Mini Munchkins Montessori

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have formed good relationships with staff, who get to know them well. Staff find out as much as possible about children's routines and unique family background to help them settle in when they first start. They pay careful attention to meeting children's individual care needs, such as food they must not eat or how they can communicate key routines in the child's home language. Children are confident and feel secure in the nursery.

Children are eager to learn and explore the interesting range of resources that broaden their experiences beyond home. Staff have high expectations for what each child can achieve. Children remain engaged in their play and learning for significant periods of time. Staff support children to be independent and tolerant of others. Children learn about others' cultures and traditions and the types of homes that people around the world live in. Babies enjoy learning to become confident climbers under the close supervision of staff, and all children have ample opportunities to be active and to practise their physical development in the outdoor area. Throughout the nursery, staff nurture children's natural curiosity and introduce new words and vocabulary to support their learning and develop their growing communication and language skills.

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

• Leaders and staff provide a clear, sequenced curriculum that supports children to make good progress across all areas of their learning and development. For example, staff plan for children to develop their growing independence and provide them with opportunities to practise this throughout the nursery. As a result, by the time children are in pre-school they know how to clear away their dishes after meals and set up the tables for their chosen activity.
• Staff support children to develop a love for stories, books and rhymes. Very young children sit turning the pages of books and regularly ask staff to read to them. Children learn to concentrate well and listen carefully. They share and discuss information in books with staff and their friends, which helps them to make connections in their learning and develop a greater understanding of the world.
• Generally, children get along well together. Staff respond to them kindly and treat all children with respect. Older children remember the Golden Rules, which contributes to a calm and happy atmosphere. However, when minor disputes occur elsewhere, inconsistency in the managing of these by staff does not prevent them reoccurring, and can leave some children unclear on what is expected of their behaviour at the setting.
• Staff value each child's unique background and experiences. Children who speak other languages at home benefit from hearing familiar words at the nursery.
• Staff plan a range of opportunities for children to find out about each other's lives and different cultures and beliefs. This helps children feel valued and respected, as well as developing understanding and tolerance for others.
• Staff understand the importance of promoting healthy lifestyles and routines. They discuss with children the benefits of making good choices in relation to food and drink during snack time and mealtimes. For example, children learn about keeping themselves healthy, discussing how carrots are good for their eyesight, and practise removing all the germs from the teeth of model dentures as they talk about the importance of oral hygiene. This promotes children's overall health and well-being.
• The provider has effective systems in place for sharing information with parents relating to their children's learning and development. Parents are able to share the good progress that their children make. For example, parents have seen a noticeable improvement in their children's social and independence skills. These skills ensure children are ready for their next stage in learning.
• Leaders have systems in place to provide effective oversight and governance of the setting. However, support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is not yet as fully effective as it could be. While new measures have recently been introduced, these are not yet imbedded and so the impact of them can not yet be demonstrated. As a result, there have been delays in seeking extra support, including funding to ensure that children with SEND receive any additional support they require.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to understand and consistently implement the setting's behaviour management strategies to help all children understand what is expected of them
• support staff to understand and embed the systems in place for identifying children with gaps in their learning and to seek support at the earliest opportunity.