Heather Grove Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The caring, family atmosphere that staff create enables children to feel very safe and secure. Children develop extremely strong attachments with their key person. The manager and staff keep children's well-being and enjoyment at the centre of everything they do. Staff talk to children in a calm and respectful manner, gently reminding them about the need to share and take turns. Children are developing an awareness of their emotions and are caring towards each other. Staff ensure that children's language and communication development is a priority. For example, they use Makaton signing with children and carefully choose songs and books for each age range. Staff model language well and tailor this to the individual needs of children. For example, staff introduce and repeat single words as they play with babies. They also use visuals and signs for children to support their understanding. Staff engage older children in conversations and ask questions to extend their thinking. For example, when they are making models with cardboard, they use children's responses and ideas to extend the conversation and include other children in their discussion. Children become confident talkers.

Throughout their day at nursery, children demonstrate high levels of engagement in their learning. They focus intently on their work and are supported by the very dedicated staff team. They make friends and play well with their peers. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence and self-esteem in their learning, self-care and communication. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress and are ready for their next steps in learning, including starting school.

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

• Transitions into the setting for new babies and children are thoughtfully planned with robust settling-in sessions. Staff gather key information about children when they first start to ensure continuity of care. As children move between rooms, transitions are carefully managed to help children develop strong, secure attachments with their new key person.
• The management team is dedicated, maintaining strong oversight of the setting, staff, children and families. Low staff turnover reflects its commitment to staff development and well-being, with staff feeling well supported. However, while supervisions and monitoring are completed, staff do not always receive focused feedback on their teaching practice.
• Leaders and staff plan a clear, varied curriculum that helps children make continuous progress throughout the nursery. For the youngest children, the focus is on building attachments and providing a nurturing environment. Older children receive support to develop social and self-help skills, preparing them for school. Children also learn about the world through visits from community members, such as a local beekeeper, which enriches their understanding of living things and supports their learning and development.
• Staff support children's early mathematical development effectively by incorporating mathematics into everyday activities and routines. They encourage counting throughout the day and give lots of opportunities for children to identify numbers. This supports children's early understanding of mathematical concepts.
• Staff promote healthy lifestyles effectively by ensuring children have daily outdoor time for fresh air and physical activity. They actively teach children about healthy eating and enhance learning through their own garden, where children experience growing food first hand.
• Staff implement 'golden rules' that help children to understand what is expected of them. Children behave well in the setting. They respond respectfully to instructions given to them by staff and happily follow the routines established within the setting.
• Overall, children show positive attitudes to learning and enjoy group activities. However, staff do not always organise the learning environment to fully support engagement. Consequently, group sizes and background distractions sometimes lessen the effectiveness of learning experiences.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. They are fully involved in nursery life and feel well supported. Parents receive information to help their children's learning at home and receive suggestions from staff for activities to try at the weekend. They are also regularly updated on their children's progress. Specific skills, such as the method taught to put on a coat, are shared with parents to encourage consistency between home and the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff monitoring to accurately pinpoint specific teaching development needs in order to support consistently high quality teaching
• carefully organise the learning environment during group times to minimise distractions, enabling children to listen attentively and fully engage.