale, London, W12 0PA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/02/2014 26/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff plan the environment well so that children can extend their independence. Children are able to explore and discover while developing the characteristics of effective learning.  There are robust safeguarding and risk assessment procedures in place. Children feel safe and secure in the nursery and this promotes their emotional well-being.  The flexible provision supports children and their families in settling-in and enjoying their time and experiences, forging strong partnerships with parents and others involved in their children's care, learning and development.  The owner and manager have a clear vision of the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery and ambitious plans for future improvements. The capacity for the quality of the nursery to improve is strong.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always understand the aims and learning intentions of group activities, which means sometimes children are not fully supported in reaching their full potential at all times of the day.  Routines, such as the after lunch period before some children go home, sometimes disrupt children's play opportunities. Accordingly, children's time to extend their learning and development through play is not fully enhanced at this time.

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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 and staff interaction both inside and outside in the garden area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and manager of the provision undertook a joint observation of children's play after lunch.  The inspector talked with staff and held discussions with the manager and provider.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation including a representative sample of children's records, policies and procedures 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

Little People of Willow Vale Nursery is one of two nurseries run by Little People Nurseries Limited. It was registered in 1993. It operates from two rooms in a purpose built building in Shepherds Bush in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children over five years attend the nursery during the school holidays. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 50 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are 47 children under five years on roll. The nursery currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs ten staff, including the cook and a cleaner. Of these all staff including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. The

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Information about the setting

nursery offers a mixture of the Montessori Method of teaching combined with the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery receives support from the Hammersmith and Fulham Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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

 sharpen the focus of planning to aid all staff in fully understanding the aims and learning intentions of group activities to effectively support children's learning

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

 adapt routines in order to minimise the disruption that they can sometimes cause to children's play.

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who attend

Children take part in a balanced range of interesting activities that are appropriate and based on their interests. The well-resourced outdoor area is used very well to promote children's physical development. Children are beginning to develop the skills required in the next steps of their learning such as independent learning. For example, children demonstrate pride in their achievements and persist with activities for a sustained period of time.

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who attend

Children are very confident and explore independently. They enjoy practising physical skills during a variety of activities. For example, they thoroughly enjoy singing and participating in action songs, where they learn to co-ordinate their movements by going slower and faster. They are motivated and thoroughly enjoy exploring play dough and how sand can slide down the funnels as they pour and measure. Staff help children to develop good understanding of the world. They provide first hand experiences such as walking in the local community to observe what type of restaurants there are. They talk about what they see as they set off to the Chinese restaurant to celebrate Chinese New Year.

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who attend

Staff provide children with plenty of opportunities to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. For example, children compare and match when planting in the mud kitchen, designing where and how they want to lay out their plants in the garden. This helps them to develop a good understanding of the natural world. Overall, the quality of teaching is good. Most staff are skilled at teaching and extending children's critical thinking skills, so they become confident and independent learners. For example, they encourage children to reflect on their own learning by asking questions such as 'how do you know it's a fish shape?'. As a result, children delight in showing what they know and eagerly talk about what they see referring the shape they have made to the nursery pet goldfish. However, some of the staff's interaction is limited, especially during and after the lunchtime period when children watch a DVD as other staff clean and prepare the group

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who attend

room. As a result, sometimes children are not fully supported in reaching their full potential. However, the manager is aware of this and is taking action to rectify this weakness.

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who attend

Staff promote communication and language well with young children. For example, they introduce new words and repeat them. This extends children's vocabulary. They ask children how many marks they have made when using the Montessori equipment. This makes children think, focus and develop their communication and mathematical skills. In addition to this, they encourage children to sound out the initial letters when they are introduced to the names of items of interest. This effectively encourages the children to begin to use new words.

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who attend

Staff successfully complete the required progress check for two-year-old children to monitor their progress in all the key areas of development. Staff use the information from observations well to make sure that children achieve as much as they can. They identify children's starting points and complete observations and summaries of development in the children's 'this is me learning journals'. These generally show what children know and can do. This helps staff to identify the children's next steps in learning, monitor their progress and identify any gaps in their learning. However, assessments need to be developed further and made more consistent. This would also enable activities and planning to be more closely linked to children's stage of development and therefore promote their learning and development more frequently.

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who attend

Parents are involved in their children's learning. Staff share information regarding the children's care, achievements and how learning can be supported at home well. This provides a cohesive approach to children's learning through play. Staff value parents' expertise and use it to support children's use of other languages. They welcome parents in to the setting to read stories, for example with the dad's reading group. Parents are also very involved in supporting the nursery through projects such as gardening. This effectively promotes the children's self-esteem, sense of belonging and in addition aids children's communication skills when they have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

There is an established key person system which provides good continuity and consistency of care for the children. Staff implement effective strategies to help settle new children in. For example, they encourage parents to participate in settling in visits and gather detailed information about the children's interests at home. Parents of younger children are also able to communicate about changes in children's needs at any point during the session. This enables staff to have a good understanding of children's individual needs or routines and continually meet them. Children are happy and display confidence in talking and playing with staff. They confidently inform staff of their needs when engaging in activities. For example, when staff invite them to have some snack they inform staff they don't want any at that moment.

