Bishops Waltham Montessori

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily separate from their parents as they enter this warm and welcoming nursery, where the ethos is to promote 'love and kindness'. They receive a warm welcome from staff, who check in with parents for any information they may need to know to support the day ahead. Children independently place their belongings down before seeking out their friends. They display a strong sense of belonging and show that they feel safe and secure. For example, children spontaneously run over to staff members and cuddle into them. Staff respond with big smiles, showing genuine warmth and kindness.

Children benefit from a curriculum that is fun and stimulating. Staff identify what children need to learn next and then plan a suitable range of learning experiences. For example, children show high levels of enthusiasm as they use hammers to smash ice to free toy animals frozen inside. They hold the animals up and confidently name them, such as a 'praying mantis'. Staff praise children's efforts. This helps to support children's self-esteem and self-confidence.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They are good role models and support children to resolve any minor conflicts swiftly. Children display kindness towards their friends. For instance, they pass one another blocks as they work together to build a 'big fire station'. This also helps to develop children's social skills.

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

• Leaders are committed to providing the best possible care and education for all children. They lead a well-qualified team that shares their vision. Leaders are dedicated to continuous improvement and provide professional development opportunities for staff.
• Staff have established a clear curriculum that is sequential and interesting for all children. They tailor the curriculum accordingly to cover any gaps in learning. Staff prepare a range of interesting activities. For example, children enjoy piano lessons and taking part in a sound and listening activity. However, occasionally, teaching interactions are not consistently purposeful. For instance, at times, staff do not recognise when children have become disengaged and, therefore, do not refocus their attention on learning. This does not fully support children to develop positive attitudes to learning.
• Staff swiftly identify when children need further support for their learning or development. They work in close partnership with parents and external professionals. This helps staff to develop strategies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders use additional funding appropriately to provide targeted support for children. This ensures that all children, including those with SEND, make good progress.
• Staff prioritise developing children's language and listening skills. They sing funny songs that involve children listening and exploring new language. For example, when singing a song about spiders, staff introduce the word 'scurry' and explain it describes the movement of spiders. Staff get down to the children's level and model the pronunciation of words. Staff sensitively correct children's pronunciation by repeating the word so children can hear the difference. Books are readily available and children access them independently, reading them alongside their friends. This helps them to develop a love of books.
• Staff encourage children to gain an understanding of the natural world. Children help to look after a stick insect and caterpillars, and they excitedly observe the life cycle of a butterfly. Staff plan activities to enhance children's learning further. For example, children chat away together as they make their own butterflies using clay. Children recall how the caterpillars turned into butterflies. This helps children to understand life cycles.
• Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe. For instance, staff remind children the correct way to carry a chair so they do not accidently hurt their friends. Children listen and respond well. Furthermore, children show they understand how to keep themselves safe in the sun as they talk about wearing sun hats before they go outside.
• Staff support children on the importance of being healthy and physically active. They work with families to ensure any packed lunches are healthy and nutritious. Staff provide many opportunities for children to play outside in the fresh air and walk to places such as the country market. These opportunities help to promote children's understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles.
• Staff develop strong partnerships with parents. Parents are well informed about their children's developmental progress and receive advice from staff to support their children's learning at home. Parents speak highly of the care provided by the staff and praise how well they know their children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance teaching strategies to consistently refocus children's attention on learning.