Montessori Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop a great sense of emotional security at this nurturing nursery. They settle quickly and are supported well by staff, who share high expectations for all children. Staff find out key information about children's development and previous experiences when they start nursery. They use this information well to inform the carefully considered curriculum, which supports all children to make good progress.

Children demonstrate good listening and attention skills from a young age. They follow simple instructions and display a good understanding of the rules in place at nursery. Staff lead by example and offer lots of praise and encouragement to children. This supports their confidence and self-esteem. Children consistently behave well. They show they are familiar with the routines at nursery, and understand what is going to happen next.

Staff interact positively with children and facilitate additional learning experiences that build on their previous knowledge. Younger children demonstrate good physical skills as they mould play dough with their hands. They explore the texture with their fingers and pull it apart into pieces. Older children are imaginative and pretend to be construction workers. They work with one another to construct a tower using foam blocks. They develop their problem-solving skills as they balance the blocks and test out how many they can add until it falls down.

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

• Staff have a good understanding of the Montessori approach and how this supports children's learning across the early years foundation stage. They are passionate about providing children with lots of opportunities to become independent from an early age. Children thoroughly enjoy making choices about what they would like to play with and managing small tasks for themselves. For instance, children show great confidence and coordination as they pour their own water and serve their own fruit during snack time.
• Staff monitor children's progress regularly to identify and address any gaps in their learning. They recognise the importance of supporting all children to become confident communicators. Additional screening tools are used to more closely monitor children's communication and language development. There are robust systems in place to ensure children who speak English as an additional language are extremely well supported.
• Children of different ages happily play together and independently explore the nursery, which is a hive of activity. Overall, teaching is good. Staff get to know children well and plan a variety of activities that build on the skills they need to develop next. However, on occasion during adult-led activities, staff do not always adapt their teaching swiftly enough to support all children to consistently maintain the highest levels of engagement, to reflect their mixed ages and stages of development.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Targeted support plans are implemented for children who need them and referrals to outside agencies are made swiftly. Leaders and staff work collaboratively with parents and professionals to ensure that children with SEND receive the support they need at the earliest opportunity.
• Leaders are passionate about providing every child with the best possible care and education. Staff comment that they feel supported in their roles. They benefit from regular supervision meetings and routinely attend mandatory training. However, the professional development of staff does not always focus sharply enough on elevating their already good teaching skills to an even higher level.
• Children develop a love of reading and delight in choosing books from the environment. Staff read to children throughout their sessions, fostering children's excitement. Children enthusiastically join in with stories, songs and rhymes, which effectively supports their literacy skills.
• Staff work harmoniously with parents. Parents are happy with the overall quality of provision. They receive regular updates on their child's development. Staff offer advice to parents on topics such as healthy eating and guidance of how to support children's learning further at home. These positive partnerships help to maintain continuity in children's learning.
• Staff teach children the importance of good hygiene practices, such as washing their hands before mealtimes. They promote children's physical health well by providing them with regular opportunities to play outside, where they can enjoy fresh air.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• adapt teaching more swiftly during adult-led activities to ensure all children consistently maintain the highest levels of engagement
• focus staff's professional development more sharply on enhancing their teaching skills to support all children to make the best possible progress.