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

Staff use some positive strategies to promote children's good behaviour. For example, younger children eagerly take on their responsibilities when they are helping to tidy away using the dustpan and brush to sweep up the sand. The staff are good role models and the children benefit from their use of praise and encouragement. Older children are keen to behave positively and work together as they choose new resources. This effectively promotes their self-confidence, esteem and skills in cooperation. Consequently, children are developing a good understanding of how to behave.

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

Children learn about their own safety, particularly when walking along the short lane from the nursery to the garden. While on outings in the community, they wear high visibility jackets and know about taking care when walking along the pavements. In the garden they use a range of toys and resources with developing skill and dexterity, negotiating space and steering equipment, such as dolls' buggies, with care. Some children use their critical thinking to solve the problem of how many children can fit into the playhouse and negotiate well with each other. Staff offer praise at the success and supervise the vigorous activities closely. This indicates that risk assessments are viewed and adapted to ensure children's safety.

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

Staff implement good health care plans that meet children's individual needs and keep parents appropriately informed. These measures effectively contribute to the children's health and safety. There is a good emphasis on healthy lifestyles and children are developing an understanding about healthy eating through staff talking about the benefits of having healthy foods and drinking water. Children engage in regular routines that promote good hygiene. For example, they wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet. Staff provide a very child-friendly environment, organising space and resources well in all areas to promote children's play, independence and decision making skills. Staff are helping children prepare for their move to school so that they feel happy and secure. Children are able to meet their new teachers and discuss the routines of their schools. These strategies help the children feel confident for when they make the transition and

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

move up to school knowing they can come back and visit nursery and attend at times during school holidays.

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provision

The management team and staff have a clear understanding of the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. All the necessary documentation for the safe and efficient management of the nursery is up to date and well organised. Staff ratios and qualifications are well maintained and there are effective arrangements in place for times when core staff may be absent.

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provision

Staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they are worried about a child or adults' behaviour in the setting. The staff are qualified to fulfil their roles and to ensure the environment around the setting is safe. The staff team carry out robust risk assessments to minimise hazards and the premises are secure. For example, there is an electronic key pad system to restrict unknown visitors from entering the setting. As a result, children can play and learn in safety.

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provision

Staff are deployed well throughout the nursery and the manager and deputy are clear about their roles and responsibilities in managing the nursery. However, the organisation of some parts of the day, particularly after the lunchtime period, hinders some children's ability to fully participate and some children become easily distracted and frustrated as a result. In addition to this, minor weaknesses in the planning of some activities occasionally lead to some staff not fully supporting children at all times, particularly while some children are waiting to go home for the afternoon.

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provision

The leadership team uses robust recruitment and vetting procedures to appoint staff. Staff ensure that they collect all the required details about children, including information about parents and carers and any other person who has parental responsibility. The staff have some effective systems for evaluating their provision and practice that help them to inform the nursery's priorities and drive improvement. They have recently started to conduct peer-on-peer observations. They also work with the local authority advisor to create action plans and set targets for improvement in the outcomes for children. Staff have appraisals to monitor practice and identify any training needs, in order to develop the quality of teaching further. Monitoring is mostly effective in ensuring that minor dips in children's attainment are noted and that staff have planned next steps to help children make the best possible progress. Staff continue to complete relevant training to consolidate their

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provision

practice as indicated in their appraisals. This effectively supports and helps drive improvement within the nursery and therefore benefits the children.

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provision

The leadership team and staff have forged strong partnerships with parents and other settings children attend to promote consistency in their care, learning and development. This supports children in their transition through to the next stage in their early education. Parents spoken to during the inspection say they are 'very happy with the care and learning provided for their children'. They feel their children are making good progress. They state that their children are 'always happy to come to the nursery'. They also feel that they are effectively involved in children's care and learning, for example, by helping children settle into the nursery at their own pace. Newsletters are used well to keep all adults updated about the nursery plans and procedures with reminders about areas of responsibility.

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provision

Children benefit from the staff developing some good links with other professionals. For example, they welcome and implement advice successfully from speech therapists and the area special educational needs coordinator. This successfully supports the children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with English as an additional language. They also support and use local area initiatives, such as projects which promote the local community. This enhances the care, learning and development for each child and supports their improving outcomes.

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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 EY373822 Local authority Hammersmith & Fulham Inspection number 949570 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 47 Name of provider Little People Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 26/03/2009 Telephone number 020 8749 2877

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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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