Little Tree Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive with big smiles and are welcome by caring and loving staff, who know them exceptionally well. Children form close attachments with staff and friendships with their peers. They feel happy, safe and secure. Children learn to care for themselves, others and the resources. They are respectful and polite. Children are keen and enthusiastic learners, who want to have go and complete their task independently.

Leaders design their curriculum based on children's interests and the skills they need to learn to be successful in the future. For example, children show interest in the natural materials they find in the garden, such as stones, sticks, leaves and feathers. The skilful staff member extends their learning by asking them about characteristics of those items and if they sink or float in the water. Children's ideas are then practically tested, as they put them in a water and observe what happens. Furthermore, they use that water later for plants as they learn about the importance of not wasting natural resources.

Staff gather relevant information from parents and work closely with them to ensure children's developmental needs are met. Consequently, children make good progress from their starting points. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

• Leaders have high expectations of all children. They have an ambitious curriculum and clear intent of what they want children to learn. The long-serving, skilled staff teach children well and help them to make good progress in their learning and development overall.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They help children to understand the meaning of words new words during discussions. For example, children learn to use words in context, such as 'repel' and 'resistant'. They join in with regular singing sessions. All children, including those who speak an additional language at home, acquire good English skills. However, staff provide fewer opportunities for some children to hear and share their home language in the setting, to aid their learning further.
• Children have ample opportunities to develop their hand-muscle strength and coordination for writing. For instance, children use bolts, screws and other manipulative tools to practise small muscle movements and develop a strong grip.
• Children show a love for books and often spontaneously initiate story time. They keenly choose books for staff to read related to different parts of the world. Staff engage children in discussions about different countries, such as Australia, and talk about how far it is from England. Children also enjoy sharing their personal experiences with each other and talk about what they know.
• Staff provide good opportunities to support children's physical development. Children regularly play outdoors, where they can practise different movements. They learn to confidently run, jump, skip and climb, as well as ride on tricycles and wheeled toys. Children practise their self-care skills as they wash their hands. They put their coats on independently before going outdoors and help to clean up after mealtimes. Children gain a sense of responsibility.
• Children learn about how to be healthy and the benefits of toothbrushing. Staff ensure that children's lunches meet their dietary needs. However, on occasion, the organisation of some daily routines, such as at mealtimes, is not planned well. At times, staff are not deployed well enough to provide children with good quality interactions and support.
• Children learn about colours and numbers. They count objects accurately and match quantities to the numerals. Children successfully gain the skills needed for their future learning, such as beginning to understand the concepts of adding and taking away.
• Leaders monitor and evaluate the ongoing performance of the staff effectively, and swiftly identify areas of weakness. They provide good opportunities for staff to develop their practice and skills to help improve the quality of education for children. For example, staff have attended various courses, including training on how to improve group activities for children. This has led to improvements in this area.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak well about the caring and welcoming staff. They applaud the support they receive to maintain children's well-being and learning at home. Information on children's progress and learning is shared with parents on a daily basis. Parents are also encouraged to share information as children progress and develop.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend opportunities for children to hear and share their home language to further enhance their communication and language skills
• review the organisation of some everyday routines, to help provide children with consistent, high-quality interactions and support throughout the day.