Little Acorns Montessori Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed by staff into this caring and nurturing environment. They quickly form secure attachments with the experienced staff team. Children are happy to approach staff for support, when needed, demonstrating that they feel confident, safe and secure. The manager and staff have high expectations for children and provide an exciting and well-organised learning environment. They want all children to be confident, independent and inquisitive learners when they move on to the next stage of their education. Older children are motivated to investigate the stimulating and adaptable resources, such as sand, water, play dough and construction sets. They become highly engaged and demonstrate creativity as they play. For instance, children work cooperatively to create a bus using crates and other materials. They develop their imaginations and share their ideas as they enjoy putting on a show for the staff and their friends. Younger children learn new words and begin to share resources. They explore sensory materials outside and discover concepts such as 'floating' and 'sinking'.

Staff are good role models and have a calming and respectful attitude towards children. In turn, children behave well and are beginning to manage their feelings. They listen intently to staff and follow instructions. Children are continuously praised for their efforts. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning based on their starting points.

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

• The experienced manager has a clear vision of what she wants children to learn. She has implemented a number of changes to improve the quality of the setting. However, these changes have not had sufficient time to be fully embedded. As a result, not all staff are aware of the curriculum intention, and some activities in the toddler room are not pitched at the right level. This means that, at times, some younger children are not fully engaged in meaningful activities.
• Children have ample opportunities to be physically active. They have regular access to the outdoor areas, where they run, kick balls, use the climbing equipment and carefully balance on beams. Children excitedly engage in water and sand play and use watering cans and gardening tools to pour, fill and empty containers. This helps to develop children's balance and coordination.
• Children develop their mathematical skills through a variety of activities. For example, children count, match and sort objects and talk about shapes. They enthusiastically test out their predictions of objects that might float or sink and excitedly measure and compare their heights using an outdoor tape measure. Staff engage well with children during these activities.
• Children develop strong independence skills and a sense of responsibility from an early age. For example, children pour their drinks, use spoons and tongs to serve themselves at snack time and help to tidy away their plates and cups. They take off their shoes, listening carefully to staff's well-placed tips. Children are keen to carry out tasks for themselves and are proud of their achievements.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language development. They engage children in conversations and provide a narrative while they play. Staff working with the older children introduce letter sounds and help children to recognise objects that start with associated letters. Children listen to stories with great concentration and hear a broad range of vocabulary. However, at times, staff miss opportunities to encourage the younger toddlers and quieter children to share their views, to build their confidence and language even further.
• Partnership working is strong. Links with external professionals and the local authority are good. Parents speak highly of the care and education the children receive. They state that they feel well informed about their children's learning and development through regular information delivered in a variety of ways, such as verbal feedback and an online app.
• The manager supports staff's continued professional development and well-being. She carries out supervision meetings, and staff attend regular professional development training that builds on their strengths. Following recent training on communication and language, staff use visual cues and sign language to help children understand routines and support their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's understanding of the curriculum intent for the younger children so that their teaching is consistently focused on what they want children to learn
• support staff to help the younger and quieter children to consistently share their views, building their confidence and communication even further.