East Sussex Montessori School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children's well-being is given high priority at this caring setting. They benefit from lots of individual attention from staff, which helps them feel safe and secure. Staff are kind and patient. They make their high expectations clear from the beginning so that children understand how to behave well. Staff quickly recognise when children need support to manage their emotions and gently respond to help them resolve any conflicts with their friends.

Staff successfully plan a curriculum that particularly focuses on supporting children to become more independent and do as much as possible for themselves. They always give children the chance to try for themselves before they offer help. Children confidently carry out tasks such as wiping tables for lunch and washing their plates in soapy water. Even the youngest children capably get out resources such as the compact disc player, insert a disc and turn it on to listen to some music.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, benefit from a broad range of experiences that help them gain the skills they need for their future learning. Staff respond promptly to seek additional support or funding for children where needed and work effectively with other professionals to help close any gaps.

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

• The manager has a strong commitment to offering a high-quality service to children and their families. She monitors staff practice closely, for instance, by observing them and providing regular supervision sessions. Staff have good opportunities for ongoing development to extend their skills and follow areas of interest so that the provision continually improves.
• Staff have a clear idea of what they want children to learn and how to help them get there, step by step. They build on children's learning effectively, making sure that they have mastered one skill before moving on to the next. Children are motivated to use what they learn when facing new challenges. For example, they practise their physical skills when pouring water from small jugs and then delight in pouring from larger buckets to wash the plates after snack time.
• Stories and singing are part of every day at the setting. Children respond enthusiastically when staff invite them to the carpet to join in familiar songs. They listen attentively when staff read to them and are eager to ask questions and share their thoughts. Staff give all children plenty of time to join in conversations and express their ideas. They introduce new words to build on children's vocabulary. Children make quick progress with their speaking and listening skills.
• Children behave well. Staff are positive role models and show children how to treat each other with kindness and respect. Children readily take turns with equipment and share with their friends. They learn to concentrate well on activities and enjoy taking responsibility for tasks that staff ask them to do. For example, they eagerly organise a search for a missing basket, checking all areas of the hall and asking adults and children questions to help with their investigation.
• Staff give children the time they need to settle in at their own pace when they first start. They find out about children's individual needs so that they can provide appropriate care straight away. However, they do not always gather detailed information from parents about what children already know and can do so that they can also swiftly begin to support their learning.
• There are regular opportunities for children to go on outings in the local community and to find out about the people and places close by. They have some exciting opportunities to learn about each other, for example, when they taste some food from their friend's home. However, staff do not fully extend these opportunities to help children find out about a broad range of people and communities outside of their own experience.
• Parents are kept well informed about their child's day. Staff provide regular updates on children's progress and explain what they are ready to learn next. They offer useful ideas to help parents continue their child's learning at home and share resources such as books. Parents particularly value the individual care and attention their child receives in the setting and are complimentary about the staff team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen arrangements for gathering information from parents about children's existing knowledge and skills when they first start
• extend opportunities for children to learn about different people and communities and broaden their understanding of the wider world.