Here is the latest Ofsted Report for Ducklings Montessori Nursery.
You can view the report here on Ofsted’s website directly, where you can download a copy for your records.
| Ducklings Montessori Nursery | |
| Inspection report for early years provision | |
| Unique reference number | EY234866 |
| Inspection date | 21/09/2009 |
| Inspector | Jan Leo |
| Setting address | Nash Village Hall, Nash, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK17 0ES |
| Telephone number | 01525 270845 or 07747 093222 |
| dj.jack@btinternet.com | |
| Type of setting | Childcare on non-domestic premises |
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.
Description of the setting
Ducklings Montessori Nursery is a privately owned nursery which opened in 2002. The nursery is situated in the village of Nash, on the outskirts of Buckingham. It operates from the village hall which has easy access, suitable kitchen and toilet facilities, and parking on site. The children use both public and private areas, adjacent to the building, for outdoor activities.
The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to accept a maximum of 20 children at any one time. It is open each weekday, except Fridays, from 09.15 until 12.15 term time only and offers a lunch club from 12.15 until 13.15 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
There are currently 21 children on roll. Of these, 11 children receive funding for nursery education. Children who attend the setting come from a wide catchment area and attend for a variety of sessions.
The nursery employs six staff, three of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at Level 3 or above. One member of staff is working towards a qualification. The setting receives support from the local authority.
The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
Overall the quality of the provision is good.
The staff build exceptionally strong partnerships with parents and other carers associated with the children. This enables the staff to gather full and detailed background information to help personalise every child’s care package and ensure it is complete. The staff are extremely skilled in providing a relaxed and secure environment with the key person support each child needs to feel welcome and safe. The leadership and management is strong to preserve children’s well-being, though some procedures are a little inconsistent and learning and development paperwork has a tendency to become unwieldy and difficult to sustain. As a result, whilst the children make good progress and thoroughly enjoy their day, some are at times, capable of more.
What steps need to be taken to improve provision further?
To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:
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The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision
Both staff and management are very clear about their responsibility to safeguard children from harm and are fully aware of the nursery’s procedure for dealing with concerns. Staff training helps familiarise staff with external referral procedures and all willingly complete refresher training, as necessary, to stay up to date. The staff routinely complete risk assessments for all aspects of the nursery and diligently supervise the children to keep them safe throughout the day. For example, they bring children inside when a stranger collects a vehicle from the car park, protecting children from unchecked adults and preventing accidents. The staff know the children very well and work exceptionally closely as a team. All staff know who is present and where they play and so, despite the register sometimes being inaccurate and lacking detail, the children are safe at all times.
The staff make very good use of all resources to provide children with an extensive and stimulating range of activities to help them progress. All equipment is in good condition and easy to access to help children become confident and independent from an early age. The staff deploy themselves successfully to extend what children do without interrupting play and they routinely bring in related topics to ensure children learn through relevant, practical activities. All children receive the support and attention they need to become part of the group, feel they belong, and feel special but, as a result, when new or insecure children are present, the more able children do not benefit from additional support to fully promote their development and increase challenges accordingly. Nevertheless, all children mix well, play confidently and are enthusiastic learners.
The staff tirelessly plan, evaluate, and monitor the activities to ensure children benefit from individual learning goals and activities that suit their interests and personalities. All records are available for parents and carers to see to keep them informed about their children’s progress and feel part of their development. The staff make themselves available for daily feedback at drop off and collection, building secure relationships with families and a strong partnership of care. In addition, the staff meet children’s key workers, if they attend other settings, in order to obtain an overview of their week and plan appropriately to enhance what children do elsewhere. Essential information is on display to keep adults up to date with how the setting operates and staff welcome suggestions on ways to improve the nursery and continue to meet everyone’s needs.
The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children
The children benefit from a wide range of Montessori style resources, all on low shelving in order to promote independent access and help children gain in confidence. The children know exactly what staff expect and are happy to share resources and help clear away when activities change. Most choose what to do quickly, selecting for example, play dough with others or rearranging the small world playhouse alone. The staff watch from afar initially, eager to let children’s imaginations travel. One child creates a map to use later when they go to the play park, eager to prevent adults and children from getting lost on their return. A member of staff joins in to look for foreign places on the printed map, comparing the distances from England and discussing how one might travel all that way. Some staff have a really good understanding of how children learn, and ask questions to challenge children’s thinking. Some staff, however, give too much help, providing a container of water to wet the sand for example, without asking the child what might help it stick together to make sand pies.
The children count how many beakers of water they need to fill a bucket and use numbers freely in conversation and play. Some count correctly into double figures but staff are a little slow to offer further challenges such as comparing, estimating, and sharing out conkers they collect from the field.
The children benefit from outdoor play on a regular basis, collecting leaves for example, to decorate a cardboard house and visiting the public park to develop their physical skills. They climb, run and swing using good control over their movements and all develop an understanding of how to play safely to avoid accidents. Some need a reminder to keep clear of the swings, while others naturally stop at the edge of a tunnel to avoid falling off it. The children enjoy playing in the fresh air as part of the healthy lifestyle staff promote and they benefit greatly from the opportunity to challenge their physical ability within a safe and controlled environment. They eat healthy snacks and learn to wash their hands thoroughly to remove germs and dirt before they eat. However, the children do not wash their hands after eating, causing equipment to become sticky and compromising good hygiene.
Most children are very capable of organising their own games and they play very well at all times. They copy adults and their peers to develop new skills and they show pleasure in their own achievements. The staff prepare very well before children arrive in order to ensure they feel welcome and get a full and balanced programme of activities. The comprehensive paperwork to supplement learning and development provides workable systems to support children’s progress but imposes unsustainable demands on staff without being of full value. For example, some records are incomplete and have no suggested next steps, while others have no links to the areas of learning and specific targets for individual children to aid planning.
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 | 1 |
| The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity | 1 |
| 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 | 1 |
| The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers | 1 |
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 |