Buttercup Montessori Kindergarten Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly greeted by familiar adults as they arrive at the setting. Babies benefit from a calm and relaxed atmosphere that has a positive impact on them. Children build strong bonds with staff who interact well with them as they play and explore. For example, they help babies practise using their large muscles as they learn to crawl up the soft-play arch. Older children develop friendships with their peers and play cooperatively together. Children are confident. They are eager to introduce themselves and their friends to visitors and tell them their names and what they have been doing.

Children are learning to be independent. They learn the importance of good hygiene practices such as washing their hands at appropriate times. This helps to protect children's good health. Staff encourage children to put on their own coats and shoes, offering extra support where needed. For example, when children struggle to put on their shoes, staff are patient and give them ideas about how to make it easier. Staff offer praise and encouragement until children manage to complete the task. This helps them to learn to persevere when they face difficulties, developing their self-esteem and resilience.

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

• Leaders and staff have a clear vision to provide high-quality care and education for all children. Leaders successfully share the planned curriculum with all staff. They have monthly themes and use these to build on children's prior knowledge. However, the curriculum does not always take into consideration children's emerging interests during independent play, to build their learning over time. For example, children show a strong interest in role play but have limited opportunities to pursue this.
• Children behave well and respond to the rules and boundaries of the setting. They are given notice of how much time they have left until they move to the next activity. This helps children to bring their play to a satisfactory end and are prepared for what comes next. Staff help children to learn the importance of keeping their environment safe. For example, when children spill water on the floor during an activity, staff are on hand to help them understand the risk this may pose. Children keenly help to clean this up. This helps children to learn how to keep themselves safe.
• Children's communication and language are supported well. Staff role model and extend children's language effectively. For example, when toddlers use single words, staff repeat these back, adding additional words to the sentence. Babies benefit from back-and-forth interactions and copy sounds from staff. For example, babies babble to staff and staff repeat their sounds back, encouraging them to have a turn. Older children are confident talkers and are starting to recognise the sounds that letters make.
• Children are keen to join in with the variety of activities provided. They join in with a colour-mixing activity using foam and paint. Staff talk to them about the colours they see and explain that the blue represents the sea. Children confidently explain that 'whales' live in the sea. Other children explore plastic insects with magnifying glasses. However, at times, staff do not adapt their teaching to help children to sustain their interest and motivation to learn. For example, when children change the direction of the activity and use the pots to make pretend ice creams, staff continue to focus on the plastic insects. This results in children losing focus and leaving the activity.
• Children enjoy their time in the garden. They spend time transporting water from the water tray to the mud kitchen, where they fill and empty bottles. Other children take some water and brushes to mark make on the chalkboard.
• Partnerships with parents are positive. Parents are happy with the progress that their children make and value the regular feedback they receive through the online app. They are given regular updates about their children's achievements and ideas on how to continue this learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure the curriculum builds on children's individual emerging interests
• develop staff's teaching further to help children to sustain their concentration and motivation in their learning.