The Avenues Montessori

The Avenues Montessori 406 Northdown Road, MARGATE, Kent, CT9 3PG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/06/2014 26/04/2013

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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

 Staff provide a welcoming environment and have a well-developed key-person system which enables children to feel secure and to build good relationships with staff and other children.  Children gain personal independence and confidence with support from the staff.  Children learn about living a healthy lifestyle as they enjoy healthy snacks and benefit from fresh air and exercise as they move and play freely between the indoor and outdoor areas.  Staff target the use of Montessori resources well to help individual children make good progress in their learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Parents are not consistently provided with sufficient information about the Early Years Foundation Stage and how staff use the framework requirements to support their children’s progress

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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 spent the majority of the inspection observing the children and the staff.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager of the nursery and the Operations Manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documentation, including policies, procedures and children's learning journals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector obtained parents views through discussion on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The Avenues Montessori Nursery opened in 2007. It re-registered in 2010 due to operational changes. It is one of seven nurseries operated by Townsend Montessori Nurseries Limited. The nursery operates from two large rooms in a detached building in Margate, Kent. Children have access to a secure outside play area. The nursery serves families from the local community and surrounding area. The nursery is open from 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday, all year round.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 138 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are 20 members of staff including the manager of the nursery and the Montessori teacher. Of these, 18 members of staff hold a relevant early years qualification

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who attend

Children make good progress in their development because staff demonstrate a knowledgeable and informed approach to meeting children’s individual needs. Staff obtain useful information from parents at initial settling-in sessions to identify the child’s individual needs. Children move around the nursery playing freely with a range of resources that support their progress in the seven areas of learning. Staff plan some adult-led activities and provide additional resources which children select to initiate their own play. As a result, children are interested and engaged in the activities led by adults, as well as those they choose for themselves. Staff observe children regularly and record what children know and can do in individual learning journals. They use this information effectively to plan activities to promote the next steps in children’s learning. .

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who attend

Parents have regular opportunities to share children’s learning journals, and on occasion contribute written comments. They are given summative assessments about four times a year. Assessments include a progress check at age two where appropriate. This check includes written information to inform parents about children’s development in the prime areas of learning.

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who attend

Children are becoming confident communicators and enjoy talking to visitors and staff about their activities, or incidents and events from home. Staff sit and talk with the children, encouraging their communication skills through mainly open-ended questioning. Quieter children benefit from focused interaction and support, especially during small group times. Staff are aware of any children in their key group who have speech and language difficulties or speak English as an additional language and plan activities to support these children appropriately. Staff working with children in the younger age range use good, clear language when talking to the children, often repeating phrases back to the children to enable them to hear the words clearly. Good eye contact and gestures further supports the development of children’s communication skills.

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who attend

Children join in a range of activities that develop their large physical skills both indoors and outdoors. The parachute is a favourite with the children as they sit in a circle all holding on to the handles and allow one child to hide underneath. Outside, children enjoy opportunities to climb on wooden play equipment or use crates to build different structures. They can dig in the sand and use whole-arm movements when stirring their sand cakes. Children use a range of resources, such as tweezers and small, graded cylinders, which promote the development of fine motor skills. The younger children practise skills that increase their mobility as they climb up a slope and climb on and off small steps.

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who attend

All children are settled and build good relationships with the staff. Some of the more confident children begin to build relationships with each other, and demonstrate co- operative play. For example, children confidently approach others to join in their play in the role-play area, all sharing the kitchen utensils to cook for each other. Younger children are encouraged to begin to make choices from resources around the room with good support from the staff. Staff provide play with natural materials such as sand for all ages. Children enjoy sensory activities, with the younger children experimenting with the sand, while older children enjoy mixing pasta and water and observing the changes. Staff join in children’s play, supporting children’s ideas and, in some cases, extending their ideas, such as making a bus using the large wooden bricks.

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who attend

Staff promote children’s mathematical skills, for example supporting children’s understanding and use of number as they use number boards with small dinosaurs to count out how many creatures they have. Children see numbers in their environment and learn to use these in practical routines of the day, such as counting cutlery when laying the table for a meal. Staff provide opportunities for children to match shapes and to learn the two dimensional names through pictures. Books are readily accessible to children in a book corner that includes a sufficient range of books for them to choose from. Staff often sit and read to children, encouraging children to join in with the story.

