Building Blocks Montessori Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children thrive in this inclusive, inspiring and nurturing nursery. Leaders are deeply committed to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), creating an exceptional environment, where they thrive. Staff work in strong partnership with professionals and use highly effective strategies, ensuring every child receives the right support to make excellent progress. Leaders and staff plan an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. Staff across the nursery have a strong understanding of the curriculum and deliver it highly effectively.

Children arrive extremely happy, and staff welcome them with smiles and warm greetings. Children eagerly leave their parents and become engrossed in purposeful play. Staff provide an inspiring environment, indoors and outdoors. It allows children to be free and independent and follow their own curiosities and choices. Staff use open-ended resources well and invite children to explore and be creative, thereby, increasing children's skills in all areas of the curriculum. Staff describe children as 'agents of their own learning'. All children make rapid progress and are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

Staff are consistently warm and attuned to the emotional and developmental needs of all children throughout the day. They expertly use the information gathered from parents to plan for children's individual interests and motivations. Consequently, children are exceptionally content, focused and engaged in the stimulating activities prepared by the highly competent staff. Children develop strong friendships with their peers. They demonstrate high levels of well-being as they chat happily during play. Children develop a sense of connection and belonging during their time in the nursery through caring interactions from staff.

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

• The leadership team and staff are inspirational. They continually evaluate the impact that the environment and staff teaching have on children. Leaders have a clear vision and high expectations of the staff team. They provide coaching and mentoring to staff and ensure that there is continuous improvement in their practice. Staff undertake extensive professional development and reflect on how training supports the children in the setting. As a result, morale is high, and staff feel extremely well supported.
• The ambitious curriculum is proven with the skills children have developed over time. For example, staff support babies to explore the environment. They listen and watch children intensely and respond sensitively to children's verbal and non-verbal communication. Two-year-olds demonstrate their understanding of shapes while engaging in a shape finding activity. They name shapes such as 'oval' and 'rectangle' instinctively. Older children confidently order numbers from one to ten and beyond. Staff teach children how to independently solve problems for themselves. Mathematics is well embedded in the curriculum.
• Staff prioritise communication and language development exceptionally well. They model rich vocabulary, ask purposeful questions and give children time to think and respond. For example, during a large-group activity older children recall the story of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. Staff introduce new vocabulary, such as 'symmetry' and 'chrysalis'. Staff working with the youngest children model simple language and use props during singing and rhyme time.
• Staff provide an inclusive environment, where opportunities for learning about the wider world are abundant. They recognise that children cannot always access experiences to learn about the wider world and invite families to share their own cultural experiences. Staff embrace opportunities to use innovative ideas and resources to ensure that these opportunities come to the children. For example, the police recently visited the nursery to talk about their role in helping us to stay safe. Children recall their experiences and share their knowledge with visitors and other children. For example, they proudly demonstrate the skills they have learned from recent football and yoga sessions.
• Children's behaviour is exceptional. Staff are excellent role models and ensure every interaction with children is respectful. They ensure that children understand expectations. Children demonstrate kindness and compassion to their peers and respond extremely positively to staff. Staff skilfully teach children about the importance of working together and how to learn from one another.
• Staff support children and families to have a good understanding of how to adopt a healthy lifestyle. They teach oral health and practise effective teeth brushing. The cook provides healthy home-cooked food, often containing the vegetables the children have grown and cultivated in nursery. Staff teach children independence skills, such as effective handwashing, feeding themselves and by having a 'can-do' attitude.
• Parent partnership is exemplary. Staff build highly effective partnerships with parents, especially with those families who need additional support and guidance. They share detailed information about children's progress through regular updates and daily conversations. Parents and carers comment on the 'exceptional' care their children receive from all staff.