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Little Elves Montessori Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision Unique reference number EY385529

Inspect ion date 18/09/2009

Inspector Pauline Nazarkardeh

Setting address Courtney's, Seymour Leisure Centre, Seymour Place,

LONDON, W1H 5TJ

Telephone number 07921761835

Email

Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises

Inspection Report: Little Elves Montessori Nursery School, 18/09/2009

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Royal Exchange Buildings

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© Crown copyright 2009

Inspection Report: Little Elves Montessori Nursery School, 18/09/2009

3 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children

from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage. The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the

report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of

registration.

Inspection Report: Little Elves Montessori Nursery School, 18/09/2009

4 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

Description of the setting

Little Elves Montessori Nursery is privately owned and registered in 2008. It operates from a hall in Courtney's, Seymour Leisure Centre, in Marylebone, in the London Borough of Westminster.

Children have access to one main play area, a Jungle Gym and sports hall in the leisure centre, and toilet. A maximum of 24 children may attend at any one time. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and is open five days a week

during term time. Opening times are from 8.55am until 4.00pm. Children come from a wide catchment area. In addition the nursery operates a holiday camp during the summer holidays.

There are currently 30 children on roll, some children attending on a part time basis.

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision Overall the quality of the provision is good.

Children make good progress in their learning and development and they enjoy their time spent at the setting. All staff have a good knowledge of each child’s needs and as a result they successfully promote children’s welfare and learning.

This is the nursery's first inspection and the established staff team are committed to continually making improvements. Self-evaluation is carried out on a regular basis by the manager and the staff. This means that most of the priorities for

development are identified and acted upon.

What steps need to be taken to improve provision

further? To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

maintain a record of risk assessment identifying when and by whom the have been conducted (Suitable premises, environment and equipment)

21/10/2009

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

develop assessment and planning systems to identify each child's children's

starting points, ensuring that they are clearly linked to planning which cover

the breath of the curriculum

Inspection Report: Little Elves Montessori Nursery School, 18/09/2009

5 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision Children are safeguarded because checks are carried out on all staff to make sure

that there are no reasons why they should not be employed to work with children. Staff are secure in their knowledge of safeguarding issues and implement these effectively to ensure children’s well-being is given priority. Overall good systems

are in place to protect children, ensuring that they are not exposed to hazards. Daily safety checks on the premises are carried out, in addition planned off site trips to the park are well assessed. Although written risk assessments are in place

they do not include all areas used by the children or record when and by whom risk assessments are conducted. The nursery promotes inclusive practice with all children having opportunities to

play with the selection of resources available. Children's awareness of different lifestyles is promoted through the excellent selection of resources including books showing race, culture and the beliefs of children from around the world.

Languages spoken by the children are supported by the staff team who speak Portuguese, Hindi, Greek and French.

This is the setting's first inspection and systems are in place to deliver a curriculum which meets the individual needs of the children attending. The nursery follows the Montessori educational philosophy and makes clear links to the Early Years

Foundation Stage (EYFS). Regular observations are carried out and the staff are in the process of developing these to ensure that these are in line with the EYFS and closely linked to planning.

Children benefit from the committed staff who work well as a team. They have opportunities to meet on a regular basis to reflect on their practice and identify areas to be developed. The manager can accurately assess the strengths of the

nursery as well as areas for development. Staff are keen to drive improvements, they have identified how they want the nursery to progress and improve, for example, by developing the assessments and planning systems. All of the nursery's

policies and procedures are up-to-date and underpin the practice carried out by staff

The nursery works in partnership with parents and other professionals. Parents are supportive and say that their children are happy to attend the nursery. The key person system works effectively and ensures that all relevant information about a

child is verbally shared between the setting and the parents. This is particularly effective for children who are in the process of settling in at the nursery. Parents are fully aware of the curriculum and they regularly see assessments made of their

children's development. Systems are also in place to share information with parents who do not collect their children from the nursery on a daily basis. Partnerships with others to benefit the children is developing. The nursery receives support from the local early years advisor to support their plans to improve the

provision for children's care and learning. Links are beginning to be made with the local receiving schools.

Inspection Report: Little Elves Montessori Nursery School, 18/09/2009

6 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children Children are confident and show signs of self-motivation because the environment

is well organised with defined areas for play to allow children to select their own resources. They are supported in their learning as the staff sit with children and engage in conversations with them, they support children's language and extend

their thinking. Children are increasing their physical skills as they use the wide range of apparatus in the dedicated soft play area. Opportunities to learn outdoors include regular planned trips to the park in the mini-bus and walks to local

enclosed play areas. In the cosy book area children access a wide selection of books. They particularly like the large books and enjoy the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' and 'Dear Zoo'.

Children enjoy creative activities, and displays show samples of their art work including marbling, fruit prints, and leaf and hand prints. They can draw recognisable pictures and many can begin to write some of the letters in their

name. They concentrate when using the Montessori equipment recognising many different shapes and colours. They create music when using a selection of musical instruments, and they can follow a rhythm. When in a large group children talk

about days of week and the weather. Staff support children's participation as they discuss the seasons and sing their songs about autumn Leaves.

An inclusive service is provided by the nursery. Displays, resources and art work reflect the wider community. Adults support children and provide an enabling learning environment where children can access all equipment easily. Special

events are celebrated by the children, recent festivals include Eid and Rosh Hashanah. The key person system and settling in procedure is individual to each child. Staff provide one to one attention until children are happy to begin to explore the environment independently.

Children are developing their understanding about how to keep safe which is supported with a range of posters and books. Children's behaviour is very good.

They are encouraged by the staff to play safely and are given good explanations for inappropriate behaviour, for example, staff explain about choking to children when they are asked to sit down while eating. They are developing friendships and

positively interacting with each other. When children arrive at the nursery they run to welcome a friend and quickly enjoy their company in their play.

Inspection Report: Little Elves Montessori Nursery School, 18/09/2009

7 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

Annex A: record of inspection judgements The key inspection judgements and what they mean Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision How well does the setting meet the needs of the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

2

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

2

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision How effectively is the Early Years Foundation Stage led

and managed? 2

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement

2

The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2

The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity

2

The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement

2

The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and

carers

2

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation

Stage 2

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

Any complaints about the inspection or report should be made following the

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

Inspection Report: Little Elves Montessori Nursery School, 18/09/2009

8 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006