Castalia Montessori Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at this warm and welcoming setting. The staff greet the children with a smile and ask them about their day. Children show they feel safe and secure as they confidently separate from their parents. The effective key-person system is well embedded within the setting. Children have formed strong bonds with the staff, who know them very well.

Staff have high expectations for all children, and children make good progress from their individual starting points. Children are happy and play independently. Staff are kind and warm with the children. They provide a varied range of activities based on children's interests. Children are keen to get involved in the activities on offer and show positive attitudes to learning. For example, they happily cut real vegetables and make fruit tea in the role-play area. Children receive lots of praise from the staff, and this helps them to build their confidence and self-esteem.

Children have excellent opportunities to develop their fine and gross motor skills. For example, children strengthen their small hand muscles as they roll and press the dough to make birthday cakes for their friends. During the day, they spend time in the garden, where they use bicycles, scooters and balls to build their physical skills.

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

• Communication and language development is a key priority at the nursery. Staff read familiar books enthusiastically and encourage children to interact with the story. Children are well engaged during singing sessions and confidently sing with their friends. Staff ask children lots of questions during the day. This supports children to build their vocabulary and communication skills. However, on occasions, staff ask closed questions and do not always allow children the time they need to think and respond.
• The staff provide communication and language focus group times during the day to help children who need more support. For example, children concentrate and pay attention during a 'bucket time' activity. This supports children to build their attention and concentration skills.
• Partnership with parents is effective. They are happy with the provision and are complimentary about how caring and kind the staff team and leaders are. Leaders provide support for the whole family, signposting them to services that may be helpful.
• All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as additional language, are making good progress from their starting points. The staff team and leaders work closely with parents and outside professionals to identify and support children to achieve to the best of their ability.
• Children behave well. Staff model turn-taking and sharing well. This helps children develop respect for each other and understand what is expected of them. For example, children work together to organise the bowling pins and take turns to roll the ball in the garden.
• Staff are happy and feel very supported by their manager. They are enthusiastic and enjoy their job roles. Managers provide staff with opportunities to develop their skills and extend their knowledge through training opportunities. For example, staff received training on communication and language to further support children's communication skills at the setting. Staff receive regular supervision and are assigned mentors to discuss their needs and development.
• Children are developing their independence and self-care skills well. For example, children carefully serve their own food and pour their own drinks during mealtimes. Staff encourage children to manage their own personal hygiene. For instance, they ask children to wash their hands before eating and wipe their faces independently after.
• Managers and staff evaluate what works well in the nursery and identify areas for development. They have recently considered ways to support children's transitions from home to nursery and from nursery to school. This resulted in reviewing the transition processes, and they have built links with the local schools to support the children in their next journey in education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to develop staff's interactions with children to help enhance children's critical thinking skills even further.