Castalia Montessori Day Nursery and Preschool

HeadStart Nursery 21/23 Castalia Square, Docklands, London, E14 3NG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/07/2014 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 show good understanding of educational programmes ensuring children make good progress across all areas of learning.  Staff ensure that safeguarding and welfare needs are met well, and place a strong emphasis on keeping children safe.  The setting has very strong partnerships with parents, schools, and other local nurseries, which ensure consistency in children's care and learning.  The management team monitors planning and assessment carefully, which results in staff effectively catering for children's individual needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The phonic sounds of letters are not always pronounced correctly in order to support the accurate development of children's early reading skills.

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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 held discussions with parents and took account of their views.  The inspector spoke to children and staff.  The inspector reviewed a sample of the nursery's documentation.  The inspector held discussions with senior members of the nursery staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector made a number of observations of activities, including undertaking a joint activity with one of the managers.

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Information about the setting

HeadStart Nursery opened in 2006. The nursery has undergone a new registration in 2014 due to a change of status. It is one of five nurseries owned by Childcare Nurseries Limited. The nursery operates from three rooms within two converted shops. The nursery is located in a residential area of Crossharbour in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and is in receipt of free education funding for three and four-year old children. There is a small outdoor space enclosed with semi- permanent fencing for outdoor play. The nursery is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are 10 members of staff and all hold appropriate qualifications.

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

 ensure the phonic sounds of letters are pronounced correctly in order to support children's accurate development of early reading skills.

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who attend

Staff give children a warm welcome on arrival and this helps them to leave their parents confidently and to settle quickly into the daily routines. Staff know the children well and talk to them about their known interests and this gets the day off to a good start. Children quickly select toys or activities for themselves from the good range of resources set out attractively in each of the rooms and in the outdoor area. Staff engage well with children to support them in their learning through, for example, sharing in their imaginative play, and experimenting with the sounds made by a range of percussion instruments. Children show good concentration in activities because the staff make them interesting and enjoyable. Staff provide well-resourced activities that support all areas of learning, and plan topics that are linked to children's interests. For example, in a topic on transport children went for a ride on a bus, and observed different types of vehicles that carry

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who attend

people including cars and taxis. The nursery staff provide many opportunities for children to go out into the community and visit the park, the local farm, the supermarket, the library, and fruit and flower shops. Children enjoy the experience of visits to the forest school in the nearby park. These opportunities support children's understanding of the world well.Staff assessment records show that children make good progress overall from their starting points, including those children for whom English is not their home language, and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff closely match planning to children's interests, and staff place great emphasis on meeting children's individual needs through the provision of appropriate activities to support their learning. Staff complete regular observations and assessments in order to track children's progress from their starting points. Assessment information shows children achieving broadly in line

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who attend

within the appropriate stage of development for their age. Good use is made of children's home language in order to support their development of English, as well as the use of sign language to assist children's communication skills with one another. The nursery provides good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and engages professional assistance from outside agencies to ensure they make good progress from their starting points. The quality of teaching is good overall, and the nursery has a well- trained and qualified team of practitioners, who continually seek to improve their professional expertise through further professional development and training. Staff place strong emphasis on the development of children's language skills, and regularly converse with children during their play. This helps children to develop their thinking skills and to develop confidence in expressing their ideas through play. Staff use questions effectively

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who attend

to encourage children's responses and to develop their understanding. Children enjoy experimenting with various media to produce interesting designs and patterns through painting, cutting and sticking. They draw with pencils and crayons, and this supports their development of small muscle control, and their move towards the formation of early writing skills. Older four-year old children make good progress in this area and are confidently forming letters and writing simple words. Staff teach early reading skills through the introduction of the phonic sounds of letters of the alphabet. However, staff do not always pronounce some of the sounds accurately and this limits children's development in this area. Staff provide many opportunities to support children's development of number skills throughout the day, and this supports the good progress children make. A broad range of activities is provided by the nursery staff that are well

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who attend

resourced and support children's learning well. Children learn to develop physical skills through exploring the outdoor equipment by climbing and sliding. They learn to use small apparatus and begin to develop skills in handling bats, balls and skipping ropes. Children learn to play together, to share and to take turns, and this supports their personal and social development. Staff provide a good balance of adult led and child initiated activities, with children's interests always at the centre of the nursery's work.

