Pillar Box Montessori

Pillar Box Montessori 107 Bow Road, Bow, London, E3 2AN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 April 2018 31 October 2017

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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:

 The systems for assessing and monitoring children's progress are not fully effective. Staff do not use what they know about children's development to address any gaps in their learning. Observations of children's learning and achievements are too variable.  Staff do not plan activities that challenge or extend children's learning consistently well. Staff do not develop children's thinking skills well enough. Weaknesses in teaching are affecting children's outcomes. Children are capable of making better progress.  Some staff interactions with children are not consistently effective. Staff do not provide sufficiently good opportunities to extend children's language and communication skills. Some staff do not have high enough expectations of what children can achieve, particularly the older children.  Managers do not make the best use of self-evaluation to identify and address the necessary improvements to the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.

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

 Sometimes, children become bored and easily distracted because staff do not plan sufficiently stimulating activities to engage children in purposeful learning. Some of the toys and resources, including in the garden, are unappealing.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff are kind and friendly. Children are happy, settled and behave well. Care routines are well embedded. Staff support children's welfare needs effectively.  The manager has improved staff recruitment procedures and ensured that the site is safe for children to use. She is well respected by staff, parents and children.

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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

 use regular and accurate assessments to build on what children know and can do so that they make good or better progress in their learning 10/05/2018

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Due Date

 plan more precisely a greater variety of activities that interests and challenges children fully. 10/05/2018

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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

 improve staff interactions with children to fully extend children's thinking skills and promote their language and communication skills consistently well  strengthen self-evaluation and action planning procedures to identify areas for improvement, particularly in relation to the quality of teaching, learning and assessment  implement plans to replenish the toys and resources that are in a poor condition, including in the garden, so that these are appealing for children to use.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and two members of staff, and spoke informally with other members of staff, including the deputy manager.  The inspector met with parents at the start of the inspection and reviewed their written responses to a recent questionnaire.  The inspector observed learning in all rooms and observed the interactions between staff and children. The manager joined the inspector on some of these observations.  The inspector looked at all areas of the nursery that are used by children.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documents, including the single central record of staff suitability checks, children's learning and assessment information, and a range of policies and procedures.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Managers do not use self-evaluation procedures well enough to fully identify and address the areas that need to improve. Managers have not focused effectively on improving the quality of teaching and learning. Systems to observe and monitor children's progress are inconsistent and this has an impact on children's outcomes. Safeguarding is effective. The manager makes sure that staff are well trained to identify and report concerns about children's welfare. The manager has improved the use of risk assessments and carries out daily checks to ensure children's safety. The manager has implemented a system for staff supervision and has started to identify professional development opportunities well. Overall, partnerships with parents are positive. Most are happy with the service provided.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff do not effectively build on what children already know and can do, to plan learning activities that address any gaps in children's learning. Furthermore, some staff do not have high enough expectations, particularly of the older children. They do not provide consistently good opportunities to extend children's learning, develop their thinking skills or engage in purposeful play. Some staff do not interact with children well enough. These limited interactions hold back children's learning and hinder their language and communication development. Children select from a range of resources well. They enjoy dressing up and using the construction toys to build structures. Staff use opportunities to develop children's understanding of numbers well, for example, as they play in the pretend shop or find animals in the sand. Younger children enjoy singing and copying the actions for nursery rhymes. Staff promote children's physical skills well, including through

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

threading and using tweezers to move shapes from one container to another.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

The inconsistent quality of teaching, learning and assessment is having an impact on children's personal development. Sometimes, activities are not prepared well enough and adult interactions with children are not good enough. This results in children being disengaged and bored. Some children, particularly the older ones, spend a long time waiting for things to happen or for adults to provide them with something exciting to do. Despite these weaknesses, children behave well. They listen carefully to adults and follow the rules and routines sensibly. Staff are sensitive to children's welfare needs and ensure that care routines, particularly for the younger children, are well embedded. Children take turns and know the importance of being kind and friendly.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Although most children are developing in the typical ranges for their age, they are capable of making better progress. The inconsistent use of assessment information throughout the nursery means that staff do not monitor children's progress accurately or consistently. Children develop good independence and staff promote children's self-care skills well. Older children learn some of the basic skills needed for the move to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 119603 Local authority Tower Hamlets Inspection number 1133397 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 32 Name of registered person Pillar Box Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 31 October 2017 Telephone number 020 8980 0700

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reference number

Pillar Box Montessori opened in 1995. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday for 49 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8am until 6.55pm. The nursery is in receipt of funding for free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff, including the manager. Of these, 10 members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications, including two who have early years teacher status. The nursery follows the Montessori philosophy of teaching.

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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.

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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.

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

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