Queens Park Montessori

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and warm, caring staff greet them. Older children confidently hang up their own coats and quickly engage in the play and activities available to them. Children know the routines of the nursery which helps them feel secure. For example, babies make their way to the table, when staff say it is time for lunch. The nursery follows a Montessori ethos, and the environment is nurturing and calm. Children build strong bonds with staff and show that they feel safe and settled.

Children behave well. They play cooperatively and take turns. For example, older children ask their peers for a turn with the tools and wait patiently until they are available. Children respect their environment. They say, 'we need to tidy up', before moving from one activity to another and do this independently.

Children are active, motivated learners. Babies confidently explore. They select books and take them to staff to read to them. Older children say 'yay, numbers again!' with excitement, as staff start a group activity. Children use language well and engage in meaningful conversations with each other and staff. Staff develop children's vocabulary as they make ramps in the garden. They say the ramps are 'steep' and that children need to 'stabilise' them, and children repeat the words.

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

• The curriculum is well planned and implemented to ensure children make good progress against their starting points. Staff reflect on their planning every week to ensure they provide ongoing good quality opportunities for children.
• Staff encourage children to solve problems and persevere when they do not succeed at first. For example, they suggest children consider the 'height' of the blocks and put the 'tallest' at the bottom, when they are unable to make a tower. Children copy this to achieve their goal.
• Older children test out their ideas to help build their critical thinking skills. They experiment by moving wires around to create a circuit. Children discover how to make the light, motor and buzzer work and show their peers.
• Staff working with younger children narrate children's play to help give their actions meaning. They encourage children to join in with songs to develop their language skills.
• The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator is proactive in training staff to identify and support children who need additional help with their learning. She works with parents and external agencies to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make the best possible progress.
• Children learn early mathematics skills to help prepare them for school. Staff working with babies count, as children climb the stairs to the slide. Older children can recognise some numbers on dice without counting the dots during a board game.
• Settling-in sessions and transitions from one room to another are well managed, to support children's emotional development. Staff are kind and patient with children new to the nursery or room and gently support them to join in with the new routines.
• Effective monitoring systems are in place to ensure staff get the training and support they need to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Staff report high levels of well-being and feel well supported by the manager.
• Staff use visual cards to help children who speak English as an additional language to understand what is happening next. However, there are few opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in their play, to support their language development and sense of belonging.
• Parents say they are well informed about their children's progress. They report that their children are happy and that they like the 'homely' feel of the nursery.
• Children enjoy fresh air and exercise and develop their large motor skills outside. They ably run, climb and kick balls. Babies pick up pasta with their fingers and put it into bowls which helps build their small motor skills. Older children make marks with paints and pencils to build their muscles for early writing.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities for children whose first language is not English, to practise and value their home language in their play to develop their communication skills and sense of belonging.