Montessori at Brook Green

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have excellent and very close relationships with staff and each other in this nurturing nursery. Staff pay a great deal of attention to children's individual needs. For instance, they greet each child in their home language when they arrive at the nursery. Parents' comments state that staff have a genuine care and enthusiasm for children. Staff ensure that activities are meticulously planned to meet the individual needs of children. They have high expectations of children and value each child greatly.

The curriculum is comprehensive and enriching and linked very effectively to children's interests. All children make excellent progress. They are deeply absorbed and thoroughly excited in their play. For example, children take on different roles and work in great cooperation in the mud kitchen to prepare 'Spider Soup' for staff from sticks, mud and water. Without any adult support, children initiate a game, assign roles and work with each other highly successfully and independently. They have excellent physical skills, which they learn through a dynamic range of activities. For instance, they learn to hop, skip and jump as they dance and sing along to action rhymes and songs, where they pretend to be pirates and pilots. Children behave in very positive ways. They say 'please' and 'thank you', unprompted by adults. Older children act as role models for good behaviour for younger ones and remind them of positive ways to behave. They take turns and share well.

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

• Children have exceptional mathematical skills. For instance, some children are able to create their own complex repeating patterns as they take part in an innovative creative activity. Children have excellent counting skills, and older children are able to add and subtract.
• Children are highly articulate and have excellent literacy skills. Staff read a rich and varied range of books to children. Children are very involved in stories through the innovative use of story props. Staff teach children ambitious vocabulary, using words such as 'enormous'. Some children are able to read simple words. Staff sing action rhymes and songs, which support all children, including younger ones, to learn new words.
• Staff teach children about difference very effectively. They give children interesting objects from different countries to explore and teach them about cultural traditions. Parents come in to the nursery to make Bulgarian bracelets with children. Staff explore and celebrate a diverse range of special holy festivals with children.
• Children have exceptional independence skills. For instance, they set tables, spread paste on bread and cut up fruit at snack time. At the end of play sessions, children work in pairs to roll up and put away play mats.
• Children gain excellent understanding of the world. Staff support children's understanding of how things grow exceptionally well. They read stories about vegetable growth, and children plant and grow vegetables in the garden. Staff respond to children's deep curiosity about flowers as they closely observe them, and staff teach children about the different parts and functions of a flower. Staff develop children's problem-solving skills in excellent ways. For example, they ask children what they need to do if flowers are too tall for a vase.
• Children develop excellent understanding about eating healthily and good oral hygiene. For instance, staff provide toy tooth cleaning sets for children to practise toothbrushing. They read stories to deepen their understanding of how to keep teeth and gums healthy.
• Staff work with parents very successfully. They enhance children's learning well by engaging parents fully in the curriculum. For instance, staff provide parents with links to songs about toothbrushing to sing with their children at home. They give them regular updates on children's progress in highly effective ways. Staff have excellent partnerships with other professionals involved in a child's life, such as speech and language therapists. They work closely with them to provide comprehensive plans to meet children's needs precisely.
• The manager has exceptional insight into the quality of teaching and learning in the nursery. She is fully involved in care and learning and spends a lot of time in the group room. The manager observes staff and provides comprehensive feedback on their work to promote best outcomes for children. She provides robust and regular supervision of staff, who feel exceptionally well supported in their roles. They have excellent opportunities to improve their skills and knowledge. For instance, they attend a wide range of courses, including a course on mental health for children under five years, which led to greater awareness in this area.
• The manager reflects deeply on her provision and sets ambitious goals to build ongoing improvements. For instance, she plans to enhance the outdoor area to enhance children's learning further.