Moseley Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The curriculum at this nursery is designed to make children agents of their own learning. Staff are highly skilled at providing well-timed interactions with children to enhance their knowledge and skills. They enable children to become fully immersed in their play and develop a deep level of concentration, which means that they get the most out of the learning opportunities available to them. The environment is designed to help children to be independent, confident and resilient.

There is a calm and stimulating atmosphere present in the nursery. Staff form strong attachments with children and are intently attuned to their needs. They understand the uniqueness of children and adapt their teaching appropriately. Children behave extremely well. The skilful staff create an environment which satisfies children's drive to learn, resulting in them being patient and respectful of their friends. For example, all children know that they can access the resources available, but they must return them once they have finished with them so that they are available for their friends to use after.

Children become highly capable learners. The experienced staff suitably challenge children so that they make rapid progress in their learning. Children are seen to be using letters to make sounds and form words, and they use number blocks to count to 100 and beyond. This means that children are able to meet the expectations associated with their eventual move to school. Well-thought-out activities and experiences are cleverly located, which triggers children's curiosity. They ask staff questions and show excitement at the discoveries they make.

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

• The curriculum is seamlessly embedded throughout the nursery. Staff have extensive knowledge of how children learn and fully understand how the Montessori curriculum supports children to be autonomous learners. This is evident across the nursery as children freely choose the resources they want to engage with and quickly become immersed in their learning. Staff are skilled at teaching children to be inquisitive and self-motivated. Children persevere when they encounter difficulties and work together to find a resolution. As a result, children become skilled at communicating, learn to be confident in mathematical concepts, and manage their own emotions effectively.
• Children benefit from a broad range of experiences. Leaders consider what they know about children, and the experiences they arrive with, in order to bridge any gaps they identify. Children have access to a forest school which they use regularly. They learn how to use different tools and navigate space effectively. They balance across uneven logs and transport equipment from one place to another. They play cooperatively and extend their imagination as they create vehicles from logs and drive away from animals they discover. Children also enjoy taking part in weekly mini-athletic sessions. They learn about moving in different ways to music. Staff explicitly understand the links between supporting the development of children's large muscles so that they can be ready to fully engage in the classroom.
• Staff are knowledgeable about how to support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. These children make rapid progress in their learning. Staff understand how to support all children to feel confident and empower them to communicate their needs effectively. They quickly identify areas of development where children require further support, whether as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or a specific learning need, and take swift action to close any gaps. This ensures that all children make excellent progress.
• Parents are invited to be a part of their children's experiences in nursery. They attend coffee mornings where they create supportive links with one another. They spend time in the nursery with children to find out what they are learning and share their own skills with them. This helps children to experience consistency and develop a sense of belonging. Staff share ideas of how to support children's learning at home and make time to share information with parents when their children are due to move to a new room in nursery. The key person develops a close bond with families and shares information with them daily. The relationships created between families and staff ensure consistency of care for all children.
• Transition arrangements ensure that children are significantly prepared for their move to school. Leaders know what skills children need to prepare them to manage new environments and communicate their own needs. They liaise closely with schools to find out what they can do further to support children to be fully prepared at the time they transition to their next stage of learning.
• Inspirational leadership successfully guides practice in the nursery. Leaders inspire staff and closely monitor the impact of any training they do. They are proactive in finding out about local and global research and use this knowledge to influence the experiences they offer children. Leaders are passionate and reflective about the care and education children receive. They constantly review what they do, which results in continual improvements to outcomes for children.