Little Steps Montessori Nursery School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff build positive relationships with parents and carers and children. This enables them to assess and evaluate children's learning and development to identify early and gaps in learning. They use this information to create targeted support plans alongside parents and external agencies. This ensures that children receive the support and teaching they need to make consistent progress.

Partnerships with professionals are proven to be very effective in ensuring continuity of care for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders use funding to provide adaptations or training of staff to meet children's specific needs.

Leaders and staff have effective processes in place for observation and assessment that are reviewed and shared with parents, other agencies and staff. This helps them to identify any gaps in learning, particularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They plan provision to meet the individual needs of children. This ensures that staff's teaching approach is effective and positively impacts on children. They prioritise inclusion to develop and provide an environment that celebrates and recognises children's individual needs and abilities.

Leaders and staff know the children well. They work with external agencies to ensure that children receive appropriate support at the earliest opportunity. They use funding effectively to adapt provision to remove barriers and enable children to access their educational entitlement.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have developed an ambitious curriculum that supports all children to make sustained progress. They have an inclusive approach that recognises the needs and interests of each child. Staff tailor their approach to ensure that children have access to the wide range of learning experiences and activities available. Children engage and focus on their learning and play. This supports children to secure and master their current skills and work towards their next steps in learning. Children develop their gross and fine motor skills. They develop their hand muscles as they use one-handed tools and equipment while creating art work.

Staff observe and assess children's learning frequently to monitor their progress and prepare children for their next stage in education. Children are confident and independent in their play and learning. They build positive relationships with their peers and the staff caring for them.

Staff consistently provide high-quality teaching and engagement that supports children to focus and participate in their learning and development. Leaders are skilled and knowledgeable in their curriculum approach. They provide support and coaching to empower staff to know what it is they want children to learn and how to provide the teaching children need to make progress. Children have many opportunities to explore and develop their mathematical skills. They particularly enjoy following and continuing patterns. Children predict successfully the next step in the pattern. Additionally, they explore size as they create and play with a nativity scene, placing the people in size order.

Leaders and staff have a consistent approach in developing children's communication and language skills. They model language, offering new vocabulary to support children's interests and skills. Children enjoy a range of activities that promote communication and language. They particularly enjoy songs and sharing favourite stories.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children benefit from high-quality interactions and make excellent progress across all areas of the early years foundation stage. They focus and engage in purposeful play, where they are absorbed in a rich and engaging environment.

Children develop friendships and are quick to engage and invite others into their play. They build and develop their personal, social and emotional development as they join and celebrate their friends' achievements. They show great pride in their learning and enjoy sharing new learning with those caring for them.

Children learn independence and self-care skills as they prepare and serve snacks, ensuring that they wash their hands and clean the table where they will eat. Children are resilient and supported well to keep trying to successfully complete a task. For example, they learn about shape and size as they use seeds and pulses pouring through funnels. They estimate when discovering how full the container will need to be to fill the funnel.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff set clear expectations and boundaries on children's behaviour and attitudes to learning. Staff positively role model relationships and consideration for the environment and each other. This helps children to develop a strong sense of self and respect for each other and the adults who care for them. Children know and understand the routines of the day and their time at nursery.

Leaders and staff promote establishing healthy routines with parents and carers. They emphasise the positive impact that regular attendance has on children's overall development. They work with parents to establish consistent routines for attendance and recognise any barriers. They adapt and develop routines to meet the needs of children and their families to ensure that they can access their educational entitlement. Children behave incredibly well. They are kind and considerate of each other and staff. There are very strong bonds between key persons and children. This builds on and supports children's personal, social and emotional development.

Staff ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have the same opportunities to engage and participate in their learning and development. They ensure that they approach the needs of each child individually to ensure that they have the support and encouragement to engage and focus on their learning and development.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff pride themselves on the relationships they foster with children and their parents and carers and families. They learn about the children attending and their wider family context. This supports children's welfare and wellbeing. The strong relationships that staff model with parents show children they are safe and cared for. Parents are assured their children receive the care and education to support them to make excellent progress.

Leaders and staff promote the importance of routines and attendance to highlight the positive impact on children's wellbeing as they establish routines and develop a strong sense of belonging. Staff support children and parents to meet their needs and recognise any challenges children face in accessing the provision. They adapt and arrange the activities and resources to support all children to access and engage in their learning and development.

Children develop their skills and understanding of their bodies and what they can do, and they explore and develop their skills through many activities. They learn to take manageable risks and how to keep themselves safe in play.

Children know and understand the routines of the day, and this supports a healthy lifestyle around mealtimes, exercise and rest. Children enjoy a quiet time to rest after physical activity or mealtimes before they engage again in other activities. Staff model positive interactions with each other and children. They help children to identify and name emotions. They provide support and encouragement for children to learn to express and manage their emotions.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have a clear focus on and understanding of their strengths and priorities for improvement. Regular team meetings to evaluate and assess the provision, teaching and children's progress help identify areas for improvement. Leaders support staff with training and coaching through the modelling of practice. They hold discussions and meet with staff to discuss children's progress, next steps and any areas of professional development staff feel they need further support in. Leaders source any learning required by staff to support their practice development, knowledge and skills.

Staff feel valued and appreciated and that they can request any additional training or information they have a particular interest in developing or learning. This benefits their professional development and has an excellent impact on their teaching and children's learning. For example, staff have a particular interest in extending their knowledge of autism, so leaders have sought this training for staff. They have provided opportunities for staff and leaders to share their knowledge and learning with the team. This makes a positive impact on how staff develop their provision to support children's learning and development.