Les Petites Etoiles Bilingual Montessori – Crouch Hill

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish at this caring and well-organised nursery, and feel safe and secure. They are very well supported by staff, who understand their individual development and learning needs. Building children's confidence and independence is a key aspect of the provision. For example, older children attend to their own personal care and younger children learn how to wash their hands on their own and feed themselves.

Communication and language learning is supported by the bilingual curriculum offered. Staff model spoken English and French well. Children are encouraged to use words and simple sentences in both languages throughout the day: staff constantly switch between the two. This helps to broaden children's understanding of language and improves their thinking skills.

The provision is organised to enable children to follow their own interests. They freely choose the resources and equipment they are interested in. Staff play with them, supporting and extending their learning effectively. This also helps children to stay focused and engaged in activities for longer. Younger children's behaviour is good. From the moment they start, children learn the behaviour expected of them and the nursery routines they need to follow. They are taught how to develop positive relationships with others and the importance of empathy and understanding.

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

• The manager provides a clear vision for the nursery. She fully understands how young children learn and how to effectively support their personal and emotional development. She knows her staff very well, supporting them to improve their teaching skills through well-planned professional development and regular supervision. She makes herself available to staff when they require professional or personal advice and support. As a result, staff feel highly valued and very happy at work.
• Managers and staff are dedicated and passionate about their roles. They have high expectations for all the children they care for and want every child to become confident and successful in their learning. The Montessori curriculum supports this aim by providing opportunities for children to build on their previous learning and to regularly practise their skills.
• Settling-in procedures are generally good. Staff offer home visits where they gather as much information about the child as they can. This ensures children start learning from the moment they begin nursery. However, babies do not always have access to the resources and equipment they are interested in when transitioning from home. Giving them ongoing access would develop their confidence and emotional security, helping them to settle more quickly.
• The key-person system is well established and highly effective. Parents mention the strong bonds that form between their children and staff. They appreciate the daily learning and care information that key persons share with them and the timely support they provide.
• Staff are knowledgeable about the needs of children who may need extra support. They work in partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure that children and their families get the targeted help they need.
• Language and reading support are good across the nursery. For example, there are well-stocked book areas in every room and in the outside area. There is also a lending library for children, where they can choose and borrow books to continue their love of reading at home.
• Overall, children's behaviour is good. However, staff in the pre-school room are not always consistent in their approaches to behaviour management. Expectations are not shared regularly enough with children and good behaviour is not reinforced during whole group and transition activities. Therefore, some children are not clear about what is expected of them at these times and, as a result, their behaviour can suffer.
• Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to be physically active and to develop their muscle control. For example, children use fishing rods to hook and retrieve plastic ducks from the water tray. This develops their hand-to-eye coordination and finger control. The outside area is well equipped to support the children's larger physical development. Children learn to keep themselves healthy. They enjoy well-planned nutritious meals and snacks.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure babies have access to resources and equipment that interest them when settling in, further supporting their confidence and emotional security
• support staff in pre-school to consistently apply and reinforce behaviour management expectations, developing children's understanding of how to behave well during whole group and transition activities.