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

The key-person system is well-established, with a buddy system in place. This ensures that each child receives support from a named person who knows their individual needs. Children demonstrate a feeling of security as they approach staff for help with putting on coats and shoes or for help to change wet clothes. Younger children are picked up if they become upset and quickly settle, demonstrating their feeling of security. Staff act in a calm manner and support children in developing friendships, promoting their social development. Children behave well and are supported in their understanding of the rules of the setting through good support from the staff. Staff help children to learn about right and wrong and intervene if any disputes occur, helping children to resolve their own disagreements.

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

Staff understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and provide an environment where children can move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas. This enables children to benefit from fresh air and exercise. Staff are developing the outside area and have recently introduced crates for children to move around encouraging them to use their imagination. Younger children have their own outdoor play area to explore, to avoid them being knocked over by the larger children. Staff follow good hygiene routines and encourage children to develop personal self-care. For example, children use the toilet independently and wash their hands before eating. Staff provide a range of healthy snacks for the children, such as crackers and fresh fruit. Children confidently dish up their snack from bowls, and skilfully pour their milk and water from glass jugs.

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

Children play in a safe, secure environment where measures have been put in place to keep children protected. For example, closed-circuit television enables the staff to see who is at the door. All parents sign their children into the nursery on arrival and sign them out on departure, ensuring an accurate record of attendance. Staff support children in keeping themselves safe while playing. For example, older children are reminded about holding on to the hand rail when climbing on the play equipment outside. They are reminded about walking indoors in case they should fall over, and staff use the phrase ‘kind hands’, to teach children how to treat other people. Children are reminded why it is not safe to sit on the rail near the role-play areas, or for the younger ones, why they must not climb on the book canopy. Consequently, children learn to keep safe and follow the rules of the setting.

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

The range and quantity of resources is age appropriate and sufficient for the numbers of children attending. An additional area is prepared with Montessori equipment, where a trained Montessori teacher works with the children in small groups or one to one, to support the development of individual skills.

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

Staff prepare children well for their next stage in learning. For example, teachers from local schools are invited into the nursery to meet the children before they leave for school. Staff provide resources in the role play area to promote discussion for school leavers, including looking at school uniform. The Montessori teacher, alongside staff in the Butterflies room, provides activities and opportunities for children to begin to recognise their name and to become familiar with some letters, sounds and numbers. Children are encouraged to be independent by putting on their own coats and shoes for outdoor play in preparation for school. Consequently, children have the necessary life skills for the next stage in their learning.

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provision

The management team ensure that all staff understand the importance of safeguarding children. All staff receive training and update this on a regular basis. They demonstrate a secure knowledge of the procedure to follow should they have any concerns about children in their care and understand the importance of following the nursery’s whistle- blowing policy if necessary. In addition, they follow a policy and procedure for the safe use of mobile phones and cameras. The management team implement effective procedures when recruiting staff, including taking up the necessary checks to ensure staff’s suitability. This process is supported by regular supervisions and annual appraisals to promote staff’s professional development. Consequently, children are well protected within the nursery.

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provision

There is a secure, sound structure for the management of the nursery. The management team is committed to providing good quality care and implement a self-evaluation and monitoring process throughout the nursery. The system to review children’s learning journals and track their progress is effective enabling staff to plan activities that meet the needs of individual children. The views of parents, children and staff, are taken into account when compiling the self-evaluation. Parents are given questionnaires to detail any comments they have and the management team take account of parents’ views when making changes to practices within the nursery.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and outside agencies are developing well. The management team approach outside agencies to request targeted support for individual children. This involves some agencies coming into the nursery to observe individual children and then provide activities for the key person and the special educational needs coordinator to implement. Parents are fully involved in the care of their child and sign an agreement to share information with outside agencies, so that children receive the support they need. However, information regarding the Early Years Foundation Stage and how this is implemented to support children’s progress in learning is not always consistently shared with all parents. Policies and procedures are shared with the parents, and there are regular meetings throughout the year for parents to meet with their child’s key person. This sharing of information provides good continuity of 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 EY413016 Local authority Kent Inspection number 973237 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 77 Number of children on roll 138 Name of provider Townsend Montessori Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 26/04/2013 Telephone number 01843221155

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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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