Summertown Montessori Nursery

Summertown Montessori Nurseries Summertown Church Hall, Portland Road, OXFORD, OX2 7EZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/05/2014 07/04/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The quality of teaching is poor and children do not make enough progress in key areas of their learning. Equality of learning opportunities is not suitably promoted. Staff do not work in effective partnerships with parents and others to meet the needs of every child.  Staff do not provide a supportive learning environment for children or manage their behaviour in a positive and nurturing way to keep them safe. Young children find it difficult to settle because the key-person system is not focused enough on meeting their specific needs.  Staff do not keep an accurate record of attendance or follow robust procedures when preparing food. Resources do not meet the children's needs.  Monitoring procedures in the nursery are weak. There are several weaknesses that have a negative impact on children's well-being. The provider has not urgently addressed a number of significant issues or monitored recent changes.

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It has the following strengths

 Children enjoy their time in the garden area where they can climb, balance and run.  Staff have a secure understanding of the reporting procedures to follow if they have a safeguarding concern about a child in their care.

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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 mainly observed activities in the main room of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the owner and conducted a joint observation with the current manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to members of the staff team about the progress of their key children and their understanding of the nursery's policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at samples of observation, tracking and assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability for staff working with children in the nursery and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took into account the views of children, written comments from parents and carers and spoke to a number of parents.

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Information about the setting

Summertown Montessori Nursery opened in 2009 and became a limited company in 2010. The nursery operates from a church hall in the Summertown area of Oxford close to the town centre. The rooms available include the main hall, kitchen and toilet facilities. Children have access to an enclosed garden with grass surfaces for outdoor play. There is a ramp leading to the main door and hall. There are currently 34 children in the early years age group on roll and the setting is registered on the Early Years Register. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early years education for two-, three- and four-year-olds and mainly provides for children in the local area. The nursery currently has a high number of children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs five members of staff. All five hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is working towards a further qualification. The nursery follows the

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Information about the setting

Montessori philosophy for educating young children.

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enforcement action:

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to:

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enforcement action:

ensure the named person responsible for behaviour management has the necessary skills to advise staff on behaviour issues and to access expert advice if necessary

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enforcement action:

ensure staff understand and implement the behaviour management policy and procedures.

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must:

 implement an effective key-person system that ensures every child's care is tailored to meet their individual needs, with particular regard to supporting younger children and those children who require additional support to manage their feelings

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must:

 implement a policy and procedures to promote equality of opportunity for all children, including arrangements to review, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of inclusive practices, with particular regard to differences in boys' and girls' learning, the support for children who learn English as an additional language and young children

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must:

 ensure staff have the necessary skills and knowledge, and a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities so that they can fulfil their roles successfully

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must:

 ensure there are appropriate arrangements in place for the supervision of staff who have contact with children and families, which includes opportunities for staff to discuss any issues, particularly those concerning children's development or well- being; identify solutions to address issues as they arise; and receive coaching to improve their personal effectiveness

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must:

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

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must:

 ensure there is a clear and well-understood risk assessment policy, and procedures, for assessing any risks to children's safety, and review risk assessments regularly  ensure that the learning environment is equipped with appropriate furniture, that there are suitable spaces for children to rest undisturbed and there is a separate space for children aged under two to play safely

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must:

 ensure all staff involved in preparing and handling food receive training in food hygiene

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must:

 ensure staff encourage children to develop respect for others and to help children manage their feelings and understand appropriate behaviour in groups

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must:

 ensure staff consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child and use this information to identify starting points and next steps for learning, to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development.

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who attend

Children do not make enough progress in their learning, given their individual starting points, because the current levels of support they get from staff do not meet their individual learning needs. This is particularly evident in children's personal, social and emotional development and for those children who are learning English as an additional language. The majority of children attending the nursery are making below expected progress in these aspects of their learning. Some children struggle to manage their feelings and behaviour and many are not developing confidence in their speaking skills. A high number of children in the nursery are learning to speak English as an additional language and are falling further behind in their learning because they are not suitably supported to learn English. The failure to recognise children's home language and to build on it in the nursery, combined with the lack of regard to children's starting points mean

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who attend

that staff do not currently meet the specific needs of the wide age range of children attending the nursery.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is poor. Staff do not purposefully engage children in a way that supports their learning. On the occasions when they do sit with the children their interactions are over-directed, lack a clear learning outcome or fail to reflect the ability of the child taking part. For example, a member of staff plans a focus activity to help a child learn colours. She picks two colours and asks the child to recall what they are. Written observations and information provided by the child's parents show that they already know colours well and so the activity is too easy for them. This is also demonstrated by the child, who confidently names all the colours they can see. However, the staff member perseveres with the set activity irrespective of her observations that it is too easy for the child. This demonstrates that staff do not make good use of the information already provided to them by parents or their own observations of a child's starting points to inform

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who attend

their planning. It also means that activities on offer do not challenge or inspire children to make them think.

