Cranbrook Castle Montessori

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have an enthusiastic, caring and friendly approach. Children demonstrate they are happy and settled in their company. Staff develop secure attachments with children through, for instance, effective settling-in procedures. Staff are attentive and respond positively to children's interests and needs. They provide children with a range of age-appropriate resources and, overall, plan interesting and challenging activities. Children explore and investigate with curiosity. For instance, younger children are fascinated by play dough as they learn to handle rollers and transport shape cutters. Staff make links with what children are learning as they explore paint and print characters from a story.

Children behave very well. They have good manners and show respect and care for their friends, visitors and staff. This is because staff provide children with clear and fair expectations. They provide children with consistent praise and encouragement. Staff help children to develop a positive sense of themselves. This supports children's emotional well-being and supports them to feel safe and secure.

Staff support children's language development well, including children who speak English as an additional language. Staff engage in meaningful conversations and respond enthusiastically to children's ideas and questions. Children show good levels of curiosity and imagination. For example, they thoroughly enjoy including staff in their role play as they cook a meal and hang dolls' clothes to dry on the washing line. Children demonstrate during their play that they know that the toy pans and cooker are hot and that they must be careful.

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

• Staff observe children's play and learning and plan for their next stage of development effectively. They use this to provide children with a wide range of imaginative activities that cover all areas of the curriculum. Staff monitor children's progress to ensure that any gaps in their learning are quickly identified and closed.
• Staff plan activities to enable children to develop their fine motor skills and see the practical uses of early writing and mathematics. For instance, children make marks with crayons and talk about the different colours they use in their drawing. They learn to count to 10 and beyond as they play a matching number activity. However, staff do not organise some whole-group activities effectively for all children's needs. For instance, some children have to sit for too long or do not get a turn.
• Overall, children display good levels of concentration. For example, older children discuss how to keep their teeth clean as they play with oral hygiene resources. However, there are times when staff are not aware of when children begin to lose focus and are not fully engaged in their learning. At these times, they do not always help children to regain their focus and engagement.
• Staff value children's home lives and teach them about other cultures and the world around them. Children learn to persevere as they test out objects in the water to see if they float or sink. They are inquisitive and motivated to learn. These attitudes help to prepare children for their next stage of learning.
• Staff promote children's awareness of healthy lifestyles and their independence skills effectively. Children eat a range of nutritious food and proudly serve themselves, pouring out their own water and milk.
• Leaders value the views of staff, parents and children in making plans for the future development of the setting. For example, since the last inspection, children now have good use of the outdoor play area, which contributes to their physical development.
• Leaders and staff are motivated and ambitious to ensure that the setting continuously improves. They are committed to continuous professional development and update their skills to improve teaching and the setting.
• Partnerships with parents are highly valued and ensure that children's individual needs are met successfully. Staff keep parents up to date with their children's achievements and how their learning could be extended at home. Partnerships with other professionals also help to make sure that children have consistency in their play and learning experiences.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review group activities that are led by staff, ensuring that they are appropriate for all children's needs
• develop strategies to help children to focus on activities and their play and concentrate for longer periods of time.