Rocking Horse Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet families warmly on arrival at this welcoming nursery. They form positive relationships with their key children. Children use staff as a secure base from which to explore the environment. They feel happy, safe and secure in their care. Staff plan activities to encourage children to develop a positive attitude to their learning. They offer support and guidance and encourage children to keep on trying. Children display high levels of involvement and determination as they squeeze the pegs and clip them onto the basket. They watch intently as they pour water down a chute and catch it in a bucket. Children's behaviour is good.

Staff support children's independence extremely well. Babies learn to feed themselves and toddlers begin to serve their food. They learn to use tongs to pick up the fruit at snack time. Older children are very confident in completing small tasks. They wash their hands before collecting their place mat, plate and cutlery at lunchtime. Staff teach children to serve themselves and children confidently pour their own drinks. Children know where to put their dirty plates when they have finished. They become skilled in doing things for themselves. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points.

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

• Leaders plan a clear and ambitious curriculum to provide the skills children need so that they are ready for their move on to school. Leaders plan experiences that are flexible to meet the needs of individual children. They ensure learning is carefully sequenced to build on skills that children know and can do. Children are ready for the next stage in their learning.
• Children have opportunities to move their bodies in different ways. Staff place low-level furniture to encourage babies to stand and take their first steps. Toddlers learn to balance on ride-on vehicles and climb the steps of the small slide. Older children enjoy stomping, jumping, walking on tiptoes, and balancing on one leg. Children become competent movers.
• Staff ask questions to help children think about what they have been learning. They give time for children to answer. For example, at group time, staff explain about 'push' and 'pull' forces. Staff ask children to remember what they have learned. Children think about what they have been doing before sharing this knowledge with their friends.
• Staff sing with children at every opportunity. Babies enjoy joining in with action songs and clap along to the words. They explore board books and learn to turn the pages. Toddlers sing to themselves as they play. Older children join in with action songs. Children choose a book and take it to share with an adult. This helps children to develop a love of stories, songs and rhymes.
• Staff develop children's communication and language skills well, overall. They speak calmly and clearly to children. Staff get down to their level and model language well. They have introduced pictures to support some children in their understanding of routines. Some staff use signs to help children understand the language they are using. However, this is still in the early stages and is not yet fully embedded to fully support children's learning across the nursery.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is passionate about supporting children and ensuring early identification of any additional needs. She has high expectations of children and works effectively with parents and other agencies to ensure children receive the support they need. Children with SEND make good progress.
• Children develop a good understanding of number and shape. Staff plan activities to develop and extend children's knowledge. They explore the properties of shape and learn how many sides a circle and semi-circle have. Staff provide opportunities for children to explore numbers up to five. When appropriate, staff extend children's understanding further.
• Leaders are passionate and knowledgeable and have a clear vision of what they want to achieve. They seek the views of parents and staff when evaluating the quality of their nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• embed the arrangements for using strategies, such as signing and visual representation, so that all staff can consistently support children's developing communication and language skills.