Ofsted

Mount Carmel is registered with :  

Early Years OFSTED, Field House, Station Approach, Harlow -CM20 2FS. 

Telephone no:  0845 601 4772

Our last Ofsted inspection was carried out in November 2007

Complete extract from our OFSTED Report (05.11.2007)

Main Finding of the Inspection.       

The key inspection judgements and what they mean:

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality.

Good: this aspect of the provision is strong.

Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound.

Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough.  

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Mount Carmel Kindergarten is a privately owned family run provision, registering in 1985 and moving to its current location, a purpose built traditional Norwegian log cabin in January 2000. The provision is situated in the playing fields of Verulam Senior School, which is off Sandpit Lane, St Albans. It offers four separate activity rooms in addition to a secure outside play area. A maximum of 50 children may attend at any one time. The kindergarten is open each weekday, with sessions from 09:00 until 12:45 and 13:15 to 16:00, term time only.There are currently 120 children aged from two to five years on roll. Of these, 74 children receive funding for nursery education. A vast majority of children in attendance live locally, although the kindergarten also provides places for children from wider geographical areas outside of their main catchment. The kindergarten has systems in place to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for whom English is an additional language. The kindergarten employs 17 staff. Of these, 12 including the Principal holds a recognized childcare qualification. The setting receives support from a qualified teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

The provision is Outstanding.

Children thrive in this inspirational setting where significant emphasis is given to teaching children through purposeful play opportunities. Staff are highly competent in their working roles. They use their wealth of experience and their childcare training to plan a diverse range of inspirational activities linked to themes, which children can relate to. For example, the current topic 'Night Time' derived from the time of year and events that occur during this period. For example, children enjoy making marks on specialised black paper to unveil the coloured bands beneath in order to simulate their experiences of bonfire night. Exceptional consideration is given to promoting age-appropriate activities. This is supported and underpinned through excellent planning systems. For example, staff follow the 'Birth to three matters' framework for younger children and the Foundation Stage curriculum for older children. This promotes a unified curriculum for children under the age of five years. The group purpose fully uses their key worker system to monitor children's progression. Children are frequently observed and their achievements recorded. Staff regularly alters children's key objectives in line with their current abilities. A cohesive planning cycle ensures children make rapid progression as staff purposefully use assessment profiles to set greater challenges and to inform their planning systems.

 The quality of teaching and learning is Outstanding.

Children are purposefully engaged and highly motivated by an extensive range of stimulating, practical activities related to their needs. They access a diverse range of good quality resources, which supports their learning across the Foundation Stage. All children are keen to learn, self-assured in their play and confident to try new experiences. They listen with considerable levels of concentration to stories and can recount favourites, remembering the order sequence of events. Many children use marks readily to represent their ideas and older children are becoming adept at writing their own names. Children are highly imaginative and are able to use this in a range of contexts such as when making designer jewellery from the play dough. They are beginning to make sense of the world around them as they access resources that reflect diversity and celebrate cultural festivals throughout the year.  Children make collages, paint freely and draw pictures many of which are displayed. Exceptional emphasis is given to opportunities to promote physical development. For example, children access an outside play area where they can ride bikes, throw and catch balls and run around developing an awareness of space.They also access indoor static climbing apparatus and participate in regular movement to music sessions where they prepare their bodies in readiness prior to the activity. For example, stretching their limbs to warm up the different muscle groups. This ensures children are able to develop increased control and coordination of large muscle groups. Practitioners have an extremely sound and secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage. Highly detailed plans provide an excellent balance across all six areas of learning.  Children access an extensive range of practical activities, which are well-planned and exceptionally well executed. Right from the start, staff find out about children's skills, interests and needs and effectively build on this information to help children achieve as much as they can. A flexible approach to planning and an excellent balance between adult and child-led learning allows children to learn at their own pace. Staff are highly perceptive to children's interests during self-initiated play and use questions very skilfully and successfully to challenge children's thinking and language skills. They plan first-hand experiences that help children take the next step in their learning. Highly effective planning, observation and assessment for older children build on the Foundation Stage curriculum and interlinks positively with children's progression and achievement.

The quality of teaching and learning is Outstanding.

Children from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and children with learning disabilities are warmly welcomed in this nursery. Practitioners ensure that the resources positively represent the children who attend as well as undertaking a plethora of cultural celebrations and topics throughout the calendar year. They also extend children's awareness of the wider community as they invite visitors into the setting. For example, children learn about differing roles of people who help us, such as paramedics, fire fighters and police officers when given a practical talk and tour of their vehicles. This helps children develop a positive attitude to others. Highly skilled staff implements excellent systems to ensure that children with specific needs receive appropriate support in the setting. This enables them to join in with all activities and make very good progress given their age and starting points. Children are extremely well behaved and very polite in response to the consistent expectations of caring practitioners. Children take turns and show concern for others. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

 Partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is Outstanding.

Practitioners are conscientious and welcoming to parental input. There is a wealth of information, which is easily accessible, which includes general care and educational literature. Parents value the openness and honesty of staff. This supports the appropriate sharing of information in sensitive situations. Parents are highly complimentary about the level of service provided. Staff encourage parents to actively contribute towards individual assessment records. Children therefore benefit from a two-way sharing of information between parents and practitioners to enhance their learning. This underpins their progress in the setting and consequently their ability to fully contribute to the provision.

 The provision is Good.

