Willow Park Montessori Day Nursery

Willow Park Montessori Day Nursery 19 Glenlyon Road, Eltham, London, SE9 1AL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/11/2014 20/09/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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 teach children how to behave in safe ways. Children show this by using the indoor and outdoor areas with good awareness of safety.  Staff provide a wide range of interesting learning activities based on areas of learning which supports children's good progress.  Staff assess children regularly and use this information well in planning so that children's needs are met effectively.  Staff have good links with local schools to support children who move to school.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always fully reflect children's interests in activities.  Some children do not appear to know the nursery routine which sometimes affects their ability to settle.

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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 carried out a joint observation with the manager of an adult-led group activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed interaction between adults and children in the indoor and outdoor environments.  The inspector tracked the progress of several children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation and held a discussion with management.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents, staff and children and took their views into consideration,.

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Information about the setting

Willow Park Montessori Day Nursery is a privately owned and managed nursery. It opened in 1992 and operates from a large private house situated in a residential road in Eltham, London Borough of Greenwich. Children have access to a large garden. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 8am until 6pm for 48 weeks of the year, and follows Montessori methods of teaching combined with learning through play. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 42 children on roll in the early years age range, including children learning English as an additional language. The nursery receives funding for early years education for children aged three and four years. The nursery employs a staff team of nine,, which includes the proprietor/manager and operations manager, the majority of whom all hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager holds a level

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Information about the setting

4 Montessori qualification; five staff members hold level 3 qualifications; two staff members hold level 2 qualifications; and one staff member is unqualified.

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

 enhance outdoor learning activities to reflect children's interests further

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

 develop further ways to help children understand the nursery routine to enhance children's settling-in experiences, particularly those learning English as an additional language.

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who attend

Children make good progress in this organised nursery. Staff assess children's learning regularly and use this information to determine children's next steps for learning. This is reflected in planned activities so that children's needs are met effectively. Children enjoy good levels of independence as they self-select from a range of Montessori resources. They concentrate well and are suitably challenged because the resources meet different ability levels. Staff provide some adult-led activities which adds structure to children's learning. Children create their own play from flexible resources which provides a balance between adult-led and child-led activities. Staff take children on regular trips to local grasslands where they teach children different skills as part of a Forest School programme. For example, children learn to cooperate with each other on outdoor tasks, and develop confidence as they manage carefully considered challenging tasks.

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who attend

Children learn good physical skills through using a range of Montessori resources. They scoop grains, squeeze sponges to transfer water from one container to another, and use tongs to pick up small items. This helps children to develop good small muscle control and to coordinate hand and eye movements. Staff teach children to recognise their names on cards and children are encouraged to practise writing their names on their work. Staff teach children letter names and sounds in songs and games which supports their early literacy skills. Children learn to use technology as they operate electronic toys to produce musical sounds. Staff follow children's lead by reading stories of their choice. They read in lively tones and fully involve children in the story by asking children to anticipate what might happen next. They ask open questions to test their understanding of the story and to provide opportunities for children to practise their language skills. Staff make the most

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who attend

of learning opportunities at snack time. They ask children where fruit comes from and talk to them about how fruit helps to protect us from getting colds. Children learn to take turns to speak and listen during group time which supports their personal, social and emotional development. Overall, children learn good skills for later use in school.

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who attend

Children practise a wide variety of physical skills in the spacious outdoor area. They climb up ladders and balance down slides. Children propel forwards on push bikes and negotiate space skilfully using buggies. They enjoy using the bike path for wheeled toys, however staff do not always fully reflect children's interests in the outdoor area. For example, children talked about taking their dolls to the shops or buying petrol for their cars but staff do not help to create pretend shops or garages to pick up on children's interests and extend their learning. Staff provide activities that cover other areas of learning, such as planting and growing strawberries so that children learn where food comes from.

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who attend

Overall, staff give sound support to children who learn English as an additional language. They learn key words in children's home languages to help children to communicate their needs to staff. Staff also use picture cards to help children to learn English names of objects.

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who attend

Staff provide good opportunities for parents to support their children's learning. For instance, they invite parents from different cultures to visit in traditional dress for special events. This supports children to learn about different cultures. Staff keep parents well- informed of their children's progress through daily interaction and regular review meetings.

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

Staff greet children warmly as they arrive at the nursery. They make them feel valued and spend time finding out about children's individual personalities so that they can provide activities that children enjoy. This helps children to settle at the nursery. However, some children, such as those learning English as an additional language, need a little more support because they find it hard to follow the nursery routine.

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

Staff have clear expectations of acceptable behaviour and as a result, children behave well. These expectations are shared with children and displayed in pictures to serve as visual reminders. Staff are calm in their approach and offer reasons to children for why certain behaviour is not acceptable. They teach children how to behave in safe ways. For instance, while out in the garden they remind children of the dangers of walking up the slide, while indoors they show children how to hold scissors securely. Staff teach children about cultural diversity by celebrating and discussing special events.

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

Children learn healthy routines as staff provide a range of healthy snacks and meals which meet special dietary needs. Staff take children outdoors each day so that children get fresh air and physical exercise. They also take children out to local parks where they enjoy further challenges. Staff encourage children's independence. Children put on their scarves, wellington boots and coats, with staff providing assistance as needed. Staff teach children good personal care routines. Children wash their hands at appropriate times and brush their teeth after meals. Staff change young children's nappies in clean, bright areas which helps to prevent cross infection.

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

Staff work closely with other staff in group rooms to get children ready for room changes at the nursery. For instance, children spend time in new group rooms to get used to different environments before moving. Staff also work well with local school teachers who they invite into the nursery to get to know pre-school children. This helps children to build familiarity so that they settle readily at school.

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provision

The management team has good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The team has all relevant policies and procedures in place to support children's safety. For instance, staff have good awareness of the procedures to follow should they be concerned about a child's welfare. Management carries out thorough checks on the background of staff to assess suitability for their roles. This helps to keep children protected from harm. Approximately half of the staff team are qualified in first aid and are deployed throughout the nursery to ensure ready access in accident emergencies. Staff help to ensure children's safety in the nursery by having a secure locks on all exits and a visitors' book to monitor who is in the building.

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provision

The management team has clear ideas about the quality of staff practice because members of the team spend time in the group room working and observing practice. They provide feedback to staff to improve practice and carry out regular supervision to support staff. The manager has good awareness of the training needs of staff because she carries out staff appraisals. For instance, staff attended a course on understanding two-year-olds which led to greater awareness of how to meet their needs. Staff keep track of children's developmental stages. This helps to identify children operating below expected levels so that staff can close gaps in learning.

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provision

Staff have good partnerships with parents and local schools. They work effectively to support children who move to school by forming links with local teachers. Staff keep parents well informed of their children's development. They provide good opportunities for parents to take part in their children's learning.

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provision

Management considers the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery to draw up clear goals for improvement. For instance, the management team plans to build classroom extensions to provide more space and learning opportunities for children. Previous recommendations have been met, such as improvements to the menu so that children eat more healthily. The nursery operates well and has good capacity to improve outcomes for children.

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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 509616 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 843317 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Willow Park Children's Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 20/09/2011 Telephone number 0208 850 8753

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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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