Montessori by Busy Bees Alderley Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Staff and leaders identify children's care and learning needs quickly. Leaders work closely with parents and carers to ensure that effective and appropriate 'care plans' are in place. They recognise that parents are children's primary carers and strive to understand what children like, what they can do and where they need additional help. This enables staff to plan a programme of support to meet children's needs swiftly.

Children who speak English as an additional language benefit from support to minimise any barriers to their learning. Some leaders and staff are bilingual and use their knowledge and expertise of foreign languages to ensure that all families and children can access the full curriculum. This is an inclusive provision, where staff work hard to meet children's individual needs and help them make progress from their starting points.

Staff and leaders work with a range of specialist professionals. Speech and language therapists, and local authority special educational needs support workers, guide and enhance staff practice. This helps to ensure that children benefit from targeted support to meet their unique needs.

Wider funding is carefully spent to support children who are disadvantaged. Recently, funds have been used for staff training and additional resources. This careful approach helps to ensure that additional money has the greatest impact on outcomes for children.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Children benefit from a calm and purposeful learning environment. There are plenty of well-structured learning areas that successfully support children's development. For instance, a sensory space and an allotment area are dedicated areas to enhance children's learning. The environment is carefully and considerately designed to support children's all-round development.

Children benefit from a well-designed and engaging curriculum that supports their learning across all areas. A range of enrichment activities, including yoga, cookery and Spanish sessions, broaden children's experiences and contribute positively to their development.

Staff carefully plan activities that they know children will enjoy. They identify clear learning intentions for each activity and use these to guide their interactions with children. Planning and assessment are simple and effective and generally support children's progress well. However, teaching for babies is not always matched sufficiently to their stage of development. For example, staff occasionally ask questions that are too complex, and teaching is not consistently sequenced to build on what babies already know and can do. As a result, babies do not make the progress they are capable of.

Staff model ambitious vocabulary and introduce new words throughout children's play and daily routines. Children hear a rich range of language and are encouraged to communicate their thoughts and ideas. This supports the development of children's communication and language skills.

Achievement: Expected standard

Typically, children make steady progress in their learning. They are happy and benefit from warm and affectionate relationships with kind and caring staff. All children remain occupied and engaged in meaningful and purposeful play. Children enjoy solving problems as they predict what will happen when they mix different-coloured paint together. They enjoy being creative and develop their expressive art and design skills. Children use natural items, such as pine cones and leaves, to create print marks in paint. This enables them to practise their hand-eye coordination. Older children learn some key mathematical concepts. They make different shapes when manipulating dough and count their creations, developing their numerical counting skills.

Children enjoy drawing. They hold crayons and make large sweeping movements on paper. They carefully draw long lines, concentrating as they complete this task. Children enjoy developing their early writing skills in fun ways. Generally, children progress well, supported by enjoyable learning activities and experiences. However, teaching for babies is not consistently matched to their stage of development in order to build on their prior knowledge. This means that babies' progress is not as rapid as it could be.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children are curious and independent learners. They are provided with regular opportunities to complete tasks for themselves, make choices in their play and take on small responsibilities throughout the day. For instance, children help to set the table at lunchtime and independently self-register when they arrive each morning. Staff encourage children to develop confidence in their own abilities, and support them to persevere with tasks and solve simple problems for themselves. As a result, children develop positive attitudes towards learning and demonstrate increasing levels of independence. They are self-assured, confident and well prepared for the next stage in their education.

Children behave well. They hear frequent praise and encouragement as they play because staff consistently recognise and celebrate their efforts and achievements. This helps to foster positive self-esteem and a strong sense of belonging. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, understand simple rules and routines and are reassured by clear and consistent expectations. They are kind, helpful and cooperative in their interactions with others.

Children's attendance is high. Leaders, staff and parents collectively understand the importance of regular attendance and punctuality. Strong partnerships with families help to promote positive attendance habits, ensuring that children benefit from consistent participation in the curriculum and uninterrupted learning experiences. This supports children to make good progress from their individual starting points.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children grow vegetables in the on-site allotment. They harvest their home-grown produce and learn in practical, hands-on ways about where their food comes from. For instance, children laugh and giggle because some of the recently grown courgettes and tomatoes are unusual shapes. Children help to design the food menu. They democratically vote for their favourite new meal option, and the winning vote is incorporated into the meal plan. In the main, children have a positive attitude towards fresh and nutritious food, which contributes to their health and physical wellbeing.

Staff help children to learn about their emotions in age-appropriate and fun ways. Puppets and books help children to understand how they feel. Staff teach children different coping mechanisms to enable them to manage big and new emotions. For instance, staff use bubbles to help children learn how to breathe deeply. When emotions escalate, staff revisit this strategy and remind children to have big breaths. Yoga sessions create a calm space for children to relax. Children manage emotions in a mature way, contributing to their emotional wellbeing.

Sleeping arrangements are consistently well managed throughout the setting. Babies and toddlers sleep in age-appropriate cots or beds. Staff are cautious and vigilant when children sleep. They make regular checks and remain close by to maintain children's welfare when they rest.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Partnerships with parents are a particular strength. A small group of parent representatives provide honest and regular feedback to leaders. This helps to foster excellent links between home and the setting. Parents are often invited into the setting, such as for parents' evenings and seasonal events, to further extend positive relationships. Parents comment, 'My child has a brilliant relationship with all staff. The nursery maintains remarkably high standards in everything, from its curriculum to food menu. We are so impressed with the care and dedication of the team.' These comments help to illustrate the strength of positive feeling from parents, further demonstrating the impressive links with home. Children benefit greatly from this collaboration.

There is truly a collective approach to accomplishing and enacting the setting's vision through everyday practice. Together, staff and leaders work hard to make targeted and worthwhile improvements. For instance, during frequent staff meetings, collectively the team reflects on what aspects of practice are working and what would benefit from revision. This continual and joint approach to self-evaluation helps to drive continual improvements.

Leaders are actively present in the nursery each day and have oversight of the quality of practice across all rooms. They coach and mentor staff, helping to improve their practice. However, supervision and professional development are not always targeted precisely enough to address the specific areas where some staff require additional support. As a result, variations in practice are not addressed as effectively as they could be.