Westwood Montessori

Westwood Montessori Spriggs Farm, Thaxted Road, Little Sampford, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 2SA

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 May 2016 14 June 2011

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 Dynamic leadership helps to ensure the nursery continues to sustain excellent standards of care and learning. The owner and manager instil passion, drive and commitment among the team and everyone strives to do their very best for children and parents.  Children make outstanding progress. Teaching is highly effective and the outdoor learning environment is truly inspiring, especially for the older children. They benefit greatly from attending Forest School sessions on a weekly basis. The exciting outdoor areas creatively enhance all aspects of the children's learning and development.  Staff work extremely hard to support children with special educational needs or disability. Comprehensive communication between professional agencies actively contributes to allow these children to achieve at the highest possible levels.  Staff care for the children extremely well. Children's delight in being at the nursery is

p.1

This provision is outstanding

evident in their behaviour. Many parents travel long distances each day so that their children can attend. They report that the nursery is brilliant and has really high standards of care and education.  Staff qualification levels are very high, which makes a significant difference to children's well-being and learning. Staff are excited to attend training. They implement their new knowledge and skills superbly well to enhance children's enjoyment and learning to the highest possible levels.  Staff promote children's personal, social and emotional development very effectively. The group mealtimes are used superbly to optimise children's opportunities to meet and mix with their siblings and children of different ages. They learn how to interact with others and are encouraged to take responsibility for small tasks as they develop their capabilities.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 continue to find even more new and inspiring ways to develop the highly stimulating outdoor environment for the younger children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector accompanied a group of children, staff and parent helpers to the Forest School session in the nearby woods.  The inspector completed joint observations with the manager and with a member of staff trained in delivering Forest School education.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the provider's self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to a selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff thoroughly understand their role in keeping children safe from harm. They involve children in the thorough risk assessments and daily checks of the environment. Children quickly learn to recognise and manage their own risks. Supervision and monitoring of staff performance are highly focused. Staff learn from each other as they observe and give extremely effective feedback to their peers. As a result, staff have an uncompromising drive to work at the highest possible level. Self- evaluation is meticulous and targeted action plans lead to ongoing improvements. Rigorous analysis of children's development means the manager has a comprehensive overview of the progress all children make. This helps to ensure any gaps are promptly addressed. The owner, manager and staff have recognised they can do even more to enhance the learning and development of the younger children, especially outdoors.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Interactions between staff and children are superb and contribute to accelerating children's learning. Staff's wonderful questioning and prompting enables children to learn how to solve their own problems. Children explain in great detail how they made a ball roll all the way down a set of pipes. Staff use a comprehensive system to accurately assess children's development and plan for their next steps in learning. Parents can also access this system, which means they receive continual updates on their child's progress. Staff assess the skills of pre-school children to establish they are confident and ready for school. Children thoroughly enjoy their learning. For example, toddlers become absorbed in fun activities, such as exploring paint, water and dough. Pre-school children enthusiastically learn about lifecycles as they look at how the caterpillars are turning into chrysalises.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Close relationships between staff, children and parents flourish. Parents report that the staff are very dedicated and the way they nurture the children is a key strength. Younger children settle well as staff respect each child's needs and routine. Staff skilfully support children to develop excellent communication and language skills. They use clear speech and remind children to express themselves with words rather than sounds or pointing. Children who speak English as an additional language make superb progress. As children bake, staff make new words fun. Children enjoy repeating the word flapjack, as it makes staff laugh. Staff place great emphasis on outdoor play and learning, which significantly benefits children's physical health and well-being. Staff teach children how to behave well and show their appreciation when children are polite and helpful to others.

p.3

Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children make great strides in their learning and the majority of children exceed expected levels of development for their age. They are constantly busy and highly motivated in their play. Children delight in learning outside. The garden and Forest School sessions offer fantastic learning opportunities, where children have abundant space to explore and play imaginatively with water, sand and mud. Children have the best possible start to their education and are superbly prepared for their future learning at school.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY337582 Local authority Essex Inspection number 849231 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 86 Name of provider Michelle Deanna Wisbey Date of previous inspection 14 June 2011 Telephone number 07811 441 615

p.4

Setting details

Westwood Montessori was registered in 2006. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. They all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The owner holds early years professional status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3pm, term time only. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children who have special educational needs or disability and children who speak English as an additional language.

p.4

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.

p.4

Setting details

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

p.4

Setting details

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

Setting details

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

Setting details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.5