Barnes Montessori Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Children are at the heart of the planning that takes place at the setting. The curriculum is carefully designed to meet the needs of all children regardless of background or additional needs. Staff plan in the moment and around children's chosen play and ensure that children are getting the most from the curriculum offering. Their thorough assessment and reporting procedures allow them to set personalised targets for children. Staff meet regularly to discuss children's progress and, in turn, assess the impact of their own teaching on children's learning.

Staff work closely with children's families and external agencies to ensure that plans are in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The setting invests in their own speech and language therapist and occupational therapist to further support children with language delay and children who are struggling with their physical development. One-to-one interventions are in place for individual children, and staff talk confidently about the hugely positive impact this is having on children's learning and development. Staff place great emphasis on supporting children to regulate their emotions and share strategies with families to ensure that there is joined-up learning and continuity for children, so they navigate their changing emotions.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Staff show passion for continuous improvement in their curriculum offering. Their observations allow them to build a curriculum that encompasses all areas of the early years foundation stage curriculum and builds upon children's chosen interests. For example, staff teach children about different countries of the world and about shapes, patterns and lines. Children practise the skills of colour mixing and study different artists, such as Mondrian, Kandinsky and Kusama. They skilfully adapt their teaching styles with individual children in mind so that all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can always fully access the curriculum offering.

Staff design a curriculum that helps children learn about the concept of time as they enjoy celebrating their 'Birthday Walks' and reflecting on their time on earth from when they were babies to the current day. Staff celebrate their achievements through photos, and children reflect on their family experiences to date.

Children enjoy discussing what they are learning with their friends and staff as they problem-solve. Staff are on hand to offer support as needed as children collaboratively solve jigsaw puzzles and carefully pour water into funnels and small china cups to secure their understanding of capacity. Staff support them with their careful questioning, allowing children opportunities to verbalise their thinking.

Children develop their large-muscle skills through the many opportunities they have to practise stretching, jumping, running and balancing during their dance and yoga sessions and in the vast outdoor offering.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children articulate incredibly well with their friends, staff and visitors to the setting. They excitedly talk about what they are learning with others. Staff fully understand the importance of smooth transitions and provide children with regular opportunities to visit different classrooms and work with other teachers. This supports them with developing their confidence and independence and prepares them well for their next stages in learning.

Children are fully prepared as they transition to school, in particular within the main areas of communication and language and confidence. They demonstrate they can organise their belongings, dress themselves and show high levels of small-muscle control as they dig in the outdoor mud kitchen, trace letters in sand and manipulate play dough with cutters.

The extremely effective assessment procedures in place and rigorous monitoring of children's progress ensures that all children, including children from disadvantaged backgrounds and children with special educational needs and or/disabilities, make noticeable progress from their starting points.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children demonstrate high levels of concentration as they self-select the resources they want to engage with. They fully understand the routines and transition easily, changing their shoes as they move from outdoor to indoor activities. They demonstrate they understand the importance of sharing and turn-taking and know they can use their trusted adults to support them with any difficulties they may encounter. Staff understand children's individual needs and use purposeful group interventions to support children's social skills. The warmth and nurture shown to children by staff allows for the calm atmosphere that radiates across the setting.

Staff support children's individual needs and strive to ensure that they always feel valued and gain increasing confidence and understanding in socially acceptable ways to behave. For example, they use visuals to ensure that children are clear on what is happening 'now' and 'next' and pictures and words to support children in communicating their different wants and needs succinctly. Children enjoy the clear structures in place and demonstrate they feel valued and have a sense of belonging.

Leaders work closely with families and are fully flexible to accommodate changing needs. The structure of their offering ensures that children attend regularly, and they work with families to ensure that they fully understand the importance of punctuality to support children's wellbeing.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff model breathing techniques through yoga and talking calmly to children and offer them regular movement breaks to support them with regulating their emotions. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities respond incredibly well to the consistency in the way the staff respond to their changing needs. Children understand the importance of keeping themselves safe. They have regular fire evacuation practices and know to hold on to the rope and stay together when on trips out.

Children understand the importance of a healthy diet, and parents comment on their wealth of knowledge of the importance of the different food groups as part of a healthy lifestyle. Children have opportunities to tend to their outdoor garden, understanding where food comes from and enjoying the independence of peeling and chopping fruits for snack time. Staff work closely with families to ensure that all allergens are identified to ensure safety while eating at the setting. Staff actively engage children in physical activities and have calm quiet sessions to allow them time to rest. The strong attachments between children and staff are clearly evidenced as children excitedly enter the nursery in the morning and in the high levels of enjoyment they show as they receive staff's constant praise.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders continually reflect and evaluate their offering and demonstrate the importance of 'lifelong learning' to ensure continuous improvement. They highly value each and every member of the team, and they are incredibly proud of their collaborative practice that places children at the centre of everything they do. The wellbeing of staff is of high priority, and staff receive regular opportunities to engage in team-building events to ensure that there is always a high level of morale among staff. The decisions that leaders make in their staffing arrangements and how they allocate any additional funding ensures that all staff are supported well to achieve manageable workloads. Staff have a regular opportunity to engage in professional training to obtain early years accreditations, and the in-house weekly staff meetings provide staff with opportunities to feed back from courses and share their skills and experience.

Leaders are fully aware of their strengths and areas of improvement and use a range of professionals to support them in their process of evaluating their offering. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have high-quality support from external professionals alongside the carefully designed interventions delivered by staff. Leaders are fully involved in every child's learning and show passion for high standards and in supporting children to achieve the best possible outcomes.