Patchwork Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, they separate from parents well and settle quickly into the setting, joining in with activities and experiences on offer. Children are keen and enthusiastic learners, who want to take part and have a go. They talk enthusiastically about the things they have learned at nursery and how these link with home. Staff are aware of the impact the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has had on children's learning and emotional well-being. Staff ensure relevant support is in place to help with this.

Children learn about healthy lifestyles, such as the benefits of toothbrushing and a healthy diet, through activities and discussions with staff. At snack time, they talk about the benefits of the food they are eating. Such as, fruit providing vitamins to fight germs and other food providing protein to help their bodies get better and heal.

Children behave well and staff are good role models. Children learn to take turns. For instance, when staff negotiate that they can have a turn carrying the water at snack time and then it will be someone else's turn to carry the milk. Staff encourage children to learn and use good manners. For example, when they say please and thank you at mealtimes as they receive their food. Children are kind to each other, picking up things other children have dropped or bringing them their shoes from the cloakroom, when coming in from outside.

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

• Staff provide an appropriate early years curriculum, which is ambitious for all children, focusing on them exploring, their interests and planned themes. Staff know the children extremely well, ensuring they follow their interests to plan for their learning, meaning they make valuable progress from their starting points. This ensures children are ready for the next stage in their education.
• Children learn to do things for themselves and develop independence skills. For instance, when they come in from the garden, they remove their coats and hang them up and change into indoor shoes. However, there are some inconsistencies in teaching and interactions with children. Staff do not always extend and challenge children's thinking and learning effectively.
• Children's communication and language is a strong focus. Children engage in two-way conversations with staff and their peers. Staff introduce new words to children, such as when they show great interest in the vase of fresh flowers. They talk about the flowers being 'delicate and fragile'. Staff support children who find communication more difficult, by using effective strategies to encourage them to use words and build their vocabulary over time. This ensures any gaps in learning close quickly.
• The provider and manager are keen to enhance the quality of the setting. They have effectively addressed the previous actions and recommendations. They have developed procedures to ensure they build relationships with other settings children attend, to provide a consistent approach to children's learning. At mealtimes, children are fully engaged with staff supporting them and engaging them in conversations that, on the whole, extends their learning. The setting have refined their procedures to ensure they gain more information from parents when children first start. This is to find out what they know and can do, to ensure they can start planning for their learning right from the beginning.
• The staff team work closely with parents to meet children's individual needs. Parents speak highly of the nursery. They feel they were well supported through the pandemic and that the nursery offered their child a sense of normality. Staff include parents in children's learning well, they receive regular updates about their children's learning. Parents value that the nursery provide books daily as this encourages them to read with their children.
• The organisation of some parts of the nursery day is not fully effective. Staff expect young children to sit for long periods of time beyond their capabilities, meaning they lose concentration and focus and their learning is not maximised.
• Staff use everyday opportunities well to reinforce mathematical learning, such as counting plates at mealtimes and using fruit to do simple calculations. Children also discuss the size of wheels and vehicles during planned activities, for instance when they are constructing with straws.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure there is consistency in teaching and staff interactions with children to further extend and challenge their thinking and learning experiences
• review the organisation of the nursery day to ensure children remain fully engaged and learning opportunities are maximised.