Smiles Montessori Pre School

Smiles Montessori Pre School Unit One, The Fairway, Bush Fair, Harlow, Essex, CM18 6LY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 June 2016 7 April 2011

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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

 Information recorded about child protection concerns issues is not reviewed frequently enough by managers. Consequently there has been a delay in referring a concern about a child.  The quality of teaching is variable across the nursery, some staff do not use the best questioning skills for the age group they are working with.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff are all enthusiastic and motivated which encourages the children to engage well in activities that cover all areas of learning.  Parents of all children, including those with additional needs, speak very highly of the nursery and feel well supported by staff.  The nursery provides a welcoming environment for all children who settle well and are developing confident social skills.  There is an effective programme of professional development that encourages all staff to improve their practice.

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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 the system to monitor signs and symptoms of potential abuse and/or neglect to ensure that concerns are referred to agencies with statutory responsibilities without delay. 22/08/2016

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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

 develop the way that staff use questions to ensure that theses are appropriate for the stage and age of the children they are working with.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff and children taking part in activities in all five rooms of the nursery, and outdoors.  The inspector spoke to managers and staff about running of the nursery, including how children's development is planned for and assessed, and their understanding of child protection matters.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of practice with the manager of the nursery.  The inspector reviewed documentation used for the management of the nursery, including policies relating to child protection, recruitment and behaviour management, checks to determine staff suitability and records relating to children.  The inspector observed play and activity which took place in the local community.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The provider is not meeting a requirement of the statutory framework for the early years foundation stage. Systems used to monitor child protection issues do not support managers to identify every potential concern to refer without delay. Safeguarding is effective. Staff understand and can identify signs and symptoms of abuse and/or neglect and know how to record and report concerns to managers. Recruitment systems are robust. The manager offers her staff team regular support and guidance. Staff take opportunities to improve practice and attend training. The manager highlighted inconsistencies in practice following recent staff changes and is working with her team to improve their skills. Sharply focussed self-evaluation with clear action points means the nursery has the capacity to make significant improvements over time. Relationships with parents are positive. Parents report that they are very satisfied with the care and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Teaching is good. Accurate assessments of children, including when they first start, are well informed by observations of what children do. Some staff recently moved rooms and are getting used to working with different age groups. However, the majority of activities are confidently delivered and engage children's interests, supporting their good development. Staff share assessments of children with parents regularly to encourage good relationships between nursery and home. Staff support children's literacy particularly well and children love books. Story time is well delivered to all age groups and staff readily read children their favourite stories. Interventions for any children not achieving as expected are swift and well coordinated with outside agencies to support these children to reach their potential.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

The key person system is effective so children feel welcomed and settled. Babies show they feel comfortable as they cuddle, giggle and play peek-a-boo with staff. Older children keep themselves safe by following clear instructions about road safety on walks. Children readily see to their own hygiene needs, washing hands before eating and after messy play. Older children learn to be independent as they help prepare and serve snack under careful guidance from staff. Staff give children clear messages about acceptable behaviour so children know how to value each other's feelings. Where children need more support with their behaviour staff are on hand to manage this consistently.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress. They are confident and develop many skills to support their readiness for school. Maths activities encourage children's understanding of number, shape, space and measure. For example, children learn simple addition and subtraction skills playing matching and sorting games. Children have lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills, for example by moving objects with tweezers. This supports their early writing skills. Children visit different places to explore their local community on daily walks to the library and the park.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY236797 Local authority Essex Inspection number 1037699 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 0 Total number of places 65 Number of children on roll 135 Name of provider Julia Karen Jeffrey Date of previous inspection 7 April 2011 Telephone number 01279422922 07956640180

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Setting details

Smiles Montessori Pre school opened in 2003. It operates from a suite of rooms, within a unit on a light industrial area of Bush Fair in Harlow. The pre school serves the local area. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register.

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Setting details

There are currently 135 children roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre school supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who have English as an additional language.

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Setting details

31 members of staff work at the pre school of which 38 hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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

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.

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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