Little Cherubs Nursery School

Little Cherubs Nursery School Carmelite Parish Centre, Pitt Street, London, W8 4JH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/03/2014 04/12/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Staff in the nursery are extremely kind and caring towards the children. This means children form strong relationships and are very secure and confident.  Staff are experienced and highly committed. They are enthusiastic and are excellent role models for the children.  Assessment arrangements are rigorous and monitor children's progress exceptionally well from their starting points.  Staff provide a wealth of rich and stimulating activities that constantly challenges the children. As a result children are highly motivated to learn and make significant progress in their learning and development.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interaction, both inside and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to parents, staff and children and held regular discussions with the manager/provider.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined the available documentation, including a representative sample of children's records, development plans and staff records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager/provider of the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Little Cherubs Nursery School registered in 2006. It is one of two privately owned nurseries. The nursery is in Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The premises consist of four playrooms, kitchen and toilet facilities and an enclosed outdoor area. The nursery has its own entrance which is accessed by a flight of stairs. The nursery follows the principles of Montessori teaching. It operates Monday to Thursday from 9am to 3.15pm and on a Friday from 9am to 12 noon. It is open 30 weeks of the year during term times. Children attend a variety of sessions and some stay all day. There are currently 39 children on roll. A team of ten staff are employed, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 extend the use of the garden area to provide more opportunities to explore the natural world.

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who attend

Children thrive in an extremely well organised and well-resourced environment where they make excellent progress in all areas of learning. The staff team have an excellent knowledge of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and implement it very effectively across the whole nursery. Staff are highly skilled in recognising the uniqueness of each child and providing for their individual needs and interests. Planning and assessment is precise and thorough which means staff know the children very well. They provide a wealth of rich and varied experiences, which stimulates children's curiosity. For example, children relish the opportunity to use real money as they buy items in the shop. Children excitedly talk about the colour of the money and the numbers on each coin. Staff provide a variety of opportunities to enable children to express themselves and make choices. For example, children pull items from a sack and

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who attend

choose the song associated with the item. This leads to exceptional feelings of self- confidence and self-awareness. Children are delighted to invite a friend to sing with them. Staff encourage many of the more able children to write for a purpose. They have made their own health and safety posters encouraging their friends not to spread coughs and colds.

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who attend

Staff are excellent at engaging children and use every opportunity to extend children's understanding and develop communication skills. Key persons use their expert knowledge of how children learn individually. They support their learning through focused activities that develop from children's interests and current motivations. For example, activities are adapted to suit the learning styles and needs of children, which mean they learn at their own pace. Children are pleased to share their favourite books and toys with their friends at circle time. Staff support children very well through effective questioning, such as 'how do we keep safe when we are in the car?'. Children talk through possible answers with each other and staff. Staff teach children to develop excellent independent skills to ensure they have the skills needed for their next steps in learning. For example, children work very well together using tools purposefully to complete a cooking activity. The highly

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who attend

effective quality of teaching means that children concentrate exceptionally well in large group times. They participate enthusiastically in number rhymes and count forwards and backwards as they calculate how many remain using their fingers. Staff give children excellent support and encouragement when they find it difficult to sit in large groups.

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who attend

Staff acknowledge children's contributions consistently and support their ideas about play. Consequently, children develop the confidence to share their ideas in large groups without the fear of being wrong. Rigorous planning and assessment arrangements ensure that children make the very best progress. Parents and key persons review learning assessments regularly and celebrate children's achievements. They collaborate to identify next steps in learning and children's new interests to influence future planning consistently. In addition, there are exemplary arrangements to assess children's progress at aged two. These clearly identify whether children are working within their expected levels or need additional support. If that is the case, staff have a clear understanding of their role in liaising with other professionals to seek help. Parents feel well informed and comment on the excellent progress their children make.

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

The staff team work exceptionally hard to help children settle so that they are extremely happy and confident in the highly stimulating environment. Their independence is fully encouraged as they are able to make decisions about their play. They confidently select resources from a range of high quality toys, which are in easy reach. Excellent arrangements are in place, such as flexible settling in procedures. Which means the individual needs of each child is known to staff and they are able to successfully support the children. Children are very confident and self-assured. They are encouraged by staff to share their ideas and feel proud of their achievements, such as writing their name independently. Children are delighted when they make kites after talking about the letter K.

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

Children benefit fully from the well established key person system as strong attachments are developed. Children are extremely well behaved. They are very clear on routines and listen carefully to instructions. For example, when staff explain about a cooking activity children listen intently about each step of the process. Children thoroughly enjoy having responsibilities, such as washing up after lunch. They are fully aware of expectations to keep themselves safe and wait patiently for all their friends to be ready to play outside. Staff are highly effective in supporting consistency in children's care, such as through individual health care plans. This means that staff receive essential information from all those involved with the children so that they can provide the best possible care at all times.

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

Children are extremely well prepared and supported to progress in their learning. Children benefit greatly from healthy and nutritious snacks. They are particularly pleased to eat the food they have made. They eagerly dip pitta bread and vegetables into the homemade hummus. Staff are vigilant to ensure that any particular dietary needs are clearly noted and considered. Children enthusiastically care for a range of seeds and plants actively nurturing them in pots. Children enjoy rigorous physical exercise as they enjoy the outdoor environment both at the nursery and in the local community. However, the garden area in the nursery is not used to it full capacity. Children extend their understanding of healthy lifestyles by visiting whole food shops in the area. Children have fun as they take their teddies to the local park for a picnic.

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provision

The manager/provider and the staff have an excellent understanding of how to implement the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are vigilant and have completed thorough risk assessments of all areas used by the children. Staff document any accidents and promptly inform parents. These records are reviewed to ensure accidents are not repeated. All staff hold first aid certificates to ensure any injuries can be dealt with promptly and effectively. Older children are mindful of younger children and staff encourage all the children to take care of each other. Children become aware of their own safety as they regularly participate in fire drills.

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provision

All staff have a very good knowledge and understanding of child protection issues. There are comprehensive policies and procedures in place, which follow the guidance of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. The recruitment procedures are robust. The provider/manager thoroughly checks staff to assess their suitability to work with children. She supports these arrangements with thorough induction and ongoing suitability checks through regular supervisions and appraisals. There is excellent partnership working at all levels. Staff are highly successful in engaging with parents who offer their time willingly. Parents frequently offer their time to read stories and to play musical instruments with the children. Parents speak highly of all the staff in the nursery they value the range and breadth of experiences that children receive. They particularly comment about the kindness and understanding the staff show towards the children.

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provision

Staff's professional development is carefully considered. The manager/provider monitors staff's engagement with the children and the planning of activities routinely to identify training needs. This enables staff to share good practice so that they can collaboratively improve their knowledge, understanding and practice. Excellent use is made of the local authority training and support team, which supports the manager/provider to make consistent plans for improvement. This means staff are consistently motivated and inspired in their role. The self-evaluation process is fully embedded into practice. Parents complete questionnaires which feed into action plans and the system for self-evaluation to ensure there is a constant drive for continuous improvement.

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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 EY345735 Local authority Kensington & Chelsea Inspection number 952905 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 39 Name of provider R M Colvin Limited Date of previous inspection 04/12/2008 Telephone number 07810712241

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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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