Little Winners Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff work hard helping to settle children in to the nursery. They have effective settling-in procedures. Children start at the nursery, and staff review who they bond with during the settling in, before assigning a key person. This positively supports children as they work well with the key person assigned to them.

Staff make good use of sign language. They teach children key words to sign to help them communicate their needs to staff and their peers. This helps to support children's emerging language development. It also helps to reduce frustration when children have yet to master sharing their needs vocally.

Staff work closely with other agencies and parents to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work together to set targets for children to work towards, reviewing progress that children are making. Targets are realistic, helping children to make good progress given their starting points.

Staff have adapted how they teach children about their own behaviour. Staff review and update nursery rules depending on the children attending, making sure it is personalised to the learning abilities of the children. They have changed how they talk to children, using more age-appropriate questioning. This helps to support staff's understanding of children's behaviour and how they can support them.

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

• Senior leaders have worked on actions set at the last inspection. They have worked closely with the local early years team to provide training to help improve the quality of teaching. This has had a positive impact on outcomes for children.
• Children generally enjoy circle time. However, when age groups mix, staff are not quick enough to spot signs that children are becoming restless and activities need to be swapped. This disrupts those still listening.
• Older children enjoy preparing their own snack. They learn how to use knives safely, cutting up their snack. They talk through the number of pieces of fruit with staff, helping to support their emerging mathematical development.
• Staff give children warnings for when daily routine activities are due to change. However, staff rush the count down and do not give children enough time to finish activities and their learning.
• Parents explain how leaders work closely with them and the parent committee to gather feedback. They work together to make positive changes to the nursery. Parents feel safe leaving their children in the care of the staff and find they are making good progress with their learning. Parents explain they like the feedback and use the suggestions from staff for what they can do at home to support the children's learning further.
• Children are taught how to move safely around the nursery. Staff teach younger children the safe way to come down the stairs. They are taught to sit down and turn around, so they can crawl down backwards, so they do not fall. This helps to support their emerging physical development.
• Staff are preparing children well for their next stage of learning and subsequent move to school. Children are confident in getting dressed ready to play outside. Staff teach children life skills in how to easily put on coats and their shoes. This further supports children's independence skills.
• Staff complete accident forms and share with parents any first aid given. This ensures that parents are aware of what has happened at the nursery, helping to keep children safe.
• Staff provide a good-quality curriculum. Staff use children's interests and next steps of learning to plan activities. They make good use of Montessori resources to further support children's learning. Given children's starting points, they make good progress towards the early learning goals.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in reviewing the appropriateness of circle time activities on age and abilities of children participating
• review how staff teach children the change of routines and give them enough time to finish their learning and activities.