Park Avenue Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a nurturing and respectful environment. Children feel emotionally secure. Staff support children to settle easily into the setting. Children quickly build trust in staff and feel confident in the setting. Staff embed physical development into purposeful, everyday routines that reflect the Montessori ethos. Children use real tools, such as graters with chalk, to make paint. These carefully designed experiences help children to use a range of equipment competently.

The nursery implements a sequenced curriculum that is ambitious for all children. Staff use Montessori materials, such as rolling marbles down wooden structures to allow children to explore what will happen and learn from trial and error. Children are engrossed in their play and make good progress from their individual starting points. Staff promote positive attitudes to learning. They encourage children to take ownership of the environment and follow their own interests. Children independently select resources from labelled shelves. They use mats to define their workspace and return materials when finished. This approach helps children to become focused, motivated and proud of their achievements.

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

• Staff provide effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through individualised approaches and thoughtful adaptations. Children use specialist equipment, such as supportive seating or sensory tools, to help them participate fully in daily routines and activities. This enables children to access learning successfully and feel confident in their environment.
• Staff and leaders engage in peer observations to improve the quality of their practice. However, they do not always focus sharply on the specific details of staff's interactions that can be improved. This means there are some aspects of teaching that do not consistently extend children's thinking skills.
• Staff prepare children well for their next stage in learning. They build children's independence and resilience. Children learn to serve food, manage their belongings and make choices about their learning. This helps children to develop confidence in their own abilities.
• Staff sequence the curriculum for communication and language effectively. They introduce vocabulary through the use of real-life tools. Children learn about utensils such as whisks, juicers, pestles and mortars. Children confidently use a range of words to describe the items they are using.
• Staff implement an effective educational programme to enhance children's personal, social and emotional development. The structured Montessori approach helps children to understand what is expected from them. It supports children to take responsibility for their actions. Children listen attentively and follow instructions. They wait their turn and help to tidy shared spaces. Children demonstrate self-control and behave very well.
• Information shared with parents is often detailed and supportive. It helps many families to feel well informed about their child's care and development. However, some updates, particularly around individual care routines or support strategies, are not always communicated clearly. On these occasions, parents do not have full information about their children's day.
• Staff teach children about the world around them. Children explore different cultures through food, books and festivals. They taste Greek moussaka and learn about the Mandarin language. Children develop cultural awareness and value differences.
• Staff support children's physical development well through a wide range of activities. Children use tweezers, pour water out of jugs and dig in the garden. They take part in a weekly sports session led by a visiting coach, where they practise movement, coordination and teamwork. Children develop competence in using their fine and gross motor skills.
• The nursery builds strong links with external professionals and other settings. Staff communicate regularly with a range of other professionals to coordinate plans and ensure smooth transitions. This joined-up approach helps children to receive consistent support.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen supervision processes, to focus more precisely on how teaching strategies can be improved
• improve communication with parents so that all key information about children's experiences is shared in a timely way.