St Michael's Nursery

St Michaels Nursery All Souls Church Hall, Station Road, LONDON, NW10 4UJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/11/2014 16/04/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 places a high emphasis on keeping children safe and secure. They provide a safe environment that enables children to learn how to keep themselves safe and move freely around the nursery.  Staff work well together and show high levels of enthusiasm, which in turn motivates children to learn. As a result, children engage well in their play and make good progress in their learning.  Staff develop strong relationships with parents and value their input into their child's learning and the nursery through sharing their skills.  Management and staff are committed to improving the quality of provision. They make the most of opportunities for training and reflecting on their practice, to enhance outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 At times, the organisation of some large group activities does not fully support children in being able to participate at their own level.  Staff do not make the most of opportunities for babies to go on outings, to enable them to explore their community and have the opportunity to be out in the fresh air.

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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 completed observations in the main playroom, the baby room and the outdoor area; she spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the registered person and the manager to discuss self- evaluation, and took into account online documentation used to monitor practice.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents and considered their written comments, in order to gain their views as part of the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed staff records, children's learning records, and safeguarding policies and procedures.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

St Michaels Nursery registered in 2011. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm all year round, except for one week over the Christmas period and all bank holidays. It is situated in a church hall in Harlesden in the London Borough of Brent. The nursery is one of four nurseries privately owned by St Michaels Nursery Limited. The premises consist of a main hall and a separate baby room. There is an outdoor space available for play. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and there are currently 45 children on roll.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language. There are 15 members of staff who work directly with the children, including the manager who holds a foundation degree. Of these, 12 hold early years qualifications. There are three members of staff working towards a recognised qualification.

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

 review the planning and procedures for babies to be able to go on outings in the community, to enable them to gain a sense of community and explore different environments

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

 review the organisation of some large group activities, to give all children opportunities to participate at their own level and enhance their confidence.

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who attend

Children separate well from their parents and carers, and are eager to join their friends in the nursery. They show that they are interested in the activities and play opportunities available. Staff plan a broad range of activities linking to children's individual interests and learning styles. They resource the outdoor area well, to enable children to explore and investigate with a wide range of materials. The learning environment is welcoming and children benefit from the enthusiastic and committed staff who motivate the children to want to learn. For example, staff and children enthusiastically sing a welcome song that enables children to say 'good morning', show how they are feeling and use musical instruments to help them to keep in rhythm with the song. Children sing with gusto about reindeer and Santa Claus, in preparation for their Christmas show for their parents. They respond well to the staff joining in and showing them the different actions,

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who attend

and most children show high levels of enjoyment. However, at times, some children are not fully involved because of the way the large group activities are organised. For example, some children find it hard to hear when staff are including individual children in the welcome song.

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who attend

Staff provide stimulating activities where children learn to sit and concentrate. Children are keen to demonstrate their new skills; for example older ones are able to count to 100, counting in units of twos and fives. They clearly enjoy learning phonics, and are keen to point out letters and sounds with which they are familiar. Children respond well as staff extend their learning by putting two letters together and encouraging them to identify how they are used correctly. This prepares children well for the next stage in their learning or the move to school.

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who attend

Staff effectively promote children's personal, social and emotional development. Children build secure attachments with their key person, which enables them to have the confidence to build good relationships with the other staff and children. They celebrate different festivals throughout the year and during Black History Month, they try different food and drink from Africa and the Caribbean. Children and parents are fully involved and bring in food and costumes from home, for all the children to enjoy. In addition, outside visitors, such as the police and a dental nurse, talk with the children about health and safety, and their role in the community. This enables them to learn about the wider world and value differences.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development is effectively supported throughout the nursery. Staff make sure that babies and toddlers have opportunities to develop their communication through singing, looking at books and one-to-one interaction. Staff encourage the children through repeating words and praising them when they attempt them. Older children are keen to talk to their friends and the staff. They share their knowledge and ideas confidently. A member of staff reads books with the children, encouraging them to say what is happening next, and children are confident in their responses. Staff use effective teaching methods such as open-ended questioning to give children the confidence to talk and try new things.

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who attend

Staff plan for individual children using their knowledge and understanding of each child's abilities and the next stages in their development. There are good systems to enable staff to complete the progress report for children aged two to three years. They involve parents well in the process and as a result, provide an accurate picture of children's progress at this developmental stage.

