Smiles Montessori Newhall

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and enjoy their time at the setting. Effective procedures are in place to support children who may initially be unsettled when they start. Children receive a friendly and warm welcome from staff, with whom they have formed secure bonds. Staff treat the children with kindness and respect. They listen to, and act on, the views and ideas of children. Children are offered consistent praise and encouragement. They are supported to use good manners. Children have formed friendships and are considerate of others. For example, they help each other clean up spilled milk and pass each other plates at snack time.

The leadership team is committed to providing high-quality care and education. It is reflective and evaluates the provision, prioritising areas for development. This means children benefit from a well-thought-out and ambitious curriculum that builds on what they already know and can do. Staff have high expectations of the children and know them and their individual needs well. They tailor their interactions with the children around their individual development needs. Staff are effective in engaging with other professionals when required. Strategies are in place to support children and families who speak English as an additional language. This helps to ensure that all children receive the support they need so they can make the best possible progress in relation to their individual starting points.

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

• Children's independence is encouraged from a young age. As a result, children show excellent levels of independence and confidence. Babies recognise the tidy-up song and spontaneously fetch the toy baskets so they can begin tidying up. They know where their comforters are kept and independently access these and put them away as required. Older children are self-sufficient at mealtimes. They serve their own food, pour their own drinks, use their cutlery and clean up after themselves with very little support needed. This helps children learn important skills for the future.
• Children hear a wide variety of spoken language. Staff who work with babies sing songs and rhymes with the children and use single words during their play. Staff who work with toddlers and pre-school children use activities to introduce new words to them and explain the meaning of them when required, such as 'balance'. Staff make effective use of sign language to support all children. This helps children to learn new vocabulary and supports their good communication and language development.
• Staff provide a range of activities and experiences that children are eager to participate in. They engage with children during their play and follow their interests. They provide opportunities for children to explore concepts, such as floating and sinking, to further their knowledge. However, staff do not always identify times in children's play or during planned activities when they could extend their learning further. This means that children are not consistently provided with high levels of challenge.
• Children generally behave well. They listen to staff and are kind and caring towards each other. Staff have clear rules and boundaries that they reinforce. However, staff do not always provide suitable explanations to support children to develop a deeper understanding of the rules and boundaries. For instance, staff remind children not to climb on chairs without telling them why this could be dangerous. As a result, children do not gain a clear understanding of why the rules are in place, to enable them to self-regulate their behaviour.
• Staff are inducted well for their role when they begin employment and when they are promoted. They receive targeted training and ongoing professional development opportunities. Staff morale is high, and teamwork is effective. This means that children are cared for by happy and motivated staff.
• Relationships with parents are positive. Parents report that they are well supported by the staff team, and their children are happy to come to the setting. Staff engage with parents about their children's learning and development. Leaders establish a two-way flow of information with other settings the children attend. This helps to establish a consistent approach to supporting children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the quality of staff interactions with children to help them consistently challenge and extend children's learning more effectively as they play
• support staff to develop children's understanding of why there are rules in place so that they can learn to self-regulate their behaviour.