Summertown Montessori Nursery

Summertown Montessori Nurseries Summertown Church Hall, Portland Road, OXFORD, OX2 7EZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/11/2014 27/05/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The new staff team is beginning to have a positive impact on practice. Children are happy, settled and respond well to routines. Staff are good role models, behaviour is positive and children play well together.  The new manager is making improvements over time. She has enhanced the layout of the nursery and revised children's assessment records. She is aware of the strengths of the nursery and areas for further development.  The use of an external company provides good opportunities for children to engage in a lively music and movement session on a regular basis.

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It is not yet good because

 Although practice is improving in several areas, the impact on children is not yet fully effective. The quality of learning opportunities, assessment and planning is developing gradually as new staff members are settling into their roles.  Outdoor resources and activities do not fully reflect all areas of learning, which reduces play and development opportunities when children are outside.  Early writing activities and resources are available but; staff do not fully incorporate them into other areas of learning, such as role-play activities.

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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 observed activities indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector invited the manager to carry out a joint observation although this did not go ahead.  The inspector talked to staff, parents and children to gain their views.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager during the afternoon session.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including: the nursery's self-evaluation form; children's assessment records; planning documentation; evidence of staff suitability and qualifications.

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Information about the setting

Summertown Montessori Nursery registered under Montessori North Oxford Ltd in 2010. It is one of two nurseries in the North Oxford area. The nursery operates from a church hall in the Summertown area of Oxford. The nursery uses the main hall, kitchen and toilet facilities, and there is an enclosed outdoor area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are 16 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery cares for children learning English as an additional language. The nursery is open on weekdays all year, except for a week at Easter, the whole of August and two weeks at Christmas. The main sessions are available from 8am until 3.15pm. An early years after- school provision is available from 3.30pm until 5.30pm. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. The nursery employs seven staff. There are three staff for the main sessions with additional staff for

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Information about the setting

the after-school sessions. All staff hold relevant qualifications, including two staff who have attained Qualified Teacher Status and Early Years Professional Status. The nursery follows the Montessori philosophy in conjunction with the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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must:

 implement effective monitoring of the quality of the educational programmes and learning experiences for children to ensure the recent training and professional development fully embeds in practice to help children make good progress.

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

 enhance outdoor play experiences so children can explore resources and activities that reflect all areas of learning

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

 develop opportunities for children to explore early writing, such as incorporating mark making as part of role-play activities.

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who attend

Since the last inspection a new staff team has been put into place. New staff members are at different stages of settling into their roles so it is taking time to fully embed improvements into practice. Therefore, although children are making progress it is not yet as good as it could be. Nevertheless, staff are beginning to have a positive impact on outcomes for children. Opportunities to develop personal, social and emotional skills are much improved as the new staff team offers a welcoming, friendly and consistent approach. The new manager has reviewed and revised children's assessment records. She has made baseline assessments of all children this term to identify their starting points in learning with the new staff team. Staff are now making regular observations about their key children's progress and interests. In addition, they seek information from parents about children's experiences at home to build an overall picture of their capabilities. Staff

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who attend

are using this information to plan some appropriate activities for children. However, this system is in the beginning stages and key persons are still familiarising themselves with children's individual needs. The quality of teaching is, therefore, not fully effective at present in helping children to make consistently good progress.

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who attend

The new manager has enhanced the layout of the nursery, providing designated areas indoors for different areas of learning. Overall, a suitable range of resources is available, although the organisation of these is not always fully considered. For example, staff do not fully incorporate early writing activities into other areas of learning, such as role-play activities. However, children do have access to materials for making marks as some are set out on a low table to encourage younger children to experiment. Further resources are on order for both the indoor and outdoor environments. Children enjoy exploring the room, settling to play in the home corner or with small world toys, which helps to develop their imaginations. They enjoy listening to stories read by staff, and contribute their ideas and views with confidence. They know they can help themselves to resources, for example they take trays of toys to the floor area to use, and they settle quickly to play with these.

