Oak Lee Montessori School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are self-motivated learners in this calm and organised nursery. Staff have warm and close relationships with children and value each child highly. They help children to feel a strong sense of belonging in the nursery. For example, staff create photobooks of each child, showing their interests, skills and families. Babies settle securely as staff adjust their routines to meet babies' needs, such as sleep times. Staff have high expectations of children and manage their behaviour in effective ways.

The curriculum is interesting, broad and balanced. It helps all children to make good progress. Staff support children's mathematical development well. For example, they encourage older children to use wooden rods to make different shapes, such as rectangles and hexagons. Staff teach children how to count securely. For instance, children count objects and match them to written numerals. Staff teach children mathematical terms such as 'shorter' and 'taller than' when comparing heights of children. Children gain good mathematical skills.

Staff support children's communication, language and literacy skills well. Staff sing songs and rhymes to children, where they learn new words. Staff introduce ambitious vocabulary to older children, including words such as 'excruciating'. Children gain good language skills, and some older children begin to read simple words.

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

• Children learn to do things for themselves. For instance, they help to set tables at mealtimes, pour their own drinks and help to tidy up at the end of play sessions. Babies learn to feed themselves and select resources of their choice. Older children take part to vote each day to select the 'story of the day'. This helps to reflect children's views well. Staff teach children to share and to take turns, for instance, by playing group games.
• Leaders monitor and support staff well. They carry out regular supervision sessions and yearly work reviews with staff to provide support and training, where needed. Leaders spend time observing and advising staff in group rooms to enhance their practice. They provide staff with good training opportunities. For instance, staff have attended a course on positive interaction with children, which has led to a greater awareness in this area.
• Staff provide comprehensive levels of support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They liaise with other professionals to form individual plans for children. Staff monitor children well and provide activities to promote the best outcomes for children.
• Leaders evaluate how well the nursery is performing and identify areas for improvement. For instance, they plan to enable staff to have more involvement in their own learning to promote best outcomes for children.
• Children develop a strong understanding of the world. Staff teach children about the solar system, and children have very good knowledge of different planets. They plant vegetables and herbs with children and teach children how things grow.
• Staff maintain good levels of safety for children. They check indoors and outdoors each day to reduce risks of hazards. Staff maintain high levels of hygiene and clean all areas that are used by children regularly to prevent cross-infection. Staff teach children how to act with care and caution. They teach children about road safety and how to use tools and materials safely.
• The nursery provides nourishing, freshly prepared meals and snacks that meet children's special dietary needs. Staff teach children about the value of eating well and provide accessible fresh drinking water to children throughout the day.
• Children gain good physical skills. They enjoy a range of experiences in the well-planned outdoor area. Younger children practise their walking skills on push-along wheeled toys, while older children climb across frames and learn to balance across stepping stones. Staff teach children yoga to develop their flexibility and coordination skills.
• Staff give parents regular updates on children's progress and work well with them to support children's learning. For instance, they provide workshops for parents to support children's behaviour. However, staff have not fully developed partnerships with others involved in children's care and learning. For example, other people involved in the regular care of children to promote best outcomes for children.
• Overall, staff are deployed effectively in most group rooms. However, on occasion, some staff are not deployed well to enhance children's learning, for instance, during whole-group discussions and song times.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance partnerships with others involved in children's care and learning to promote best outcomes for children
• deploy staff more consistently and effectively to enhance children's learning.