Sinclair House School

Inspection of Sinclair House School Sinclair School, 159 Munster Road, LONDON SW6 6DA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children are happy and confident in this well-organised, caring nursery. Staff take great care to ensure that children settle well. They maintain babies' home care routines to keep things familiar and to help them feel secure. Staff value each child and have high expectations of them. Children have close and warm relationships with staff who interact with them in positive ways.

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The provision is good

The curriculum is balanced and comprehensive. This helps children to make good progress, and they learn useful skills in preparation for school. Children gain good physical skills. Babies begin to learn to climb up low-level platforms and crawl through tunnels. Older children enjoy jumping through hoops, they balance and steer wheeled toys and climb across frames. Children gain good understanding of the world. Staff teach them about giant pandas, red foxes and other animals that live in different places in the world. They take children outdoors for regular sessions, where they learn about nature, such as insects, plants and trees. Children develop good mathematical skills. Staff sing number rhymes and songs, and children have good counting skills. They have secure understanding of size and weight and can sort and put objects into groups. Children learn to share and to take turns well.

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need to do better?

n Children gain good creative skills. Babies happily explore the texture of oats as they scoop and pour it into containers. Children enjoy using different resources, such as tissue paper, patterned material and glue to make their own collage work. They draw and paint using chalk, paint, crayons and other tools. n Children learn to do things for themselves. Staff teach children how to put on their coats and shoes, and children tidy away resources when they have finished using them. Babies learn to feed themselves. n Staff support children's communication, language and literacy skills successfully. They engage babies well at circle time by singing songs in English and Italian, and babies learn new words in both languages. Staff have group time where they talk to children about their interests, the weather, sing songs and read stories to support their communication, language and literacy skills very effectively.

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need to do better?

n Children behave well. Staff praise children and share their expectations of behaviour with them. They are fair and consistent in the way they manage children's behaviour. n Children gain good understanding about difference. Staff read books that have characters from different racial and cultural backgrounds. They teach children about different countries and continents, their inhabitants and traditions. n Children act in safe ways. They put on sun cream and sun hats before they go

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need to do better?

15 June 2023 outdoors in hot weather. Children walk sensibly to reduce the risk of accidents. Staff teach children how to act with care and caution when on outings and how to cross the road safely. n The manager provides good levels of support to staff. She meets with them regularly to discuss work performance and offers help where needed. The manager ensures that staff keep their skills and knowledge up to date by attending regular training. For instance, staff attended a course on forest school training, which led to more enriching experiences for children. The manager supports and motivates staff, for instance, by celebrating staff who have done excellent work. n The manager evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery regularly. She sets goals for improvement. For instance, the manager plans to provide freshly made meals for children by building a kitchen in the nursery. n Staff work effectively with parents. They provide regular updates on children's

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need to do better?

progress in flexible ways, such as secure electronic communication and daily verbal feedback. Staff give parents ideas on home activities to support children's learning. n The manager ensures that children have healthy routines. Nutritious meals are provided by an external caterer, which meets their special dietary needs, and children have daily physical challenges. Staff support children's oral hygiene awareness well. For example, staff who work with children aged two to three years of age develop highly creative activities to demonstrate how plaque affects teeth. n Staff implement care routines for children. However, there are times when staff take children away from activities they are engaged in, which interrupts their learning. n Staff have started to teach children about some emotions. However, they can develop their resources to support children's understanding of themselves and others further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff view children's safety as highly important. The entrance and all parts of the building are safe, secure and regularly checked to reduce risk of hazards. The manager ensures that staff are suitable for their roles by carrying out comprehensive background checks. Staff have good safeguarding knowledge. They are able to identify signs that a child may be at risk of abuse and are fully aware of procedures to follow to report their concerns. Staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date by attending regular training.

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should:

15 June 2023 n review routines to enable children to fully engage in their learning without disruption n develop children's understanding of different emotions to further their understanding of themselves and others.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2640208 Local authority Hammersmith & Fulham Inspection number 10295727 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 72 Number of children on roll 68 Name of registered person Sinclair House School Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 020 7731 5354 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Sinclair House School registered in 2021. It is located in Fulham in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm for 45 weeks of the year and is closed on public bank holidays. There are 16 staff, including the manager. Of these, 12 hold appropriate qualifications in childcare. This includes one staff member who holds qualified teacher status and three staff members who hold a degree in early years. The nursery accepts funding for free early years education for children aged three and four years. The nursery adopts a Montessori approach combined with learning through play.

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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 nursery. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the manager. n During the inspection, the inspector went on a learning walk around the nursery with the manager to discuss the aims of the curriculum. n The inspector observed the interaction between staff and children and spoke with children, when appropriate. n During the inspection, the inspector held a meeting with the manager and sampled some documentation. n During the inspection, the inspector considered the views of staff and parents.

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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

15 June 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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