Discoveries Montessori Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy the challenging and motivating activities that staff plan for them. For example, they are eager to make lava lamps and are excited when their volcanoes 'explode'. Children learn about the importance of healthy eating. They grow and eat their home-grown produce, such as leeks, strawberries and blackberries. Children have good opportunities to develop their imagination. They enjoy dressing up as their favourite characters and act out their favourite story about a tiger. Staff extend this well, they encourage children to experience what they may have missed during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. They set up role-play opportunities for children on a large scale. For instance, they recently enjoyed a 'trip to the cinema' and the 'bowling alley'.

Children learn about nature. They enjoy watching their baby ladybirds grow into adult ladybirds and notice that their appearance changes. During a bug hunt, children gain good mathematical skills, to support their future learning. For instance, they measure the length of the worms and woodlice that they find. Children develop good communication skills and staff support this well. Children are excited to learn new words and get to know their meaning. For example, during a story they learn about what a soufflé is and describe the centre as 'oozing'.

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

• The manager closely monitors the good quality of education and care that staff provide. She observes staff teaching children daily and provides helpful feedback to support their future practice. For example, she shares ideas of how to extend activities even further. This helps staff challenge children and keep them engaged in their learning experiences. Staff make good use of regular training. They have recently learned about the different ways to support children's communication. For example, they use simple signing to communicate with children.
• Overall, parents are happy with the staff and level of care they provide. Staff speak to parents as they arrive to collect their children. They discuss each child's day, and the activities they have enjoyed. However, staff do not consistently make sure that all parents have up-to-date information about the progress their children are making to help support learning at home.
• Staff know each child and their individual personalities exceptionally well. They establish an extremely secure and trusting relationship with children. As a result, children are extremely happy, confident and independent. Children are incredibly resilient and their attitude towards learning is outstanding. For example, when completing tasks they tell their friends, 'If this does not work, I will try again until it does not fail'. Children's behaviour is impeccable and they are incredibly polite, kind and caring. For instance, they like to make sure that their friends are happy.
• Children have some opportunities to paint, such as when they use natural objects, including lavender and rosemary to make marks. However, the art work that staff choose to celebrate in displays shows a high level of adult direction. This does not support children to develop confidence in exploring and expressing their own creative ideas further.
• Staff support children to develop good physical skills. Children climb and balance on a range of challenging equipment, such as stepping stones and climbing frames. Children develop good hand-to-eye coordination, as they enjoy cutting activities and move objects with tongs with confidence.
• All children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported by staff to make good progress. Staff attend beneficial training, such as Autism awareness, to help them gain a better understanding of how to support all children effectively.
• All staff help children to understand and respect other people's differences from around the world. This includes customs of other countries and the languages spoken there. Children look at print of other languages, such as books in Chinese and Vietnamese. Children learn about Russia, such as when they learn to bake a traditional Russian chocolate cake.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff build on the already good partnerships with parents and provide them with more regular information about their children's progress to keep them fully involved and informed
• support staff to recognise how to encourage children to freely express themselves during creative activities.