Little Fingers Montessori Nursery 2

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/05/2014 16/10/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff promote children's mathematical development and their understanding of the world well.  Children play and learn in a hygienic and well-maintained environment.  Staff effectively support children to learn about the importance of good nutrition.  Children benefit from seeing the friendly interactions between the staff and their parents.

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It is not yet good because

 The records of the attendance of children and staff are not sufficiently well maintained.  Some elements of the organisation are not fully effective, resulting in some children become unsettled or disruptive and limiting the opportunities for older children to play outside.  The toileting and nappy changing arrangements are thoroughly hygienic, but do not fully consider children's privacy.  Management and staff are not fully successful in encouraging parents to take a fully active role in their child's learning.

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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 viewed all areas of the nursery including outdoor play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with management team, staff, parents and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the interaction of staff and children during a range of activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector undertook a joint observation with a member of the management team.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a selection of documents including children's developmental records.

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Information about the setting

Little Fingers Montessori Nursery 2 registered in 2012. It is one of two nurseries run by an individual provider. The nursery operates from a converted house in a residential part of Dulwich, within the London Borough of Southwark. Children are accommodated over two floors, with the baby unit on the ground floor and three rooms for children aged two years and over on the first floor. There are two secure garden areas for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6.30pm all year round. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 24 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children ages three and four. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are six members of staff who work with the children. Of these, five hold recognised early years qualifications. The nursery operates in line with the Montessori philosophy.

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must:

 maintain a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises, their hours of attendance and the names of each child's key person.

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

 re-organise the routines in the baby room in the period after lunch to more fully reflect children's needs by making sure that children who want to go to sleep do not need to wait until those who are going home have been collected

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

 increase the support for older children to develop their physical skills through more regular exercise and greater freedom to choose to play outdoors

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

 review the toileting and nappy changing arrangements to offer greater privacy for children

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

 reduce the amount of adult direction in creative activities to encourage children to explore their own ideas

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

 offer greater opportunities and encouragement for parents to become involved in setting future learning goals for their children.

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who attend

Children generally make steady progress in all areas of learning but there is some inconsistency in the quality of educational programmes for children. There are some significant strengths in the support for mathematics and children excel in this area. They regularly engage in activities which teach them to match, sort and compare different colours, sizes and shapes. Older children talk confidently about numbers, understanding how to apply their knowledge in real life situations. For example, by using the highest number they know to describe something very large. Children also progress well in their understanding of the world. For example, through the use of resources such as a globe and maps, staff teach them about the different continents. Children who find this particularly interesting are able to identify each continent and name some of the animals that can be found there. Staff speak with children as they play and help younger children to develop their

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who attend

vocabularies by naming and describing objects. Older children chat happily and use their developing language to share their views and opinions and to ask questions. Staff provide regular art and craft activities for children but there is a tendency for adults to sometimes provide too much direction. Children do not generally have free access to explore a broad range of art materials independently. This restricts their creativity as it is does not encourage them to express their individual ideas.

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who attend

The range of activities that promote physical development are better for younger children than they are for older children. Babies and toddlers have sufficient space to practise walking and make good use of an indoor climbing frame to develop their co-ordination. They also regularly play outside where there is a greater range of physical play equipment. Older children have less regular access to the outdoor play area and do not generally engage in much exercise in their group room. As a result, there are times, for example, just before lunch, when their energy levels are high. This results in some short periods of over-exuberant and slightly disruptive play.

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who attend

Staff undertake regular observations of children and use these to monitor their progress. They produce written planning for each individual child which set out the specific activities they intend to provide to promote their learning. However, staff do not routinely involve parents in this process which means that parents are not all fully engaged in their child's learning. Staff successfully complete the required progress checks for two-year-old children.

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who attend

Appropriate arrangements are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff also have effective strategies to work with children who speak English as an additional language, including learning key words in children's home languages to use in conversations.

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

There is an effective key-person system in place although this is currently under review as recruitment is taking place to expand the staff team. Children interact positively with all staff. They readily approach staff for support and attention and are confident to share their opinions. The staff teams are stable within each room. Consequently, children receive consistent care from adults they know well. Children generally behave well and play co-operatively together, although can be boisterous at times. There is a suitable focus on manners and important social skills such as sharing and taking turns. As a result, children are polite and friendly. They listen well to staff, including guidance aimed at helping them to keep themselves and other safe, such as not to run around indoors.

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

The environment is extremely clean and there is a designated member of staff responsible for ensuring that good hygiene standards are maintained at all times. Children develop independence in their self-care and know to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. There are individual toilet cubicles for children, but these do not have doors for children to close if they want to be fully private. In addition, the positioning of the nappy changing unit in the baby room does not offer a great deal of privacy for children. Staff prepare nutritious snacks and meals that children enjoy. Menus reflect children's individual dietary requirements. Children speak knowledgeably about different food and know what is good for them. Staff with first aid qualifications are present at all times and clear procedures are in place to administer medication.

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

There is a broad and varied selection of toys and resources, including Montessori equipment, much of which is available for children to select for themselves. This helps them to develop some independence in their learning. Staff prepare children well for their move to school. They liaise closely with parents and have arrangements to communicate with staff at the local schools.

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provision

The nursery has arrangements to maintain all requirement records and information. However, the systems for recording attendance are not sufficiently clear to indicate when children are present and which staff are responsible for looking after them. This is a breach of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage as well as the requirements of the Childcare Register. Other than this, leadership and management arrangements within the nursery are generally effective and the staff team work well together. The manager meets with staff regularly to offer supervision and to identify training needs. There is also information sharing through team meetings to help promote consistency. The manager understands her responsibility to promote children's learning and development. She is currently implementing new systems to help her to track their progress more fully and to identify any achievement gaps. The manager has begun to

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provision

work with an advisor from the local authority to evaluate the strengths of the provision and the areas for improvement. As a result, she has an action plan which includes the provision of additional resources and updated training regarding the care of babies.

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provision

There are robust procedures to promote children's safety, including thorough vetting of staff and suitable arrangements to ensure their ongoing suitability. Any students or visitors who have not been checked are not left alone with children and are not allowed to support children's intimate care. These rules are understood by all staff. The manager takes the lead for safeguarding and has attended training for this role. She understands the process to follow should concerns arise about the welfare of any child. There are also clear procedures to respond to an allegation against staff as well as a whistle blowing policy should staff have concerns about the behaviour of any colleague.

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provision

Parents receive a friendly greeting when they arrive at the nursery, this helps to promote children's sense of security. Those spoken to during the inspection feel that their children are happy and that staff are approachable. There is a lot of written information displayed for parents to keep them up to date with the day to day life of the nursery. The manager also recognises the importance of working in partnership with other professionals to meet children's individual needs.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 maintain a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  maintain a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 EY453279 Local authority Southwark Inspection number 976250 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 22 Name of provider Parveen Beresford Date of previous inspection 16/10/2013 Telephone number 07971572346

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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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