Mace Montessori Putney Branch

Inspection of Mace Montessori Putney Branch All Saints House, Lebanon Road, LONDON SW18 1RE

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety and welfare are compromised at this nursery. Staff have a poor understanding of risk assessments and expose children to hazards within the environment. Young children are not adequately supervised during planned activities. There are occasions when staff repeatedly leave the room, leaving children unattended. This has a significant impact on children's safety and well- being.

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The provision is inadequate

Children do not receive a consistently good quality of education. Not all staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. Some staff do not build on children's learning. For example, during planned activities, staff ask children too many questions and do not give them time to think and respond. This restricts children's thinking, imagination and communication and language development. In addition, children who speak English as an additional language lack opportunities to hear and use their home language in their play and learning.

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The provision is inadequate

There are some strengths of the nursery. Children enjoy coming to the nursery, and they easily separate from their parents. Children develop strong bonds with their key persons. This helps them settle in quickly and feel emotionally secure. Children from a young age develop valuable independence skills as part of the Montessori curriculum. For example, they independently choose and put away resources and serve and clear after themselves at mealtimes. Children accept each other's differences, learn to negotiate with one another and behave well.

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need to do better?

n The manager does not evaluate the provision effectively to identify areas for improvement. She has failed to identify that staff do not follow policies and procedures. Staff in the baby room do not follow risk assessments and are unsuitably deployed during planned activities. For example, staff did not realise that a baby was eating play dough. This compromises children's safety and well- being. n Although new staff complete an induction and some initial training available online, the manager does not thoroughly check the staff's knowledge and understanding of the setting's procedures. As a result, staff do not fully understand their role and responsibilities. Current arrangements for staff supervision and training are ineffective. The manager carries out informal one- to-one meetings and does not identify what individual staff's training needs are. This negatively impacts on staff's continual professional development, their

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need to do better?

knowledge of safeguarding matters and other welfare requirements as well as the overall quality of education. n The current implementation of the curriculum is inconsistent. Although some

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need to do better?

27 January 2023 staff know what they want children to learn, some staff do not build on children's knowledge and skills to help them develop further. While children gain a good level of physical skills, including when outdoors, staff do not always encourage them to build on their communication and language development. This means that children, including those who receive funding, are not prepared for the next chapter in their learning as well as possible. n The quality of education is variable. Staff in the baby and toddler rooms do not work well together to provide consistently strong-quality teaching. However, the quality of education is stronger in the pre-school room. Staff take time when reading to children. Children problem-solve independently. For example, they explore and use a range of tools, such as pipettes or sponges, to transfer water to different containers. They learn skills, such as pouring, that prepare them for

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need to do better?

life. However, there are occasions when children would benefit from adult intervention to build on their learning. n The youngest children enjoy sand play and explore its texture. Toddlers use their imagination when building houses out of magnetic blocks. They explore books with enjoyment. This supports their early literacy skills. n Children independently follow good hygiene routines. They naturally learn about the importance of healthy eating while they access wholesome and nutritious meals throughout the day. Staff meet children's dietary requirements well. n The manager and staff develop trusting partnerships with parents. They regularly share information about children's care and learning. This helps to provide continuity in children's learning and development. n The manager and staff work effectively with other professionals to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to provide

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need to do better?

additional help to aid their development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Overall, children's safety cannot be assured because leaders, managers and staff are not vigilant enough to keep children safe. Risk assessment procedures have not improved across the nursery since the last incident when some children were able to leave the premises unsupervised. Some staff still have poor knowledge and understanding of the risk assessments. In addition, current arrangements for staff deployment are poor, and this compromises children's safety and well-being. The manager does not have effective systems in place to check the staff's knowledge and understanding of safeguarding matters. Many staff do not have regard to the 'Prevent' duty guidance. Some staff's level of English is poor, and they are unable to understand or answer questions relating to safeguarding. This means they may not be able to act appropriately should they have a concern about a child or a colleague. This compromises children's welfare. Nonetheless, the provider follows

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Safeguarding

safer recruitment procedures to ensure that only suitable adults work with children.

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Due date

ensure all staff are alert to potential concerns in children's home life, including exposure to extremist views, and have regard to the 'Prevent' duty guidance 16/02/2023

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Due date

improve induction procedures to ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities 16/02/2023

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Due date

ensure all staff receive effective and regular support, including supervision and opportunities for professional development, to build on their skills and provide a consistently good quality of education for children 16/02/2023

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Due date

ensure that staff have sufficient understanding and use of English to protect children's well-being 16/02/2023

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Due date

ensure that staff are suitably deployed to supervise children and keep them safe at all times 16/02/2023

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Due date

improve risk assessment procedures to identify hazards and ensure children are not exposed to risks within the environment. 16/02/2023

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Due date

implement a consistently good-quality curriculum to ensure that children build on their learning and are provided with quality interactions that help them develop skills for future learning 27/04/2023

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Due date

27 January 2023 provide opportunities for children who speak English as an additional language to hear and use their home language in their play and learning, to build on their communication and language skills. 27/04/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY459388 Local authority Wandsworth Inspection number 10269780 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 81 Number of children on roll 74 Name of registered person Busy Bees Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 02034053660 Date of previous inspection 3 November 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Mace Montessori Putney Branch registered in 2013. It is in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It opens each weekday from 8am to 6pm, all year round, for 51 weeks a year. There are 17 members of staff, including the manager, and 10 staff hold early years qualifications between level 2 and level 7. The provider receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery operates in line with the Montessori educational philosophy.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together and discussed the early years curriculum. n The manager discussed current risk assessment procedures with the inspector. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector spoke with the manager about the leadership and management of the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided and assessed the

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Inspection activities

impact that this was having on children's learning. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

27 January 2023 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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