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

Staff place strong emphasis on the needs of each individual child, help them to settle in quickly into the life of the nursery and to become familiar the daily routines. Children enjoy strong relationships with their key person as well as other staff, and this helps to promote their well-being and confidence. Staff encourage children to make decisions for themselves, such as selecting games and toys, and activities that they can join in with other children. On arrival for the start of sessions, children select their name cards to self- register, and they serve and feed themselves at meals times and this supports the development of their independence. Children follow clear guidance on personal hygiene, and show an understanding of when they need to wash their hands. Children sit together round a table to eat, and chat to other children and staff. This helps with their social development. Behaviour is good because of the positive behaviour policy the manager has

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

put in place, and children learn to play co-operatively, to share and to take turns. The nursery places strong emphasis on encouraging children to develop healthy lifestyles through providing nutritious and well-balanced menus. Staff talk to children about the value of eating healthy foods like fruit and vegetables, and promote the message to parents to support through providing healthy lunch boxes. Staff ensure children participate regularly in physical activity to support their physical development. Visitors from the dental health department help children to understand the importance of oral hygiene, and children are encouraged to brush their teeth after meals whilst in the nursery. Children are encouraged in safe play, and staff teach them about road safety when they go out on their many visits. Police visit the nursery to talk to children about their personal safety, and 'stranger danger'. Children feel safe because s staff supervise them well and maintain

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

a safe and secure environment. The nursery manager has developed close links with local primary schools to which children transfer, and share development and assessment information prior to their transfer. Teaching staff visit the nursery to meet and get to know the children in order to ensure a smooth transition for them. Nursery staff talk encouragingly to children and prepare them well for the move.

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provision

The nursery managers provide strong leadership and management in order to ensure children are well cared for and make good progress in their learning and development. Managers believe in a well-trained work force and consistently encourage staff to undertake further training to update and to improve their knowledge and skills. A number of staff are currently working to achieve the next level in their qualifications. Leaders use the appraisal system to identify any weaknesses and recommend further training where required. Staff have a good understanding of the Early Year Foundation Stage and use it well to provide a variety of interesting topics and activities to support children's development across all areas of learning. They effectively use initial information provided by parents to plan activities that match children's individual interests. Staff use regular assessments identify any progress each individual child makes and to identify their next

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provision

steps in learning. All staff monitor progress thoroughly and share the responsibility to ensure the needs of all children are met consistently. Staff meet children's care, welfare and learning and development requirements well. There is a whole nursery focus on safeguarding. This ensures staff are vigilant and are aware of signs to look for should there be any concerns about the safety of children. Safeguarding receives a high priority. All staff undertake training in safeguarding and child protection, and monthly staff meetings are held to ensure all staff maintain a clear awareness of child safety. Closed circuit television cameras are in place to oversee the secure environment. Careful monitoring of entrances to ensures the safety of children and staff. All staff are trained in the administration of first aid, and any accidents that happen are reported to parents. Staff maintain a safe environment because they complete daily risk assessments at the

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provision

start, the middle and at the end of the day. Secure recruitment procedures are in place and staff undergo careful vetting procedures before appointments are made. Staff maintain daily attendance registers and clear procedures are in place for handing children over to parents and carers. The nursery managers use self-evaluation practice effectively, and they have identified the areas of good practice, as well as areas for improvement. Currently, the action plan focus is on the development of the improvements to be made to the outdoor area in order to improve the space and provision for learning and development opportunities in a permanently fenced off area. Partnership with parents is strong because staff provide good information to parents about the good progress children are making. They greatly appreciate the advice provided for continuing to support children learning at home. Home diaries provide strong lines of daily communication, as well as

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provision

regular consultation evenings and events such as coffee mornings. Staff welcome and act upon parents' views. The current parent questionnaires show very positive responses, and are being analysed in order to identify any action that may be needed. The nursery managers have developed strong links with the local school to ensure continuity for children when they transfer, and with a range of external agencies that ensure children who have special educational needs and /or disabilities get the level of support they need to make continuing progress.

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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 EY470006 Local authority Tower Hamlets Inspection number 952640 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 50 Name of provider Childcare Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 02079938439

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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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