Port Regis Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Port Regis Montessori Nursery is a special place where children arrive with big smiles on their faces. They are greeted warmly by all who care for them. Practitioners create opportunities for children to spread kindness in the world, such as visiting the care home on the shared grounds. Practitioners are praised for the special attention they provide for all transitions and how this is unique for each child and family. As a result, children settle quickly and are prepared for the next stage in their education.

Children thrive in this inspirational nursery setting. Children's attitudes to learning are exceptionally positive. Practitioners encourage children to select where they want to play. They have free choice over whether to play indoors or outdoors in the forest. Children access a variety of additional educational experiences that enrich their wider development, including rugby and yoga. The extensive facilities at this nursery ensure all children learn to care for living things and explore the world around them, for example hatching chicks and watching caterpillars turn into butterflies. The children talk about the times when they go rock pooling at the beach or feeding the ducks on the farm. These rich opportunities help children to learn more about the natural world and to develop new interests. This ensures children are happy, motivated and curious to learn. This starts as soon as they enter the nursery each day and there is not a minute of lost learning time.

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

• The curriculum has been designed with ambitious end points in mind. Practitioners provide children with superb opportunities to build their knowledge and skills over time. They support children with emerging skills to progress to mastering and finally to become experts. All children aged one to four years, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, fully access the curriculum. Those children with higher starting points are provided with the challenge that they need.
• Practitioners are very skilled at delivering the curriculum because of the excellent training they receive. For example, practitioners have been supported by a speech therapist to develop a deeper understanding of how children's communication develops. As a result, practitioners know how to give children the time to think before responding. They are equally skilled at knowing how to step in, interact and extend children's learning. Younger children eagerly join adults on the carpet for motivating group times and, as a result, their listening skills are exceptional.
• Children's early communication and language skills are given the highest priority. Practitioners are particularly strong at supporting children's speech, language and communication development. Every opportunity is used to model and reinforce children's growing language skills. Books are carefully selected to introduce new words. Children have opportunities to share favourite stories from home. Practitioners are quick to weave meaningful and creative activities into the children's learning. As a result, children are motivated and excited to join in.
• The nursery employs a qualified teacher who has been instrumental in providing training and support for the staff in the teaching of mathematics. This ensures that mathematics is threaded throughout daily routines. There are numerous occasions for children to practise counting and measuring. For example, older children use ribbons to measure how far they can jump when taking part in an Olympics activity outdoors. Children sing songs involving numbers and estimate how long the arms are on their 'Supatato' superhero.
• Learning opportunities to develop children's curiosity, creativity and imagination are highly ambitious. Practitioners skilfully support children's curiosity. For example, when exploring lemon and lime in a sensory activity, practitioners encourage younger children to use all their senses. Practitioners create a sense of awe and wonder in the forest as children independently use natural tools to make holes in logs for a bug hotel. Children take time to wonder what creatures will make their homes when the job is finished.
• Parents make wonderful comments about how the nursery has supported their children. Typical comments include, 'Port Regis is truly amazing. The staff go above and beyond everyday'.
• Practitioners consistently share the nursery's vision and values. They are incredibly proud to work at the nursery and appreciate the high focus on their own well-being. The manager is passionate about her role and strives for excellence. She uses her extensive knowledge to bring the very best for her team. She provides meaningful supervision sessions and well-being walks to question and challenge each other to ensure that there is continuous improvement.