Paint Pots Montessori School The Grove

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this home-from-home environment. The staff quickly form strong bonds with children and their parents. Parents say that the nursery puts the emotional well-being of their children at the heart of everything it does. This allows their children to feel safe and secure. Parents receive regular communication from the nursery on their children's progress and feel fully supported on how they can help their children at home. Staff know children well and plan a personalised curriculum to meet the needs of each child.

Children behave well. They help bring chairs to create a circle for group time. Children enjoy singing 'hello' to their friends. They show respect for each other. For example, children take turns listening to each other and the teacher during a 'show and tell' circle time session.

Children enjoy mealtimes and show high levels of independence during these times. For example, they wash their hands, serve themselves food and tidy away their plates and cutlery after eating. Staff sit with children, making this a social experience, and encourage them to try the different foods on offer.

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

• Staff enjoy teaching children a range of familiar songs. Babies enjoy banging xylophones, tambourines and 'shaky eggs'. Staff maintain their engagement by supporting them with the actions to the songs. They use puppets and coloured scarves to further enhance the experience. This supports children's skills in expressive arts and design.
• Children enjoy looking at books independently and staff share a range of stories that children have self-selected. Babies enjoy turning the pages and lifting the flaps to the story of 'Dear Zoo'. Staff support older children by checking their understanding of the story and encouraging them to make contributions. This helps children to develop a love for reading.
• Children enjoy the carousel of activities designed to support them in developing their small-muscle skills. They practise using scissors, use tweezers and spoons to pick up pasta, and small jugs to transfer rice. This builds up strength in their hands to prepare them for writing.
• Children enjoy moving around the nursery and choosing their activities during free choice. Some staff remind children of their expectations for behaviour during this time. However, this is not consistent, and children are not always clear of staff's expectations. For example, children sometimes run in the nursery and do not always follow instructions for tidying up and using their 'indoor voices'.
• The unique role play kitchen area is carefully designed so children can role play alongside the 'real kitchen'. The chef prepares the lunch and shares her preparation with the children as they role play. She gives them real herbs to role play with and they learn all about the healthy ingredients she is using. Children touch, taste and smell the ingredients. They learn the importance of healthy eating as part of a healthy lifestyle.
• Staff model language well and support children to develop new vocabulary as they play. However, more opportunities need to be given to encourage children to 'use their words'. Supporting staff to develop their questioning skills and encourage children to respond would further enhance children's communication and language development.
• The nursery fully embraces diversity and uniqueness. Parents are invited in to make Chinese dumplings with the children to celebrate Chinese New Year, and children come to nursery dressed in their cultural clothes. The nursery celebrates a range of religious festivals that are special to the children in their care, including Diwali, Christmas, Holi and Ramadan.
• The members of the leadership team have a passion for continuous improvement. They work with a range of external agencies to ensure all children make expected progress. They place great emphasis on the professional development of staff and support them in any training needs they might have. Staff report high levels of well-being and enjoy being part of a supportive, committed team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in managing children's behaviour so behaviour expectations are fully consistent, and children understand staff's expectations
• support staff to develop their questioning skills to further enhance children's communication and language skills.