Little Cakes Montessori School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff have high expectations for all children to make rapid progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those with other barriers to learning. Staff quickly identify when children need more support in order to access the curriculum. They rapidly build a picture of the child and what they might need, and plan appropriate support to meet those needs. At the same time, they value the uniqueness of all children. Leaders and staff work alongside parents, taking on support and advice from other professionals and the families themselves. The impact of this is that children with SEND or other barriers to learning are able to access the curriculum effectively alongside their friends.

Leaders recognise the importance of staff spending time in smaller groups with children who need extra support. They ensure that they consistently have a high staff-to-child ratio in order to enable this. As a result, staff provide extra emotional and physical support for the children who need it most.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders use assessment information and ongoing evaluation to make informed decisions about curriculum development. They have designed and refined a clear, well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum that builds precisely on what children already know and can do. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make rapid progress from their starting points and show high levels of engagement.

Staff know and understand exactly what the children need. They focus closely on the prime areas of learning, knowing that these form the foundations for all future development. They adapt activities in the moment and use high-quality interactions to extend every child's learning.

Communication and language learning are embedded in the daily routines. Babies join in with songs and rhymes, while older children take turns to talk and explain to others what they have been doing outside of the setting. This builds children's confidence in communicating with others.

Babies and toddlers develop an awareness of number through songs, rhymes, counting routines and sensory numbers. Older children develop an awareness of estimating whether something is heavier or lighter by using balance scales. This helps children to develop mathematical understanding and use what they know independently.

Leaders are skilled in their knowledge of using the outdoors to enhance children's learning and physical development. Babies regularly go out for walks, while older children spend time on the field or in the forest. This supports children's core muscles and stamina while fostering their curiosity of the world around them. For example, they look at changes in the seasons, growth, animals and the weather.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children develop into confident, independent and respectful learners who are ready for the next step in their educational journey. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other barriers to learning, make rapid progress from their starting points. The well-designed curriculum ensures that children thrive, supported by both the high expectations of the staff and the securely embedded teaching and learning. Transitions are carefully planned, with staff providing the right support at each stage so that children feel prepared and able to succeed in their next steps.

Children show high levels of engagement and are motivated to learn by a variety of exciting learning opportunities. Babies use trains to make marks in paint, strengthening the fine muscles in their hands to move the trains on tracks and through tunnels. Older children carefully peel the shells from boiled eggs. This supports fine muscle development and hand-to-eye coordination.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children demonstrate a secure understanding of, and follow, the daily practices that are in embedded in the day-to-day routines. They immediately respond to instructions, such as 'tidy up time' and 'circle time'. Babies replace the toys they have been using in the correct place then select their own mat for circle time, positioning them ready to begin. Older children carry their own chairs to and from the circle. Staff have high expectations of children. Where support is needed, staff quickly provide clear instructions, enabling children to complete their task.

There is an established culture of respect and kindness in the setting. Children listen to each other, share ideas and take turns in conversation. They remind each other to have good manners and clearly exhibit the independence skills they are being taught and that are modelled by staff, such as clearing away after lunch. These routines are securely embedded in the daily practice.

Children particularly enjoy being given responsibility. They carefully sweep up, selecting their broom, dustpan and brush, then demonstrate what they need to do. As a result, children's personal, social and emotional development are strengthened and their behaviour is excellent. They are confident to ask questions, have a good understanding of how to regulate their feelings and are caring and considerate of others. Leaders prioritise the importance of children's attendance, which is carefully monitored.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff have extensive knowledge of the children and they use their detailed understanding of them to plan what they need to learn next. A flexible settling-in process, tailored to individual children and their families, ensures that warm, caring relationships are built quickly. Staff prioritise the children's emotional learning and support them to understand their feelings and regulate their emotions.

For babies, staff provide consistent, sensitive and responsive care, tuning into children's cues and emotions and responding promptly. Staff co-regulate emotions, model calm behaviour and narrate feelings in the moment, enabling babies to feel understood and develop secure attachments. Older children have a 'learning reflection area' in the room, which provides a safe space for children who need to identify how they feel. The use a variety of different resources, including photographs, support soft toys and objects made by the children themselves, which depict various emotions.

Leaders ensure that robust policies and procedures are embedded to keep children healthy and safe. Mealtimes are a social time, with staff and leaders eating with the children. The setting provides a healthy, balanced menu and staff understand the importance of children's dietary requirements and rigorous supervision at mealtimes. They work in partnership with parents to plan routines for potty training, weaning and safe sleeping.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders inspire the staff team to consistently offer high-quality experiences that support the children to thrive in all areas of learning and development. They understand the strengths of the provision and know what they need to do to maintain consistency.

Staff speak positively about the support they receive from leaders and each other and the strong team ethos of the setting. Leaders value and support staff on their career pathway and provide regular opportunities for further training and development. Leaders are 'hands on' and work alongside staff to support their development. As a result, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning who need specific support thrive and make rapid progress from their starting point.

Parents speak extremely highly of the setting. They appreciate the settling-in process and the open-door culture of the setting. They speak very highly of the staff and highlight the relationships of the staff with their children. They appreciate the use of the online platform, which regularly updates them. They particularly value the opportunities they are given to speak to leaders and staff at the beginning and end of the day.