St Mary's Summerstown Montessori Nursery School

St Mary's Summerstown Montessori Nursery School 46 Wimbledon Road, London, SW17 0UQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/09/2014 20/06/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children benefit from a welcoming, inclusive setting. They form good relationships with staff and each other.  Children have access to a varied range of resources and play materials suitable for their age and needs.  Staff plan and provide a variety of interesting activities and experiences for children that promote their good progress in their learning.  The staff team are committed to continual development and take prompt and effective steps to address any issues for improvement.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Strategies for involving parents in their child's learning at home are not fully extended.  Staff do not make use of all opportunities to encourage children to be independent at snack time.

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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 observed children taking part in indoor and outdoor activities.  The inspector had discussions with the provider, the manager and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled records including children's files, incident records, risk assessments and staff suitability records.  The inspector spoke to parents at the setting and took account of their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation of an adult-led activity with the manager.

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Information about the setting

St Mary's Summerstown Montessori Nursery School registered in 2007 and is one of two privately owned nursery schools. It operates from a church hall in Tooting, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Children have access to a main hall and an additional classroom for younger children. There is an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery school is open from 9am to 12.15pm each weekday during term time. Children may stay for lunch club until 1pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and on Wednesday there is an extended day until 2.30pm. The nursery school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 24 children on roll, who are all in the early years age range. The nursery school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language. It receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Information about the setting

There are six staff who work with the children, including the manager and the provider. The provider holds Early Years Professional Status. There is currently one member of staff who has a qualification at level 6 and two have qualifications at level 3. Two staff members are working towards qualifications.

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

 extend strategies for involving parents in their child's learning further by providing further updates on children's individual next steps and suggestions for activities to continue at home

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

 increase opportunities for children to develop self-care and independence skills at snack time.

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who attend

Staff show a good understanding of how to support children's learning through play. They welcome all children into the nursery and meet their needs successfully. They ask parents to fill in detailed registration forms that include information about each child's background, starting points and needs. This helps them get to know children well and ensures they can provide all the support that children need. Staff complete regular observations of children's achievements. They use these effectively to plan a wide range of activities that effectively build on children's interests and skills. As a result, children make good progress in their learning in relation to their starting points and capabilities. Staff work well with parents. They talk to them to give feedback every day and invite them to review meetings twice a year to discuss children's progress and next steps. Parents can see their child's file

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who attend

at any time on request, and if they are able to do so, this keeps them well informed about their child's achievements. However, all parents are not always kept fully up to date with the individual next steps staff identify for their child's learning in the period between the review meetings. This additional information helps parents to ensure they can continue their child's learning at home.

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who attend

Children benefit from a well-balanced routine and are purposefully busy throughout their time at the nursery. Staff teach children a range of useful skills that prepare them well for the next stage of learning and for school. They support children's language and communication skills effectively when they talk to children as they play. They ask questions, encourage conversations and introduce new vocabulary. They successfully foster children's interest in books by providing comfortable areas where children share stories. During circle time, children remembered familiar words and phrases from a favourite story and they eagerly joined in with songs. Staff support children who are learning English as an additional language appropriately by finding out key words from home and using different languages within the nursery through notices and signs, stories and songs. Staff promote children's understanding of number, size and capacity well. They

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who attend

use Montessori resources with them, talk to them as they fill containers in the sand tray and encourage them to count out the fruit at snack time. Staff plan interesting opportunities for children to learn about the world around them. They broadened children's understanding of the use of written information when they looked at the plan of a planting activity together and agreed the steps they would take. They encouraged children to explore the plants using their senses as they touched and smelt them. They involved children in choosing tools and equipment and gave them time and space to complete tasks for themselves. Children joined in eagerly. They dug holes for the plants and filled their own jugs with water, showing good levels of confidence and independence. Staff encourage children's creativity and imagination and children enjoy painting or getting messy with blue foam.

