Absolute Angels Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted at the nursery door by kind and smiling staff who help them to settle quickly. Children are independent as they place their lunch box on the trolley and eagerly find their own coat peg. This provides them with a sense of belonging. Younger children are motivated learners who enjoy playing in the safe and stimulating environment. They are particularly focused cutting wooden vegetables and fruit in half and joining them back together. This helps them to develop the small muscles in their hands in preparation for writing. Younger children show a love of books. They smile with delight as staff read them their favourite stories. Staff's enthusiasm and use of intonation really capture their attention and develop their listening skills. Children understand the expectation to take care of books.

All children benefit from a language-rich environment that builds on their communication skills. Younger children begin to link words together. Older children speak in complex sentences. Children are confident and curious individuals. Older children invite visitors to join them in their play. They ask staff questions about nature as they thoroughly enjoy exploring outdoors. Children learn to be careful as they handle worms and snails. They benefit from regular outings in the local community. Children learn about road safety on their trips, and they develop an understanding of people, communities and the wider world.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Staff create a sequenced curriculum that incorporates children's evolving interests. They know the children they care for well. Staff use their knowledge of child development to offer a wide range of interesting learning opportunities that help children to make good progress.
• Children enjoy lots of exercise and fresh air to support their physical skills and health. They confidently ride tricycles, skip and assess risks as they jump off tree stumps. Staff make nappy changing a truly positive experience. They sing familiar songs as they change children's nappies. Children show that they feel safe and secure as they frequently snuggle up to staff.
• The manager and staff swiftly identify children who need additional support and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities through their regular assessments. They work in partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure a suitable curriculum is put in place. Where formal plans are needed, these are completed in time for children to move on to the next stage in their learning with the correct level of support.
• Children show an understanding of the clear boundaries in place to respect each other. Older children know to put their hand up and wait for their turn to speak during whole-group time. Staff calmly manage children's minor disagreements.
• They know when it is appropriate to allow older children time to work out differences themselves. This means that children are beginning to regulate their own behaviour.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Staff provide a wealth of opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning. The principal leads regular information evenings that help parents to gain a better understanding of how to support their children's learning at home. These include ideas to incorporate mathematics and language in daily routines, as well as the skills needed to prepare older children for their move to school. Staff share regular updates about children's achievements on an app and through verbal exchanges of information. Parents comment on how their children are nurtured in their learning and describe the staff as 'brilliant'. Staff work in partnership with most staff at other settings that the children attend. However, they have not developed working partnerships with all other settings to support all children's continuity in learning effectively.
• The principal and the manager support staff to build on their knowledge and skills. Regular supervision meetings help to identify and build on staff's practice. However, there is scope to further support staff to ensure that a higher level of teaching is consistent. For example, when a group of children express a keen interest in scooping up soil and mixing it with water in a container, staff miss opportunities to build on children's imagination and understanding of weight and capacity.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to provide higher levels of teaching and interactions to further extend children's learning experiences
• develop partnerships with all other settings that children attend, to promote continuity in children's learning and development.