Englefield Green Montessori School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this warm and nurturing nursery. They separate well from their parents and immerse themselves in play as soon as they arrive. For instance, children giggle in delight as they pretend to serve their friends ice cream from the role-play shop. Children learn to behave well. Staff act as good role models for sharing and taking turns with others. Children wait patiently and recognise that they need to wait before they have their turn.

Children have strong bonds with their key person, who knows them well. Staff make regular observations and assessments of what children know and can do. They meet regularly to discuss children's interests and what they need to learn next. Staff carefully use this information to provide opportunities to enable children to build on their existing skills. There is a key focus on developing children's understanding of the world around them. For example, during woodland walks in the local area, children look for different types of birds and insects. This helps to ignite children's curiosity and supports them to appreciate the wonders of nature.

Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Children strengthen the muscles in their hands by using tweezers and spoons to pick up items, as well as small jugs to transfer rice and beans. This helps children to develop their small-muscle skills and strengthen their fingers, in readiness for writing.

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

• The dedicated manager has high ambitions for the nursery. Staff undertake training that helps to enhance their skills and knowledge. For example, recent training has improved their knowledge on how to support children effectively with transitioning to school. The manager completes regular supervision meetings. However, she recognises the need to offer staff more incisive feedback about the effectiveness of their interactions to further raise the quality of their practice.
• The manager and staff have developed a clear and ambitious curriculum for children. They weave mathematics effectively throughout children's activities. For instance, children vote with counters to decide which book they would like to share. They compare the piles of counters and estimate which has the most before counting to check their answer. Children use their growing knowledge in many practical ways.
• Staff nurture children's independence from the very start. For example, children confidently pour drinks and serve themselves fruit at snack times. Staff help children to learn about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They explain the benefits of exercise and provide clear healthy eating guidelines for parents.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported very well. The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and other professionals to agree targeted plans to support each child. Staff provide a highly inclusive environment where they value all children and understand their individual needs.
• Partnerships with parents are a real strength of the nursery. Staff communicate daily updates about children's care and progress. Parents explain how they appreciate regular communication, which includes parents' evenings, online newsletters and an online app. They comment that staff make it clear how they can build on children's learning at home.
• Staff focus on supporting children's communication and language development. They do this through sharing stories and consistently using Makaton sign language. For example, during group time, the children sing nursery rhymes together. They use Makaton to sign the words as they sing. Children are becoming confident communicators.
• Children are developing a love of reading. Staff plan activities that inspire children to retell parts of stories they remember. For instance, after reading 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', children enjoy using a magnifying glass to observe live caterpillars. They confidently recall words such as 'egg' and 'cocoon' from the story. This helps children to link learning and build on previous knowledge and skills.
• Staff ensure that every child has a warm welcome during the morning welcome session. Children confidently speak and use Makaton to sign hello to their friends. However, circle times are sometimes too lengthy for the younger children. At these times, children lose interest. This does not help to build on their concentration levels.
• Staff consider children's experiences and take action to build on these. For instance, children are provided with weekly activities such as rugby coaching and dance sessions. Staff acknowledge how these sessions have helped to develop children's confidence and self-esteem.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine systems for coaching to enable staff to have a greater awareness of how they can further develop their interactions with children
• plan large-group activities more effectively to fully promote younger children's engagement and concentration.