Children stay healthy because practitioners effectively adhere to clear, well-structured health and safety procedures, which are consistently applied. Staff cleanse changing mats and tables with antibacterial spray after each use and clean toilets periodically throughout the session. This prevents the spread of infection and supports high levels of cleanliness within the premises. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene through well-planned daily routines. They fully understand the reasoning behind the hand washing process and are proud to show off their finished result of 'clean sparkly hands' when returning from the cloakroom, stating 'all my germs are gone'. This is because staff continually reinforce the message of germs and the effects they could cause if left unattended. Children benefit from a nutritious and healthy diet. The kindergarten provides them with a varied choice for snacks and these comply with all special dietary requirements to ensure children remain healthy. Snack time is an effective integrated learning experience for the children. They independently pour drinks, share the snack and chat about 'fruit and milk being good for you’. The setting encourages parents to supply a healthy lunch for children staying to the lunch club. Children access drinking water regularly, supplied via a water cooler and fresh clean cups. Children explore, test and develop physical control in stimulating daily indoor and outdoor experiences. They develop a positive attitude to physical exercise because it is offered so frequently and because of the wide variety of innovative resources available to aid them in their challenge.  For example, children develop hand and eye coordination when throwing a variance of material based missiles at the large wall mounted material dartboard. They enjoy using raised weave blocks to climb up on and to maintain their balance as they walk to the end. Children also participate in structured skills lessons such as music, movement, drama and dance.

The provision is Good.

This well-run and effectively monitored provision, gives high priority to children's safety and welfare. Security systems are robust. Practitioners help keep children safe in the kindergarten and on outings because they fully understand and comply with health and safety requirements. Supervision is exceptional. For example, generous adult to child ratios allows flexibility in preparing and organising activities and the environment. Before outside play, staff fully prepare the garden for the children, simultaneously assessing the area for potential risk. Children know when equipment can be used and when it should not. For example, a red flag tied on the top of a new climbing frame denotes danger and therefore must not be used. Children instantly recognise this sign and adhere to the ruling. Children access an extensive range of safe, high-quality, developmentally appropriate resources which are well organised in child-height furniture to encourage independent access. Staff skilfully explain safe practices such as the need to pick up items dropped on the floor, so that other children do not fall or hurt themselves and to listen to adult direction when lining up at the door so that they do not trap their fingers. This helps children to learn to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. Children have a clear awareness of fire safety protocol as drills are undertaken at frequent intervals. Staff protect children well. Strong recruitment and induction procedures ensure that adults are suitable to work with children. This includes experience, training and vetting checks. Children remain the primary focus of care in this well-organised and managed setting. Staff are vigilant in their practice and are confident in their knowledge of child protection, reporting concerns promptly and appropriately. Open relationships between home and the provision means that children's needs remain the single most important factor. The child protection coordinator ensures that procedures are up to date and that staff understand their responsibilities in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board committee procedures.

The organisation is Good.

Robust recruitment procedures underpin the stability of a mature and highly skilled staff team. A majority of staff are qualified and all staff gain frequent opportunities through their personal development plans to access short courses. This enhances their knowledge and understanding of current childcare practices. Staff demonstrate a real affinity with children; they respect their feelings, value their comments and clearly enjoy their company. This is reciprocated by the children who demonstrate genuine affection when greeting and bidding staff farewell at the commencement and end of each session. Staff work collaboratively as a team and undertake their roles and responsibilities with sheerintegrity. For example, they avidly adhere to the specified routine for relocation within the building in order to maximise children's exposure to each specific curriculum aspect. Whilst the provision is exceptionally proactive in progressing its childcare practice and in promoting high quality care, maintenance of documentation to retain current guidance continues to be an area that the group themselves recognise as a continual weakness. This is partially because limited emphasis is currently given to critical reflection of practice in order to eradicate minor omissions and to enable a clear understanding of this unique setting's practice. The leadership and management of the setting is good. The kindergarten principle actively encourages continuing professional development for her staff team. This ensures staff have the required knowledge and skills to provide good quality education for children. All staff are included in planning. Regular meetings ensure information is shared and individuals gain an opportunity to contribute their thoughts and ideas. Whilst planning and assessment systems are extremely holistic and individual to the provision, they are not always clear to outside agencies when looking at the breadth of provision. This is partially because of the set up of the base rooms to encompass exposure to defined aspects of the curriculum through a cyclical experience, means that on occasion key focuses are not always drawn through. For example, although learning intentions are defined on the short term plan in the art room this is not drawn through to the other base areas. Reliance is therefore heavily applied to the skill and expertise of each individual in order to ensure equal coverage across all areas of learning. The group are aware of their individualism and whilst staff clearly understand and are able to deliver and articulate how their structures connect together, consideration towards a structure to monitor the equality of coverage of each area and strand of the stepping stones would enable the provision to self-assess the quality and content of their curriculum more effectively, in addition to providing required evidence to external parties. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.   

Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the group was required to develop good hygiene practice at regular times. Greater emphasis has now been given towards this aspect of care, which ensures that children benefit not only in meeting their self-care needs but also in understanding the reasoning behind their actions such as washing hands to eradicate germs. At the last nursery education inspection the group were required to expand the use of resources within the area of technology to further develop children's learning. Children benefit as they now access a wider range of technological resources on a more frequent basis. 

Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted. 

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection: The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding. The quality and standards of the nursery education are good. 

WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • Give greater emphasis towards self-evaluation in order to strengthen organizational practice. 

The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • Continue to enhance planning structures further, through the implementation of key focus areas of learning within each base room.  Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000