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who attend

Older children are required to undertake activities that also do not meet their needs. For example, a child is called to the mark-making table to do a set writing exercise in their workbook. The child picks up the pencil in their left hand and is immediately made to swap hands by the member of staff supervising this activity. The child repeatedly tries to write with their left hand but the staff member insists that the child must only use their right hand. The child is made to trace around circle shapes and colour these in, even though they are not keen to engage in this activity. This does not demonstrate a suitable understanding of how to support children to learn or encourage them to become active participants in their own learning.

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who attend

The organisation of the day's routine and how staff plan the activities on offer is weak. For example, babies to pre-school age children share the one main classroom. There is no provision for younger, less mobile children to play safely so they roam around the room accessing the toys and resources for older children. Staff have not planned for their stage of development and so they are required to join in main group activities, such as group time where they are made to sit for long periods of time. They do not receive the one-to- one support that they need to encourage their early language skills and generally remain by themselves for much of the day, crawling unattended around the room. The lack of planning also affects the other children in the group and as a result of the lack of challenge and suitable adult support, children become bored and restless during the day. This leads to frequent episodes of unmanaged behaviour in which children fight over toys

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who attend

and mistreat resources. Staff acknowledge that some children find it hard to engage but have done very little to identify the key reasons for this. They are quick to blame the children for this behaviour and are reluctant to accept that the poor organisation of the day, the lack of purposeful staff interactions and the failure to provide age-appropriate activities has had a significant part to play. This means that children's basic learning and welfare needs are not met because the activities on offer are not tailored to meet their current needs. Children do not receive the support and challenge they require to aid their developmental progress.

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who attend

Systems to encourage parental involvement in children's learning are basic. When children first start staff ask parents to fill in an 'all about me booklet', so that staff have some idea of what children enjoy at home and what they can do well. However, because staff do not engage with parents to complete this information, this is sometimes not enough to give staff a good awareness of children's individual needs. Also, it is clear that staff do not always use information they receive to help them plan activities that build on what children already know and can do. Staff generally share verbal information about how the children have been during the day and provide parents with some written information about their learning. In addition, further opportunities to exchange information are poor because although staff make some observations of children's learning, they are not accurate enough to inform an overall assessment. This means that parents do not get a

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who attend

clear picture of their children's development, including where they are doing less well in their learning. Therefore, there is a lack of consistency between the nursery and home which does not effectively support children to catch up in their learning.

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

Children's well-being is compromised in the nursery because staff have a very poor understanding of how to support children's emotional needs. Some staff have a poor attitude towards inclusion and sometimes treat children unfairly by giving some children more attention than others. Staff do not understand their responsibilities as a child's key person and fail to support, nurture and encourage children in their care and learning. They fail to provide sensitive care for children who have had changes to their circumstances at home, for example those with new siblings or who have just started at the nursery. This leaves children upset and unable to manage during the day. For example, it was observed on the day of the inspection that some young children remained upset for long periods of the day. There was little purposeful adult interaction in order to soothe them or reassure them because staff failed to act on the information provided that morning by their

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

parents. This affected children's enjoyment and confidence to try new activities, their ability to engage in sustained periods of play or make friendships with others. Babies' basic care needs are also not met as staff leave them unattended for much of the day. When staff do interact with them they fail to recognise that the young children are tired and in need of their lunch. As a result, they fall asleep at lunchtime and miss their meal. Although this is provided to children much later on, the meal is reheated which does not support safe food practice or follow the child's home routines. The nursery staff fail to follow procedures to promote the safe storage and preparation of food because they have not received relevant training in food hygiene.

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

Children's personal, social and emotional development is not fully supported as the methods used to manage behaviour do not build on children's self-esteem in a positive way. This is because staff do not give children an opportunity to discuss why it is important to share or care for each other. As a result, there is a high number of accidents and incidents that can be attributed to biting or unmanaged behaviour. There are inconsistencies in how the staff manage behaviour which ranges from ignoring it to using inappropriate sanctions, such as a time out chair which they threaten older children with if they do not behave. This does not encourage positive behaviour or help children to understand what is expected of them. It also compromises children's safety and well- being, as well as failing to give them the necessary skills to help them in future. The named person for dealing with behaviour matters has a very poor understanding of her

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

role and demonstrates a poor attitude overall to supporting children.

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

The range of toys and resources in the nursery do not meet the children's needs. Young babies access resources that are not suitable for their age range, such as some of the specialist equipment that is stored on low-level shelves. Staff do not supervise them appropriately so they do not notice that babies pick up items, such as beads and dried pasta, and put them in their mouths or when they eat sand at the sand table. This lack of supervision puts children at risk as young children may choke. In addition, staff have not extended the range of general equipment to meet the needs of the younger children so, for example, babies have to eat their lunch balanced on an adult chair pushed up to a low- level child table. Although the provider has bought a booster seat, young children lean over in this large chair to reach the table which is not safe or inclusive. Further equipment, such as cots and sleep mats are provided for rest time and children are able to bring in

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

their own comforters from home to help them settle at sleep time. However, because staff do not manage this routine well, children disturb each other which means some do not rest sufficiently long enough to meet their needs. In addition, a separate play space is not available for children aged under two years. This is a breach of requirement. The use of a large hall, which lacks separate spaces for younger and older children to play, also does not help children to feel safe or secure. As a result, children are unable to sustain their concentration when they engage in an activity, largely because they are interrupted by the constant noise or by other children running about. Suitable use is made of the outdoor area and children are able to play outside as part of the day's routine.

