Cranbrook Castle Montessori

Cranbrook Castle Montessori Cranbrook Castle Tennis Club, St Georges Road, Ilford, IG1 3PG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/07/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 effectively support children with special educational needs in a range of ways to help them make good progress in their learning.  Staff plan stimulating activities for older children as they prepare for school.  Staff have a good knowledge of individual children and of how children learn. This knowledge is clearly demonstrated in their practice and in discussion.  The management team is committed to continuous evaluation and improvement.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not carry out peer observations to further highlight areas for improvement.  Opportunities for children to closely explore and examine the outdoor environment are not provided.

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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 carried out a joint observation with the manager and discussed findings in relation to children's learning and staff participation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children, staff, parents and managers to gain their views and ascertain knowledge.  The inspector observed a range of activities in all areas of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documents including children's development records, staff files and policies.

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Information about the setting

Cranbrook Castle Montessori registered in 2013. A private company, Cranbrook Castle Montessori Ltd manages the setting. The premises are situated within Cranbrook Castle Tennis Club in Ilford, in the London Borough of Redbridge. Children have the use of one play hall, associated facilities and three outdoor play areas. The setting uses the Montessori teaching method for all ages. The setting provides both full and part-time sessions Monday to Friday, term-time only. On Monday and Friday the setting operates 9.30am to 12.30pm, and Tuesday to Thursday the setting operates from 9.30am to 3.30pm. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register. The setting employs six members of staff, including the manager. Of, these, three members of staff have Qualified Teacher Status including one Montessori trained teacher. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged three and four. There are

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Information about the setting

currently 21 children on roll. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 strengthen staff performance and monitoring with the introduction of peer observations to further support their professional development

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

 provide further resources so that children can closely examine and explore the outdoor environment.

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who attend

Children are enthusiastic about their learning at this nursery. Staff provide a stimulating environment and good quality resources. As a result, children eagerly choose their play. There is a good balance of adult led and child initiated activities. Staff make effective observations which provide accurate information on children's progress. Staff provide a good range of activities to cover all areas of learning. They understand how children learn and demonstrate this knowledge by adapting activities to suit the learning needs of individual children. Children are confident learners. In small groups they use large construction toys to build structures to enhance their play with cars. They are keen to develop their play and, with good support from staff, they consider the other available resources and how they can use them to expand their buildings. This enthusiastic approach from staff encourages children to think about how they can develop their games

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who attend

with the range of resources available. During modelling with dough, staff encourage children to think about what they might need to make different models. They discuss the different shapes and sizes they need and this introduces mathematical concepts or a purpose in a fun way.

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who attend

Staff provide a varied range of activities in the outside area. For example, children can choose from messy play, role play and construction. However, staff do not provide opportunities for children to explore the outside environment with resources such as magnifying glasses and cameras. The outside area is available for the children for large parts of the session, and this means that those children who prefer to do their learning outside can choose to do so.

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who attend

Staff speak clearly with children and answer their questions well. Children and staff discuss the facial features of animals as they play with zoo animals. The conversation develops as the children are interested in why animals and people have two nostrils and whether animal's noses are different to human noses. Staff give clear, factual information and this fosters children's curiosity and interest in what they see around them. The children then decide to draw the animals they are playing with and the conversation about other facial features continues. During these activities, children also develop their social skills as staff remind them about sharing resources and listening to each other.

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who attend

The manager and staff team support children with special educational and/or disabilities needs well. Staff work effectively as a team to provide activities to help all children make good progress in their learning. The manager efficiently tracks children's progress and keeps accurate records of other professional's involvement with children's learning. This keeps parents fully informed. Detailed planning is in place for all children and clearly identifies the next steps in children's learning.

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

Children clearly feel settled in the nursery. They have formed close bonds with adults and with each other. Children laugh as they play and enjoy sharing their jokes and observations in small groups. They are confident learners, easily able to ask questions and choose different toys and resources. These close bonds create a relaxed atmosphere and children's behaviour is good. Staff provide effective support for those children who are beginning to understand about making choices in their behaviour and this support works well.

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

Children are learning about their personal safety in a range of ways. They practise evacuation procedures so that they know what to do in the event of an emergency. Staff teach children about when it is appropriate to make a phone call to the emergency services and children enjoy practising these in role play games. Visits from the fire brigade and the police develop children's awareness of their role in keeping safe. On a day to day level, children are learning about safety rules and boundaries in the setting as staff gently remind them to walk inside. All staff have a consistent approach to teaching children about looking after their environment. As a result, children cheerfully pack away toys when they have finished playing and all take part in tidy up time. Snack times are sociable occasions and children choose their snack items from the healthy range available. Staff promote children's awareness of healthy foods as they chat with

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

children about their favourite fruits and vegetables. Posters displaying different fruits help to promote this knowledge further. The small outside area is used well for large parts of each day. Children can choose to play outside in the fresh air which further supports their healthy choices. Children benefit from physical play on bikes and also take part in yoga exercises when they learn about exercises for different parts of the body.

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

Staff provide a range of well-planned activities for children as they prepare for the move to school. Children enjoy these activities and confidently reverse roles by giving staff small tasks to complete. For example, children ask staff to identify and find letters from the literacy resources available and praise them when they choose the right letters. Children are learning to write their names and enjoy practising these skills in small groups. They share their learning with each other and this highlights the close bonds and friendships they have made.

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provision

Although this is a relatively new nursery, the management team has worked together in early years settings for a number of years. This experience means that the manager and her colleague have been able to reflect on their own and others' practice and learn from the good practice they have seen. The team has a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and both members of the management team demonstrate this in practice and in discussion.

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provision

The nursery is secure and staff carry out risk assessments to minimise safety risks to children. The nursery premises are shared and staff are vigilant to check that any hazards left by other users of the premises are cleared before children arrive each day. Staff have a good understanding of their role in safeguarding children. They are confident when explaining the procedures which are outlined in the robust safeguarding policy. They fully understand the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child in their care. Effective records help the management team to run the nursery well. All required documentation is in place and the team understands the requirements for all documentation. The manager carries out supervision meetings with all staff and these highlight training and development areas which the manager has actioned effectively. Although she carries out observations on staff, the staff do not currently observe each

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provision

other's practice to further highlight strengths and weaknesses of practice.

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provision

The manager works closely with outside agencies such as support services for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and local schools. She keeps detailed records of her contact with all agencies and shares information with her colleagues as appropriate. This enhances the effective team working which is evident in all aspects of the nursery. Parents are happy with the information they receive from key staff and the management team. They enjoy looking at the planned activities for their children which the nursery staff display and send by email to parents. This information, along with discussions with staff, mean that parents can complement children's learning in the nursery with activities at home. Staff provide detailed reports on children's progress for parents, and meetings and informal chats keep parents fully informed about their child's time at nursery.

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provision

The management team constantly reviews the provision in a range of ways. Discussions with parents helped them to plan a recent trip to the forest. Managers arranged a workshop for parents to explain how Montessori methods work with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan further sessions for parents when staff have received additional training. These actions demonstrate that the managers are committed to the continuous improvement and development of the nursery.

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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 EY471676 Local authority Redbridge Inspection number 949999 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 21 Name of provider Cranbrook Castle Montessori Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 02085548979

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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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