Marina Montessori Day Nursery & Pre School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders understand their community and the differing circumstances of the families who use the nursery. They promptly identify barriers that may affect children's participation, learning or wellbeing, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, social disadvantage and those who speak English as an additional language. Flexible settling arrangements and close communication with parents help staff understand and respond to each child's needs.

Leaders and staff follow a graduated approach to supporting children. They work closely with parents and seek advice from visiting teachers, physiotherapists, local authority teams and other professionals. Staff use individual education and care plans, which they review regularly with parents. Staff use individualised visual and communication strategies to help children express their needs, understand routines and participate successfully.

Leaders use additional funding effectively and supplement this with the nursery's own resources when required. This provides children with targeted interventions, appropriate equipment and individual supervision. Staff monitor the impact of support and adapt their strategies as children's needs and circumstances change. Parents speak positively about the individualised support their children receive. Consequently, barriers are reduced and children are included successfully in nursery life.

Leaders recognise that some children engage more readily outdoors. They identify that further development of the outdoor provision would help to reduce barriers and enable these children to participate more consistently.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders design an ambitious curriculum across all seven areas of learning. Room supervisors oversee the curriculum, while key workers complete concise planning that reflects children's ages, development, interests and next steps. Staff establish what children know and can do using information from parents, previous settings and baseline assessments. Regular discussions help staff identify gaps and provide appropriate support.

Children benefit from a language-rich curriculum. Staff introduce vocabulary through stories, songs, rhymes and imaginative play. They read expressively, model words clearly and encourage children to discuss and act out stories. Home-learning bags and the lending library help families share books at home.

Staff teach mathematics explicitly. For example, children confidently count cubes and use comparative language as they predict and measure vegetables. However, when the activity moves between measuring and sensory exploration, staff do not maintain a clear focus on the intended learning. Consequently, opportunities to build securely on children's mathematical knowledge are sometimes missed.

Children enjoy the newly established, well-risk-assessed outdoor area. However, the breadth and ambition of the indoor curriculum are not yet fully reflected outdoors. This limits opportunities for children who engage more readily and sustain their learning outside. Leaders recognise this and plan to develop the provision.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make steady progress from their starting points across all seven areas of learning. Babies enjoy songs and repetition. They copy sounds and use words to communicate. Older children listen, speak and use growing vocabulary in stories and play.

Babies show curiosity and sustained concentration as they explore spaghetti and fruit in a floor-level tuff tray. They investigate textures using their hands, feet and mouths and remain engaged. Children of different ages and stages participate confidently. They listen to a story linked to the activity, connecting language with sensory exploration. They show enjoyment, make choices and investigate unfamiliar materials.

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who speak English as an additional language and those facing disadvantage, participate and progress from their starting points. Older children develop the communication, independence and skills needed for school. However, children who engage more readily outdoors have fewer opportunities to deepen and demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders establish a harmonious and respectful culture. Staff set high, age-appropriate expectations and explain these consistently. Children respond positively to gentle guidance and understand that their actions affect others and the environment. For example, they learn that plants need careful handling to grow.

Trusting relationships help children feel secure and manage their emotions. Children use words and visual prompts to express feelings. They show kindness by offering friends a chair, praising achievements and helping during routines. Children play cooperatively and respond to praise. Well-planned adaptations enable children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to understand expectations, regulate their behaviour and participate fully.

Children know the routines of the day well and develop greater independence. They instinctively wash their hands before eating and help one another at the self-care station. Mealtimes are calm and sociable. Children serve themselves, ensure their friends have what they need and enjoy conversations about their experiences.

Effective key-person and buddy arrangements help children form secure attachments and settle smoothly. Staff work with parents to establish consistent routines and provide reassurance during transitions. Leaders monitor attendance and punctuality and work with families to address barriers. Consequently, children attend regularly, feel that they belong and display highly positive attitudes towards learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders consistently prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. Children are calm, settled and secure. Relationships are extremely strong. Children greet familiar adults, seek comfort when upset and quickly return to their play because they feel understood and reassured.

Effective key-person and buddy arrangements ensure that care reflects children's individual needs. Familiar adults support children when they move rooms, helping them manage transitions. Sleeping and feeding routines are individualised. Babies are gently settled before being placed safely in cots, in line with safer-sleeping procedures. Children who are disadvantaged or have inclusion needs receive sensitive encouragement and appropriate adaptations.

Children develop a strong understanding of healthy lifestyles. They enjoy nutritious meals and snacks prepared on site, serve themselves and access drinking water throughout the day. Food is adapted safely for babies and dietary requirements are followed closely. Children learn about healthy foods, practise toothbrushing and increasingly manage their hygiene. Safer-eating practices are embedded and mealtimes are supervised carefully.

Close partnerships with parents are highly effective. Parents receive daily information about their children's wellbeing and speak highly of the support they receive. Staff work with families on settling, toilet training, dietary requirements and allergies. This consistent approach between home and nursery helps children thrive physically and emotionally.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate passion and have a clear, ambitious vision for the nursery's future. The nursery's successful first year reflects their drive, high expectations and commitment to providing high-quality care and education. Leaders understand the nursery's strengths and priorities for improvement. They evaluate practice regularly, considering what works well and what needs to change. Leaders meet regularly to promote consistency across the organisation. Their highly ambitious plans for future development build on the nursery's early success and aim to broaden opportunities for children and families.

A culture of reflection and continuous improvement is embedded. Staff receive regular supervision, constructive feedback and professional development targets. Training reflects individual and setting priorities and includes safeguarding, safer sleeping and the Prevent duty. Staff progress in their qualifications and use professional advice to strengthen practice. They report feeling valued, listened to and well supported.

Leaders understand statutory requirements. Policies are reviewed annually, and staff discuss and confirm their understanding. Robust recruitment includes interviews, suitability checks, references and regular checks of the Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service information. Staff are deployed effectively to maintain children's safety.

Children's individual needs inform leaders' decisions. Staff receive time, training and support to coordinate provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and work with parents and professionals. Parents praise the leadership team. Consequently, staff make a strong contribution to the nursery's caring and ambitious culture.