Daisy Chain Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children excitedly come into nursery. They have strong attachments with the whole staff team. The introduction of special family 'get togethers' and a flexible approach to settling-in procedures has supported children to settle back into the nursery quickly. Children are extremely happy and assured. They enjoy every minute of their time at this calm and nurturing nursery. Children giggle as they happily play with staff. This helps them feel settled and secure in the nursery. Children behave well, and staff have high expectations of them.

Children positively immerse themselves in their play and learning. Younger children enjoy singing sessions and show interest in the sounds that different instruments make. They reflect on their own home experiences, such as when looking after babies and making cups of tea in the home corner during pretend play. Older children take on different roles, such as the daily helper, and enjoy setting the tables for lunch and looking after the younger children. Children are proud of what they achieve. They have great fun as they mix materials together to create purple play dough and eagerly recall the ingredients that are needed to make their own dough. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully supported by staff, who have a good knowledge of their interests and stages of development. All children make good progress.

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

• Managers and staff are passionate and committed to providing high-quality childcare. Staff are proud to work at the nursery and talk very positively about their role and how happy they are as a team. They benefit from regular staff meetings and access mandatory training opportunities. However, this support and training are not yet focused sharply enough to raise the quality of teaching and learning to the very highest levels.
• Opportunities to develop communication and language skills are prioritised at this nursery. Children develop a love of books and stories. Younger children engage in stories as they lift flaps to reveal what is hidden underneath. They join in with actions and say the next word when gaps are left by staff. Older children recall key events from stories with great enthusiasm as they sit together in a group.
• Staff manage behaviour well. They model positive behaviour and explain clearly to children why some behaviour is not acceptable. For example, staff help children understand that they must take turns with resources. They talk through how the child feels about it but also how the other child feels as well. This helps children to develop their sense of empathy.
• Children make good progress in their learning and development from their starting points. Overall, teaching is well planned and sequenced. However, at times, staff plan activities and next steps that are not focused enough on what children already know and can do and what they want children to learn next. As a result, occasionally, learning intentions are not as precise to support children's rapid progress.
• Staff provide experiences for children to promote their small-muscle movements and independence. For example, older children self-serve their own lunch using ladles. Younger children begin to develop these same skills as they use tongs to pick up pom-poms as they play. Children confidently navigate their way around the learning environments and are learning to manage their self-care.
• The manager and her team provide strong support for children with SEND. Staff identify any children that will benefit from additional support effectively and provide targeted interventions to help close any gaps in their learning. They work in partnership with parents and other professionals to identify and target children's care and learning needs.
• The staff team recognises that the children are from a variety of different backgrounds. Staff are keen to develop children's understanding of different cultures and communities. Children take part in wider celebrations and events that are inspired by their own family cultures and traditions. This contributes towards children's growing awareness of diversity and what makes each and every one of them unique.
• Parents talk highly of the nursery and the staff. They highlight that the staff support the whole family and not just the child. Parents comment highly on the kind, caring and approachable staff. They feel their children make good progress in their learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the arrangements for staff supervision, support and focused training to help raise the quality of teaching to a consistently higher level
• support staff to plan activities and next steps that are sharply focused on what they want children to learn next.