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who attend

Planned activities help children to develop some specific skills, such as recognising and discussing shapes and colours. Some appropriate interactions between staff and children are helping to develop communication and language skills. The use of an external company provides good opportunities for children to engage in a lively music and movement session on a regular basis. Children look forward to this session and showed high levels of involvement. They listened carefully, used their imaginations and practised different movements, such as shaking, spinning and stomping, which developed their coordination and balancing skills.

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who attend

Children have access to outdoor play on a daily basis. On the day of the inspection resources were mainly limited to those to develop physical skills, such as wheeled toys, balls, plastic crates, swings and a slide. A planned colour hunt engaged some children to look for green leaves, and to recognise light and dark greens. Few other resources were available to extend children's learning in other areas, such as mathematics, which reduced learning opportunities.

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who attend

The manager is aware of children who are particularly able. She provides some additional opportunities to develop their skills, such as supporting early reading by encouraging recognition of three letter words. She has recently completed training relevant to supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and is developing her understanding of working in partnership with relevant agencies. The staff team is supporting children learning English as an additional language by learning words and phrases in home languages, and using pictorial timetables and props where appropriate. The new manager is now sending home newsletters to parents on a regular basis to keep them up to date with any changes and current topics, which is helping to improve communications. In addition, she is providing ideas for parents to help them further support their children's learning at home.

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

Children settle well in the nursery and enjoy their time there. They respond well to routines as staff help them to anticipate changes. Staff are positive role models, and they support children's social skills well so their behaviour is positive and they play well together. Children are developing good relationships with their key person, other staff and their friends. Staff help children to play safely, reminding them of safety rules where appropriate.

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

Staff help children to learn about good hygiene practices, such as washing hands carefully before eating to wash the germs away. Children settle well for snack and lunchtimes. They have some opportunities to develop skills for independence, such as clearing away their dishes when they have finished their food. Staff ensure that children's care and well-being needs are met well. For example, since the last inspection improvements to the layout of the nursery have enabled children to have a separate space where they can rest undisturbed after lunch.

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

Children enjoy daily opportunities to engage in physical activity and to enjoy the fresh air outdoors. However, there are gaps in resources and activities, both indoors and outdoors, to ensure children always have access to good quality learning experiences that fully promote their all round development.

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provision

The registered providers demonstrate a suitable understanding of their responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have taken steps to respond to the actions set at the last inspection and to guidance from Ofsted given through two subsequent monitoring visits. The registered providers have recruited a new, well-qualified staff team, and are enabling staff to access ongoing training and support to further improve their practice. They are using external early years consultants and local authority support to identify areas and strategies to drive improvement. The new manager has a positive approach to improving the nursery, and she is aware of strengths and areas for further development. Although progress has been relatively slow so far, outcomes for children are gradually improving.

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provision

The procedures and practice for safeguarding children have improved recently. The new manager has undertaken some online training, while awaiting a refresher course to become available, to improve her knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and child protection. She has supported staff to become familiar with the updated safeguarding policy and has put into place clear procedures for reporting any concerns. Staff demonstrate they are all aware of what to do if they are worried about a child's welfare. The new manager has also improved procedures for recording and monitoring accidents to ensure these are managed more effectively. The nursery environment is regularly assessed for potential risks to ensure it is safe for children to play within and staff supervise children closely. Recruitment procedures are robust and ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

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provision

The management team has provided clearer guidance to staff about their roles and responsibilities. The new manager has supported staff to become familiar with key policies, such as those relating to behaviour and inclusion. Induction procedures help new staff to become aware of nursery procedures. Plans are in place to provide further support as staff settle into their roles. Regular supervision meetings and staff meetings are now more effective in helping staff to identify areas of weakness, and to focus on learning intentions for children. The manager is developing systems to monitor the quality of education and children's progress, such as using local authority tracking tools. However, these are not yet fully embedded in practice. Self-evaluation processes are identifying priorities for further improvement and are beginning to show some positive impact.

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provision

The recent high turnover of staff has unsettled some parents, although others are beginning to notice improvements in practice. Parents are generally happy with the care of their children and partnerships appear to be improving. The new manager is aware of the importance of partnership working with other settings, such as sharing information with schools when children are ready to transfer.

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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 EY408460 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 997859 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 16 Name of provider Montessori North Oxford Limited Date of previous inspection 27/05/2014 Telephone number 07720 715 021

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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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