St Mary's Summerstown Montessori Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive to this safe nursery happily. The friendly manager and staff warmly greet children by name at the door. Staff ensure that children have access to a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities. They provide children with a stimulating curriculum that covers all areas of learning and the Montessori philosophy. This encourages and motivates children to want to have a go and learn.

Staff plan fun activities to help to stimulate children's love of literacy. During story time, children have opportunities to choose picture props from the story 'Handa's Surprise.' Staff extend children's understanding of the world and vocabulary. They teach children new words, such as 'avocado', 'antelope' and 'guava'. Staff challenge children's thinking by asking open questions to encourage them to recall what happens next in the story.

Children develop their early writing skills well. They are encouraged to make marks using a range of materials. For example, children use their fingers to create meaningful letters in the sand. Staff have high expectations for all children, whose behaviour is good. Staff are proactive at making children aware of the 'golden rules' in the nursery. They set clear boundaries to help children to learn right from wrong.

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

• Key persons understand their role and responsibility to monitor and assess children's learning effectively. They keep parents well informed about their children's learning and what children need to learn next. These strong partnerships support parents to be active and involved in their children's learning. For example, staff provide parents with book bags to promote their children's reading at home. Parents appreciate the observations and photos on their children's online learning profiles.
• The manager and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENCo) have developed good links with the local authority's SENCo and inclusion officers. They are swift to access targeted support and funding to enable them to help children and parents in and out of the setting. This helps children to make good progress.
• Although staff promote children's speech and language, they do not provide consistent opportunities for children who are bilingual and speak English as an additional language to see, hear and use their home languages within the nursery.
• Children show effective levels of independence in their play, such as they self-select activities and resources that interest them. They persevere to manage tasks, such as using tongs to pick up fruit as they serve themselves at snack time and pour their own drinks. Children grow in confidence in their abilities and develop positive levels self-esteem.
• Staff help children to gain secure early mathematical skills. For instance, children learn to count in sequence as they use coloured counters to represent the number on sandpaper number cards. They access the pretend cash register in the role-play area and learn about calculations and money through enjoyable pretend play.
• Children have good opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, they learn to manoeuvre their bodies in various ways as they take part in weekly yoga activities. Children use their arms and legs to do butterfly stretches and butterfly wings. They access the outdoor area daily to take part in a variety of activities. Children have tremendous fun as they access wheeled vehicles. They skilfully use their feet to propel themselves forward along the coned racecourse.
• Staff do not consistently provide children with opportunities to explore a range of resources that help them to build on their growing awareness of how things work.
• Parents are extremely happy with the service provided. They speak highly of the care and education their children receive. Parents comment that staff provide a family feel and get to know their children and families.
• The conscientious manager implements effective systems for self-evaluation. This helps her to assess and review how various groups of children are progressing within the nursery. The manager seeks the views of others, such as staff, parents and local authority advisers, to further extend children's outcomes.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide opportunities for children to see, hear and use their home languages within the nursery to enhance their communication even further
• increase opportunities to strengthen children's awareness of how things work.