Attlebridge Montessori Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provider has built a dedicated and knowledgeable staff team who are fully committed to providing a wonderfully nurturing, homely and warm nursery where children flourish. They implement an inspirational curriculum that is built around Montessori principles. All staff receive the specific support that they need to enable them to fully understand and successfully deliver the exacting curriculum intentions.

Staff provide an exceptionally calm and well-ordered environment and simple, predictable routines that create a safe and consistent experience where children swiftly grow in confidence. Children quickly gain the skills necessary to independently wash their hands, select their activities and dress themselves. They display exceptionally high levels of well-being and become deeply involved in their play. Children demonstrate immense pride in how they care for their environment as they diligently ensure that toys they have finished with are carefully returned for the next child to use.

Staff consistently model the respectful and harmonious behaviours that they teach children. Children learn the empathy needed to build and maintain friendships and confidence in their ability to persist and succeed. All children receive the precise support that they need to extend their knowledge and skills, to prepare them for school, and develop a life-long love of learning.

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

• Staff display, by their behaviours and words, that they feel highly valued and thoroughly enjoy working with each other and the children. Staff turnover is rare and the provider plans carefully for changes in staffing. The provider implements a rigorous and exacting process of recruitment and induction for new staff that fully equips them to be confident in delivering the ambitious curriculum.
• Staff's promotion of children's speaking and listening skills is superb. They quietly listen to, and engage in conversations with children. Staff intentionally introduce new vocabulary to children through stories, songs and conversations that are linked to children's play and fascinations. Staff give children the time and space to share their thoughts and feelings. They check carefully that they have understood what children are saying to accurately assess and extend children's prior knowledge and understanding. Children become skilful and motivated communicators.
• Children develop supreme confidence in leading their own learning, supported by the exceptionally calm and orderly environment staff provide. Children swiftly learn that they can freely access the expansive array of resources, inside and outdoors. They confidently select what they need for their exploratory play and carry it to a 'work space' that they mark out for themselves with a fabric mat. Staff gently model how to approach tasks and introduce new concepts, such as the correct mathematical language for shapes, naturally as children play.
• Partnerships with parents are highly prized by staff who take as much time as necessary to ensure that both parents and their children settle fully into the nursery. Staff gather valuable information through bespoke settling-in sessions. They maintain a constant dialogue with parents that fully respects and involves them as their children's first educators. For instance, the provider has created resources for parents to build on their children's learning at home. They have developed a simple guide to how common, home-based activities support children's development across all areas of learning. They send home carefully curated book bags with a guide to reading aloud, including directions to videos where required. Parents are welcomed into the nursery to share their heritage, culture and lives which values and brings to life the diversity around them.
• When children are slower to develop, the provider maintains an open and honest dialogue with parents and makes swift referrals to relevant agencies. All staff understand and implement agreed strategies with confidence. Staff make, analyse and discuss regular, sharply focused observations and assessments to precisely evaluate the impact of the curriculum on children's progress. Where necessary, they adapt the curriculum and further support is accessed. All children are welcome, nurtured and receive the bespoke teaching that they need to make excellent progress in their learning and development.