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

Staff are sensitive to the needs of new children, which helps them build good relationships when they start. Staff have a warm and caring approach. They give children time to adjust and make sure they have any necessary information from home about their usual routines. This effectively promotes children's physical and emotional well-being and helps children manage the changes and transitions in their lives. Children quickly learn the rules and expectations of the nursery. They sit quietly at circle time and listen well. Staff reinforce the rules and expectations consistently, reminding children to be kind, take turns and share with their friends. This helps children behave well.

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

The nursery is welcoming and suitably maintained. Staff organise space and resources to create an inviting learning environment. A wide range of age appropriate resources are available according to children's age and needs. Resources are organised on shelves and in trolleys so that children can easily select things for themselves. Children show high levels of independence as they choose activities and put the resources away when they have finished with them. Staff complete thorough risk assessments and make daily checks of the indoor and outdoor play areas in order to promote children's safety. They supervise children carefully at all times, making sure enough staff are present to meet required adult-to-child ratios and that they are effectively deployed in each area of the nursery. Staff take appropriate action to address any safety concerns that arise, such as issues relating to the security of the premises and they now monitor the exits vigilantly as

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

parents and children arrive and leave. Staff help children gain a good understanding of risks and how to keep themselves safe. Children remember that a candle might be hot to touch and are concerned to remind their friends. Children take part in regular fire drills so that everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

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

Staff promote children's good health effectively. Children learn to manage their own personal needs when they wash their hands before snack time or get a tissue if they need to blow their nose. They enjoyed a selection of fruit at snack time, happily choosing slices of banana. However, staff did not make full use of opportunities to encourage children to do things for themselves, such as pour their own drinks or cut up their own fruit, to support their self-care skills. Children play outside every day as part of a healthy lifestyle, enjoying the fresh air and exercise. They have fun practising their physical skills, running around, riding bicycles or helping clean the play equipment with bowls of soapy water and big sponges. They also enjoyed a yoga session, stretching tall and bending their bodies down to the ground.

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provision

This inspection took place following a concern received by Ofsted and a notification by the nursery about an incident where a child was able to leave the nursery unsupervised. Following this incident the nursery management team took immediate steps to improve the security of the nursery and review staff practice. This included fitting additional locks to entrance doors, restricting access to the church grounds, updating risk assessments and implementing new arrival and collection procedures. The nursery was meeting all requirements at the time of the inspection. Staff have used the incident effectively to improve their practice and ensure they continue to safeguard children's welfare appropriately.

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provision

Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that staff are appropriately qualified and suitable to work with children. All staff complete child protection training and are familiar with the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child. All required documentation is in place to support the smooth day-to-day running of the nursery. The management team monitors staff performance through regular peer observations, supervision and appraisals. The provider organises in-house training wherever possible so that all staff can complete training together. This ensures their practice is consistent and helps develop their knowledge and skills. This results in a well-trained and supported staff team who work effectively together.

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provision

Staff are committed to continually developing the nursery and providing a good quality service. They have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. They constantly review and evaluate what they do and take prompt steps to address any areas for development. Since the last inspection, staff have revised and improved systems for assessment and planning so that children's targets are more individual and their progress more closely monitored. As a result, they now more quickly identify any gaps or differences in learning. Staff have also developed experience in supporting children with additional needs and in promoting all children's language skills. They are currently focusing on encouraging more child-initiated activities within the nursery and offering children more choice and control over the session.

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provision

Parents are happy with the care provided by the nursery and find staff friendly and helpful. They believe that their child is safe and well cared for. Parents have access to a wide range of policies and procedures and are kept informed about the nursery through notice boards and regular newsletters. Staff build effective links with other early years settings that children attend where this applies, sharing information as appropriate. They work closely with other professionals and agencies if children have additional needs. This helps ensure that all children benefit from a consistent approach to their learning and care.

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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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 EY355698 Local authority Wandsworth Inspection number 982858

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 24 Name of provider Elizabeth Jean Maitland Date of previous inspection 20/06/2011 Telephone number 0208 9477359

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Type of provision

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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