Step By Step Montessori - Mill Hill

Step By Step Montessori - Mill Hill 2 Belgrave Close, LONDON, NW7 3QG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10 September 2015 2 July 2012

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Management does not use induction and supervision effectively to ensure staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities, and to support them to develop their practice. Therefore, the quality of teaching is not always as good as it could be.  Staff do not always tailor activities effectively to meet children's individual needs and promote their communication and language skills or early writing.  Management and staff do not always use self-evaluation effectively to help them improve.  Sometimes children become restless during some activities that staff organise. Children lose focus and get distracted when activities take too long and staff do not teach them how to behave well. Therefore, children do not always benefit from these activities.

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It has the following strengths

 Management and staff develop effective partnerships with parents and other agencies so that children who need extra support get the help they need.  Staff help children prepare for the next stage of learning, and for the move to school. For example, they take them on short visits to school and talk about how their setting is different from school.  Children are independent and confident learners who make choices about what they want to do and use the wide and diverse range of resources available.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 improve induction and supervision arrangements to ensure all staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities and support children to make good progress in their learning 31/10/2015

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Due Date

 ensure activities are tailored to meet children's individual needs, in particular to promote their communication and language skills, and early writing. 31/10/2015

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Due Date

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

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Due Date

 use self-evaluation more effectively to reflect on the quality of the provision and children's learning, and make improvements  review the organisation of activities to help children to maintain concentration and understanding of how to behave in different situations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed different activities to evaluate the quality of teaching, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector held discussions with the manager and staff at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector sampled documents, including records relating to staff suitability, regulatory documentation and children's records.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took account of the views of staff, parents and children.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective. Staff have attended training and have a suitable understanding of the procedures to protect children from harm. Management uses appropriate recruitment and employment procedures to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. However, they do not always use induction and supervision successfully to help develop staff's practice and improve children's learning. Although the manager takes account of the views of parents and staff, self-evaluation is not always effective in identifying targets for development to drive improvement. Nevertheless, staff attend some training for their professional development. Since the last inspection, the manager and staff have made significant changes to the outdoor area and children benefit from a wider range of experiences.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff gather useful information from parents when children first attend to help them plan children's progression. An effective key-person system means staff know children and families well. The information that staff share with parents helps parents to continue to support their children's learning at home. Children confidently select resources and spend time with their chosen activities to discover solutions to the challenges they encounter. However, staff miss opportunities to use questions, explanations and challenging conversations to help children to express their thoughts and extend their communication skills. Likewise, staff do not always provide resources or encourage children to experiment with early writing as they play. Staff use ongoing assessment to monitor children's progress and identify where they need additional support.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff teach children how to keep themselves and others safe. For example, they talk about crossing the road and practise evacuation drills with the children to help them learn what to do. Children form secure attachments with their key person, which helps them to settle quickly and be ready to learn. Although children generally behave well, staff are not always consistent with helping them understand how to behave during some group activities. Some routines and activities take too long. Children get bored and distracted and sometimes staff do not always respond consistently. Staff help children to make healthy choices and learn about the importance of exercise and healthy foods.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children develop independence in managing tasks for themselves and making choices. Parents confirm that their children have become more confident and independent. For example, children take care of the resources and the environment, hang up their coats and manage their personal hygiene.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY440917 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 839008 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 41 Number of children on roll 27 Name of provider Khadijeh Nanji Date of previous inspection 2 July 2012 Telephone number 07717514213

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Setting details

Step by Step Montessori - Mill Hill registered in 2012. It is located in the London Borough of Barnet. It is open Monday to Friday, 8am until 5pm, for 45 weeks of the year. The provider receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are seven staff who work with the children. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status. The setting follows the Montessori educational philosophy.

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Setting details

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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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