Ashley Cross Montessori

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter this welcoming nursery and settle happily on arrival. Staff are kind and caring and form positive and friendly attachments with children. Babies receive plenty of cuddles and affection from staff, and appear happy and secure. Staff are sensitive to children's individual needs and give them good support when children move on within the nursery. Older children move around the play areas confidently and show positive attitudes to learning.

The manager and staff plan a broad and balanced curriculum. There is a focus on developing children's independence and confidence. Staff sequence learning effectively to help children to build on their skills and understanding. For example, babies begin to thread large beads, developing their manipulative skills. They smile broadly and say, 'I did it!' as staff praise their efforts. Older children show good levels of dexterity when they carefully use scissors and create models using play dough.

Children get to know the established boundaries that help them feel secure. Staff gently guide their good behaviour and explain, for example, why running may not be a good idea indoors, but they can enjoy running safely outside. Children interact positively with their friends and play cooperatively. They show kindness to others, for example, by sharing resources.

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

• Parents speak positively about the nursery and say that their children make good progress. They particularly appreciate the caring staff and comment that they feel children are safe and secure in their care. There are very effective systems in place for staff to share what children have been enjoying in the nursery. Parents are able to share children's experiences at home which supports a consistent approach to learning.
• Staff get to know children well and interact with them positively to encourage their learning. They allow children time to explore and experiment, skilfully commenting and praising their efforts. However, at times, staff miss opportunities to extend children's knowledge and skills to deepen and extend their learning even further.
• Overall, children develop good communication skills. Babies enthusiastically choose the songs they want to sing and smile with happiness as they sing and dance together. Staff repeat words and phrases to support their language development. Older children gather eagerly as staff bring stories to life. Staff encourage and value children's comments about the characters in the book and promote children's language and literacy skills well.
• The management team is very reflective of the practice in the nursery and the valuable service the team provides for parents. For example, the management team regularly reviews the nursery by analysing video footage to make improvements that make a positive difference for children. Staff recruitment, induction and supervision is effective.
• Staff say they enjoy working with the children and feel well supported by the management team, who provide many opportunities for professional development. The manager values the individual skills that staff bring to the nursery, such as teaching children about other languages and cultures.
• Staff monitor children's development conscientiously and promptly notice any gaps in their learning. The management team supports staff effectively when children need extra help. Staff make timely referrals to other professionals to ensure that children receive the specialist support they need.
• Children become confident in their daily routines and develop independence during times in their day such as mealtimes. For example, they help to set the table and wash up dishes afterwards. However, staff do not organise mealtimes effectively and older children have to wait for long periods of time to be served their food. This means children become restless and noisy. Staff are unable to support children's language and social skills as well as possible.
• There are effective links with other providers and local schools. For example, staff share information about children's achievements so that there is consistency and continuity for children. Teachers from some local schools visit the nursery to get to know children when the time comes for them to go to school. Children move on to future education with confidence and self-assurance.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of mealtimes so that the length of time children spend waiting is reduced to enable staff to support children's language and social skills further
• strengthen the quality of staff engagement and their interactions with children to fully support and extend their learning consistently.