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

Children clearly feel secure in the nursery. Staff warmly welcome them as they arrive and consequently, children settle quickly into activities. They show excitement as their friends join them and they quickly engage in activities of their choice. Staff support children's independence particularly well. At different times during the day, children enjoy taking responsibility, thereby building their confidence and self-esteem. Staff enable older children to be the dinner monitors and help the younger ones, by passing them their lunches and cups. The children show a great sense of pride in wearing their apron and hat, which also helps them to learn about health and safety. Children are encouraged to pour their own drinks and serve themselves at lunchtime. They benefit from healthy and nutritious meals, taking into account any allergies or dietary needs. Lunch is a sociable occasion, where staff sit with children and talk about their day.

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

Children demonstrate good table manners and use age-appropriate cutlery to eat their food.

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

Children behave well and show consideration to others. For example, a child notices when another child drops a toy on the floor. As the child moves forwards, the other child says 'be careful and mind your face on the table'. In general, children are good at sharing and patiently wait to take turns. They enjoy making their own obstacle course and stand in line waiting until it is their turn to go. Staff praise them and encourage even the youngest children to follow the simple rules; any minor disputes are quickly resolved. Staff are positive role models and as a result, children show respect and value others.

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

The nursery is well maintained and provides children with a safe and vibrant learning environment. Staff value children's achievements and celebrate their successes through displaying their work and photographs of their families. This helps the youngest children settle as they point to their parents, and staff talk about their families with them. Staff enable children to make choices in their play and the planning provides opportunities for child-led play and learning opportunities. As a result, children are confident to move around the nursery, choosing what they would like to play with. The outdoor environment provides different learning opportunities that enable children to explore and investigate, thereby supporting their curiosity. Children show great delight as they find dinosaurs buried in the compost. They grow vegetables and learn about healthy foods. In general, they can move between the indoor and outdoor areas. Babies use the

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

outdoor area on a scheduled timetable, to enable staff to promote their safety. For example, when the older, more mobile children are using the area, staff recognise that it is not safe for the younger children. However, babies and toddlers have fewer opportunities to go on outings in the local community, to enable them to gain an awareness of their community and develop their physical skills, for example by visiting the local park.

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

Children learn about safety through staff being positive role models and encouraging children to think about their own safety. They are encouraged to take controlled risks, which enables them to learn about maintaining their safety. For example, children create their own obstacle course using crates and planks, learning how to balance and move safely across the crates.

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provision

Staff and management demonstrate secure knowledge and understanding of how to safeguard children. All staff have attended training, and are able to confidently talk about how they would identify concerns and implement the effective policy to support children's welfare needs. Through clear recruitment and vetting procedures, management appoints suitable staff. The detailed induction procedures enable new staff to be clear about their role and responsibilities. Management places a high emphasis on training and all staff are encouraged to attend core training such as first aid, safeguarding, and health and safety. In addition, staff can identify specific interests, such as special educational needs, and attend relevant training to increase their knowledge and skills. Staff place a high emphasis on safety; they complete daily safety checks and regularly review the risk assessments, taking into account the different needs of the

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provision

children, and their ages and stages of development. This promotes a safe and secure environment where the equipment is suitable for use and supports children's health and safety.

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provision

Staff work well together as a team and benefit from the strong leadership. The nursery is one of four nurseries owned by the registered provider. This means that all nursery staff can get together to share good practice, and the managers meet regularly to review and reflect on the nursery provision. All staff are committed to driving improvement and confidently talk about how they reflect on their practice. Management and staff have worked hard to address previous actions and recommendations. As a result, the procedures to monitor and evaluate the provision have been strengthened. Parents are regularly involved in the process, and their thoughts and views are valued. Staff have reviewed the resources and provide more natural materials to support children's curiosity and enable them to explore and investigate different objects. The nursery has received help from the local authority; it also employs a consultant to help deliver safeguarding

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provision

training, enabling staff to be clear on the procedures they would follow.

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provision

Staff develop positive relationships with parents and carers. They warmly welcome parents and children as they arrive. In addition, when parents first register their child, they receive a booklet containing photographs and information about their child's key person. This supports children in settling into the nursery. Parents report that their children are making good progress and that the staff are committed and communicate well about their child's time in the nursery. Parents are encouraged to share their skills; for example they visit the nursery and take part in cooking activities, helping the children to learn about Italian food and Italy. There are good procedures in place if children attend other early years settings or are involved with other professionals. For example, staff work closely with speech therapists to support individual children in their communication and language development.

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provision

There are good systems in place to monitor children's progress. Management reviews all children's learning and development records, to make sure that children are making good progress. These include individual trackers and cohort tracking of the various ages and groups of children.

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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 EY436727 Local authority Brent Inspection number 976967 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 58 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider St Michaels Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 16/04/2014 Telephone number 02088380085

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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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