Fairfield Montessori School Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm and friendly welcome when they arrive at this setting. They eagerly greet their friends and separate well from parents and carers. Children are quick to join in with the range of activities on offer. This shows that they feel happy and safe. Staff build good relationships with children and parents. Parents feel well informed about what their children are doing each day and how well they are developing. Staff give parents ideas of how to support their children's learning at home. Parents appreciate this and feel included in their children's education.

Children have plenty of opportunities to be physically active throughout the day. They develop their core strength and large muscles by climbing and balancing on climbing frames. This also helps them to learn how to safely take risks. Children build their imagination by playing in the mud kitchen or dressing up and role playing. Staff teach children how to share, take turns and be kind to one another. This supports children to learn how to make friends and work as part of a team. Staff plan the experiences carefully. They make learning fun, and children are highly motivated and engaged in the learning activities on offer. As a result, children make good progress.

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

• Staff skilfully introduce new vocabulary to the children as they play. For example, when looking at a snail, staff use words such as 'antennae'. Staff remind children that they saw antennae on a butterfly earlier that day. This repetition of vocabulary helps children to remember new words and develops their language skills.
• The setting's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is passionate about her role. She is very knowledgeable about the children that attend who need extra support. She works closely with staff, families and external agencies to monitor these children's development. She ensures that children receive targeted support to close any developmental gaps that are appearing.
• Staff foster a love of books. Children listen carefully when staff read to them. Staff promote children's interest in reading at home by encouraging children to bring in books to share with their friends. This provides a strong foundation for children's future reading development.
• Staff know what they want each child to learn next. They think carefully about the activities on offer and what children will learn from them. However, on occasion, staff choose activities that are too difficult for the children. As a result, some children struggle with the task and lose focus.
• Staff support children to learn rules and routines to ensure that they remain safe. For example, children learn how to go up and down stairs safely and how to line up and wait patiently for the next activity to begin. However, transition times are not always organised effectively. During these times, staff do too much for children. For example, they put children's coats away and get their lunch boxes out for them. This limits opportunities for children to practise these independence skills themselves in preparation for school.
• Staff support children to develop an understanding of different cultures and beliefs. For instance, staff invite relatives of children from the Muslim faith to talk to children about Ramadan. Grandparents that speak a language other than English share stories in their own language with the children. This teaches children about the world around them and supports them to appreciate diversity.
• Staff provide activities linked to children's interests to motivate them to learn. As a result, children show high levels of concentration on their chosen activities for extended periods. For example, staff support children to look for bugs in the outdoor forest school area. Children eagerly search with their magnifying glasses and squeal with delight when they find them. This develops their investigative skills and levels of curiosity.
• The manager is reflective in her practice and is passionate about the care that she and her staff provide. She cares about the well-being of her staff and provides regular supervision meetings to ensure that they feel valued and well supported.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to enhance opportunities for children to strengthen their independence skills
• ensure all activities are matched to the age and stage of the children taking part.