Oak House Montessori Ltd

Oak House Montessori Ltd 77 Wimborne Road, SOUTHEND-ON-SEA, SS2 4JR

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27 July 2017 2 May 2014

p.1

3

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

p.1

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

 Staff do not complete the required written record every time that medicine is administered to children. This is also a breach of the Childcare Register requirements.  Leaders do not supervise and monitor staff practice effectively. Not all staff have regular opportunities receive support. The quality of teaching of teaching is inconsistent, particularly for children receiving additional support with their speech.  Leaders do not have effective systems to monitor the progress that children make, in order to identify how best to target educational programmes to close gaps in learning. Arrangements for assessing what children know and can do when they start are not consistent. Children are not always supported to reach their full potential.  Leaders have not used systems for self-evaluation to successfully identify all breaches of requirements, in order to maintain the quality of their setting.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 Staff are warm and caring, and children show that they feel safe. Staff support children well as they move on to the next age group, and children settle quickly.  Staff teach children about the importance of eating healthily and provide a range of nutritious meals. They also teach children about following effective hygiene practices.  Staff provide children with time to explore and play outdoors. They plan a wide range of interesting activities that supports those who learn best outdoors.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and the Childcare Register the provider must:

p.2

Due Date

 ensure a written record is kept each time any medicine is administered to children, in order to maintain children's health and well-being 08/08/2017

p.2

Due Date

 improve systems for monitoring and supervising staff to support them in their roles and to improve the quality of teaching and learning to a consistently good level 22/08/2017

p.2

Due Date

 improve arrangements for gathering information on what children know and can do when they start and ensure their overall progress is monitored effectively, in order to help plan activities that engage their interest and offer suitable challenge. 22/08/2017

p.2

Due Date

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

p.2

Due Date

 make more effective use of self-evaluation to help identify any weaknesses in practice, and breaches of requirements, in order to raise the quality of the setting.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching and learning inside and outside.  The inspector spoke to parents to gain their views and experiences of the setting.  The inspector spoke with children and staff at appropriate times during the inspection and held a meeting with the provider and manager.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at a sample of the children's learning records, staff observations and planning, and a range of policies and documentation, such as suitability of staff and safeguarding procedures.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective. Leaders and staff have a secure understanding of child protection matters and know how to respond to concerns about children's welfare. Overall, the environment and practices are safe. Staff do not maintain the required records each time they administer a dose of medicine. However, the impact on children's well-being is minimal as staff telephone parents each time before medicine is given. Staff have some opportunities for continued professional development. For example, they have attended recent training on planning to boost their confidence. However, support and mentoring are not always targeted well and do not fully reflect staff's individual needs. Partnerships with parents and other professionals are effective. Overall, parents speak favourably about the staff and their work with the children. Leaders value the importance of working with other professionals involved with children's care to provide consistency. Leaders do not make

p.3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

effective use of self-evaluation to identify and act on weaknesses.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Experienced staff interact well with children and promote their learning. However, less-experienced staff miss opportunities to support children's speaking and communication, particularly for those children who need additional support. Staff plan some interesting activities that reflect children's interests, indoors and outdoors. For example, children who are engaged in a bug hunt find a frog. Staff support their understanding of the natural world as they explore the frog with magnifiers. Staff make some relevant reflections of children's progress to plan ongoing activities. However, arrangements to find out what children know and can do when they start are not effective. Furthermore, leaders do not effectively monitor the progress children make to ensure they quickly identify and close gaps in learning.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children form bonds with familiar staff, who are kind and nurturing towards them. Children behave well and learn skills to support them to follow healthy lifestyles. Overall, care practices are suitable. Children seek to try things for themselves. For example, they help to tidy their classroom and take turns with the dustpan and brush. However, staff are inconsistent in their support for older children to develop their self-care skills. Staff do not make the most of opportunities to encourage older children take on age-appropriate tasks.

p.3

Outcomes for children require improvement

Overall, children do not consistently make the progress they are capable of. However, they enjoy their time at the nursery and gain some valuable skills to prepare them for their future learning. For example, older children negotiate space well and gain coordination. They investigate shapes and develop confidence to use money; for example, as they create a pretend florist shop. Younger children begin to understand how things work. They explore cause and effect toys and enjoy completing puzzles.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY379463 Local authority Southend on Sea Inspection number 1102139 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 7 Total number of places 87 Number of children on roll 238 Name of registered person Oak House Montessori Ltd

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 2 May 2014 Telephone number 01702 611991

p.4

reference number

Oak House Montessori Ltd registered in 2003 and is situated in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7am until 7pm, all year round. There are currently 27 staff working directly with children. Of these, one holds early years professional status and 21 hold qualifications from level 2 to level 5. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year old children. It follows Montessori teaching philosophies.

p.4

reference number

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

reference number

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

reference number

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

reference number

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

p.5

reference number

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

p.5