Green Gables Montessori Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children clearly enjoy their time in the setting. They form close bonds with caring key staff and are confident to leave their parents and carers as they arrive. The indoor and outdoor learning environments are stimulating and provide good opportunities for children to make safe and independent choices. In the forest area, pre-school children have ample opportunities to build on their core muscle strength and develop good hand-to-eye coordination. They straddle large logs, clamber up and down hilly banks and balance on logs. They climb into the hammock, remembering to consider where their friends are playing before swinging. This helps them to develop an increased awareness of themselves and others. Toddlers show concentration and curiosity as they dig in the soil to investigate the lives of minibeasts.

Children make friends. They spend time listening to each other. Children learn to share and take turns. They display good manners and behaviours, and staff manage minor disagreements well. These respectful relationships help children to feel happy, safe and secure. Babies are cared for in a safe, calm and stimulating environment and, as a result, they are very settled. Their needs for sleep, comfort and interaction with staff are immediately met. They have space to crawl, learn to walk and explore different objects.

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

• The manager has designed a curriculum with a strong focus on children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff are aware that when children start at the nursery, their experiences are very different. They offer children a wide variety of activities and learning experiences that helps children to become secure in their learning prior to starting school.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported by staff to make as much progress as they can in relation to their starting points. The special educational needs leader is confident and knowledgeable about the children's needs. She ensures firm working relationships with parents and other professionals involved in the children's care.
• The manager communicates her expectations for staff practice clearly. She teaches staff to use questioning techniques that provoke children's thinking. Staff interact well with children during their play. They encourage children to pronounce words correctly. However, they do not consistently add new words to extend their vocabulary.
• Children develop their early writing skills. They handle small tongs to pick up various objects and make marks using sticks, pencils and chalk. These opportunities help to develop their small muscle strength and dexterity.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Younger children are gently reminded to use 'kind hands' and to share. Staff help older children to recognise and articulate their feelings and emotions and share them with others. Children talk about times when they felt happy or sad. This helps them to understand that people have different feelings.
• Children benefit from healthy and nutritious food, according to their specific dietary needs. They sit together at mealtimes, as a social occasion. Staff encourage children to be independent in their self-help skills and, as a result, children are learning how to take care of themselves. For example, they find their own belongings and return plates and dishes after eating.
• Parents say they are happy with the care their children receive. They speak highly of the setting and the unique opportunities staff provide. Parents know what daily activities their children participate in. However, staff do not consistently share children's individual next steps in learning. This means that parents are not always aware of how to further extend their children's learning at home.
• The manager and staff reflect on the quality of the nursery and implement changes to make improvements. For example, they have successfully developed the outdoor area to create even more accessible space for pre-school children and babies. Staff have access to ongoing professional development through an online training provider. This helps to support their practice and children's learning needs. Staff say that they feel confident to approach the manager and feel that she values their mental health and well-being.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to make better use of everyday opportunities to enhance children's vocabulary and use of descriptive language
• increase the information shared with parents to ensure that they are aware of their child's next steps in learning and how they can continue to support their child's learning at home.