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

There are some opportunities for children to manage care tasks for themselves, such as pouring their own drinks or blowing their own noses. However, staff often stop children from doing such things for themselves so they receive mixed messages about what they can and cannot do. Children are developing a basic awareness of healthy lifestyles as they eat a limited daily fruit snack of apple, pear or carrot. Staff work adequately in partnership with parents to ensure that dietary needs are catered for. Information is gained about any allergies and dietary preferences and staff take some positive steps to make sure the children only eat the food their parents supply. Staff obtain prior written consent from parents about any medication they need to administer to children. There are a sufficient number of staff trained in first aid to ensure there is always someone first-aid trained on site.

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provision

The provider has failed to ensure that all safeguarding and welfare requirements are met. Staff have placed children at risk because they do not manage behaviour in a way that promotes children's safety or well-being. This failure means the adults in the nursery have not met their responsibilities in protecting children from threat of physical harm. Risk assessment procedures are also poor because staff do not act decisively enough on the notes they make about incidents in the nursery, such as biting or hitting. They have not secured outside professional help to resolve this or to support children to settle or feel safe.

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provision

Further procedures to safeguard children are adequate. The provider has procedures to ensure that all staff who work directly with the children have a Disclosure and Barring Service check. She has suitable procedures in place for staff who are waiting for their checks and they are not in unsupervised contact with the children. For example, they do not carry out nappy changing or toileting by themselves. Staff are generally confident in the child protection procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child in their care and the provider oversees this suitably well as the named person for child protection. A suitable mobile phone and camera policy is in place which is observed by staff and visitors. Staff know to declare any changes in their ongoing suitability to the provider. The premises are safe and staff have put measures in place to ensure that the entrance is suitably monitored when children are dropped off and picked up.

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provision

Overall, the leadership of the nursery is ineffective. The provider has not met her responsibility in overseeing the delivery of educational programmes within the nursery to ensure all children are making good progress. Monitoring of the quality of teaching is poor. Weaknesses in teaching and the fact that newer staff are not yet secure in their roles have been overlooked. The provider has started to use an online monitoring tool to check children's progress but because the information from assessments is not accurate, the online system does not accurately highlight where children are falling behind. Furthermore, a lack of practical daily monitoring, especially of children with special educational needs, such as language delay and behaviour difficulties, means that staff currently fail to sufficiently promote a programme of learning that has sufficient depth, breadth and challenge or that reflects the needs of the children attending. Supervision

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provision

opportunities and ongoing training have not been effective in addressing these weaknesses.

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provision

Self-evaluation of the nursery is weak and not based on an accurate evaluation of the current strengths and weaknesses. This is because the nursery has undergone a number of key changes recently including a change of manager. This also includes an extension of the age range of children that staff care for and a subsequent increase in children on roll. In addition, there has been a high staff turnover at a management level and a number of changes to the staff team, so the staff are still becoming familiar with their new roles. These changes have not been suitably monitored by the provider to ensure that the nursery continues to operate smoothly during these changes. There is, however, some commitment to improvement as the provider discusses the changes she is going to make. For example, she plans to limit the number of younger children in the nursery and make changes to the classroom environment to better support children's needs, although this

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provision

has not yet been implemented. As a result, the children currently do not enjoy an environment or teaching that supports their care or learning needs. The provider is in breach of a number of requirements that include the failure to maintain an accurate daily record of attendance, provide each child with a key person who meets their needs, to promote equality of opportunity and to observe children's confidentiality in entries in the accident book.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are generally positive. Parents spoken to on the day of the inspection express their satisfaction with the nursery. The nursery provides information for parents in their newsletters and on display boards around the nursery. Information is also shared with parents about their child's learning. Staff complete observations and summary assessments on children which are shared with them at parents' meetings. However, because of the weaknesses in how staff assess and identify children's next steps, parents do not always get a true picture of where their children are in their learning. They are also not actively encouraged to work in partnership with staff to help with any additional needs a child may have. This affects how well children's further learning is supported in the nursery and at home. Partnerships with other professionals who are involved in the care and support of families are not effective. This is because staff have yet to meet with them

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provision

to share and implement action plans to support a number of children in the nursery. The current lack of intensive support for some children means that the gap in progress is widening and does not support their readiness for school.

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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 EY408460 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 976037 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 1 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider Montessori North Oxford Limited Date of previous inspection 07/04/2011 Telephone number 07720 715 021

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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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