Arborescence Montessori

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are incredibly happy and secure in this thoroughly stimulating pre-school. They are extremely excited to arrive and are warmly greeted by the manager and their key member of staff. The inspirational manager and her dedicated team provide outstanding learning opportunities throughout the pre-school. They react swiftly to identify children's emerging interests. Staff engage incredibly well with children to establish exciting activities based on these interests. For instance, children have been absorbed in exploring worms during their forest school activities. With the support of staff, they have developed a worm habitat. This allows children to deepen their knowledge and learning of worms.

Children demonstrate exceptionally high levels of curiosity in their play. Staff encourage this with their high-quality interactions in all activities. Children have been exploring various fruits since reading 'Handa's Surprise'. They investigate their features, colours, and taste. Children are engrossed by the various seeds they find. Staff encourage children to place them in damp cotton wool and monitor how they change and grow.

Children of all ages are incredibly independent. Toddlers in the infant room, pump water into bowls and skilfully use soap and flannels to wash and dry their hands. Staff encourage children's cooperative skills exceptionally well during the wonderfully sociable snack time. Children of all ages prepare fruit and pour drinks for themselves and their friends. They then work together to wash and dry up the pottery cups and plates.

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

• The manager and her team are passionate about the high-quality learning opportunities they provide for children. They have an incredibly clear understanding of the Montessori approach and how it supports children's learning across the early years foundation stage (EYFS). They complete rigorous assessments against both the Montessori curriculum and the EYFS. From this, they identify areas for development and plan exciting activities to support children's learning.
• Staff have superb knowledge of children's abilities across the pre-school. They routinely measure the impact of their teaching on children's learning. For example, children recently explored the characteristics of various unusual fruits. They are currently using pictures of these fruits to recall their textures and tastes. This supports children in making excellent progress in their learning.
• Staff extend children's learning exceptionally well in all activities. Children examine chickpeas through the magnifying pots. They discuss their features and what foods they are used in. Children then shake the pots, delighting in the noise they make. Staff are swift to initiate conversations about sounds. They encourage children to experiment with other objects, including feathers, and compare the volume of the noise they make.
• Children's communication skills are superbly supported in this language-rich environment. Staff engage children in high-quality discussions during several song, story, and music sessions throughout the day. Staff themselves are excellent role models. They all demonstrate excellent language skills, introducing new and challenging vocabulary to children at every opportunity.
• The manager and staff are incredibly knowledgeable about children's early experiences. This enables them to provide exceptional learning opportunities, which children may not otherwise experience. For example, children enjoy weekly piano and French tuition as well as qualified forest school and sports sessions.
• Staff support children to behave exceptionally well in the pre-school. They skilfully outline behaviour expectations before each activity. Staff sensitively support children to examine the consequences of unwanted behaviour. They discuss the impact it has on both themselves and others.
• Partnerships with parents is of an exceptionally high standard. Parents engage fully in their children's development. They greatly appreciate the regular advice and ideas on how to further support children's learning at home. Parents and carers enjoy visiting the pre-school to help share their families' unique customs and cultures.
• Parents are extremely complimentary about the manager and staff. They value the outstanding and individual care given to all children. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities deeply value the support the manager and staff give during the referral process and beyond.