Sunflower Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly and are confident to explore the environment. Staff get to know the children well, and they overall plan successfully for children's individual learning needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have good support from staff, enabling all children to make as much progress as possible.

The management team has devised an ambitious curriculum, covering all areas of children's development. It identifies the learning targets for each age group, so staff know what they want children to achieve and how to help them get there, before moving them on to their next stage. There is a strong focus on enabling children to experience as many practical skills as possible. For example, toddlers learn to manage scissors, their zips and to take off their boots. Older children use a range of tools and equipment, such as an apple corer and toaster.

Staff are gentle with the children and respond well to their needs. They treat children with respect and value their opinions. Staff provide good role models, so children are kind and show each other empathy. Children are inquisitive and eager to take part in activities. They quickly learn the nursery routines and understand the staff's expectations.

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

• The strong leadership team continually evaluates its practice, seeking parents and staff feedback to identify ways of taking effective action for continuous improvements. For example, staff have had recent training on promoting children's mathematical development through all activities and daily routines to extend this area more effectively. The manager and the deputy manager are supernumerary so that they can focus on supporting new staff, keeping the quality of the teaching consistently high for children.
• Staff provide good support for children's language and communication skills. For example, they add vocabulary, read books, sing songs and narrate what children are doing. They use books well with babies and toddlers, helping them to understand the meaning of words. Older children are encouraged to listen to each other and not call out. However, sometimes group times are not planned as well as they could be, so after a while some of the youngest children loose interest and become restless.
• Children and staff have strong relationships. Staff provide sensitive support for children to learn to manage their behaviour and understand their emotions. Staff praise young children for sharing. Children respond positively to staff's facial expressions, such as smiling and clapping when they succeed. Older children suggest their own golden rules and remind each other of them.
• Children show they feel safe and secure. Leaders are quick to notice if a child shows any sign of distress and ensure that they soon feel reassured. For example, when a toddler is reluctant to have their nappy changed, the supervisor asks the child who they would like to have change them. They then happily cooperate.
• Staff provide good support for children to be as independent as possible. For example, older children collect food and drink to prepare snack, carry trays of food to give out to their friends and wash up afterwards. Staff enable children to have enough time to practise new skills. Although staff ask children if they need help, they occasionally take over, rather than providing just enough support for children to solve problems for themselves.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength of the setting. Parents comment on the good exchange of information. They confirm how well leaders and staff provide additional help to ensure that any gaps in children's development soon close. Staff are proactive in contacting other settings that children attend, enabling them to work together consistently to meet children's needs.
• Managers and all staff attend extensive safeguarding training. They have a good knowledge of what to be aware of and the procedures to follow to safeguard children, including if they should have concerns about a colleague. Good risk assessments and deployment of staff help to keep children safe. Children have good opportunities to use the local environment, where they learn the importance of keeping themselves safe, such as near roads and water.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the planning of whole-group activities to enable younger children to listen and concentrate more effectively
• focus staff development in helping children to persevere when they come across problems.