The Avenues Montessori

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, settled and content in this warm and welcoming nursery. They are often greeted at the door by their friends, who offer them smiles and cuddles to welcome them in. They beam with excitement and go straight off to join in with play. Children build good bonds with staff, which allows them to feel safe to enjoy freely exploring the environment.

Children are kind to each other and notice when someone is upset or needs help. Young children bring tissues to their friends. Older children join in activities and support their friends to problem-solve, such as when building a tent in the garden. They are always engaged in play and are enthusiastic to learn and join in.

Children are treated as individuals and all learning is aimed at building their knowledge and skills. Children's interests are taken into account, which supports them to feel motivated to learn. Older children thoroughly enjoy learning about sea animals and how to look after their environment. They giggle as they recall the 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' story, stomping around the garden. Younger children improve their physical development as they confidently run around a climbing frame, playing peekaboo with staff, and laugh as they chase bubbles in the garden.

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

• Staff provide a curriculum that is well planned, based on effective assessment. They ensure that learning is sequenced to build on children's prior knowledge. For example, older children learn about litter picking and helping animals. Children show they understand and recall their previous learning. This supports an enthusiastic and positive attitude to learning.
• Leaders and staff have a good knowledge of the individual needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They provide effective, targeted support to ensure their safety and to help them make good progress. Funding is well spent on resources and memberships to support children's emotional well-being and gross motor skills.
• Staff support children's early literacy skills well. Older children engage in matching letters and words to pictures. They beam with pride as staff praise them for forming the letters of their name. This supports children to make good progress and move on in their learning through appropriate, individual challenges.
• When children struggle to regulate their own behaviours, staff are quick to respond and support them appropriately. They know children's individual likes and dislikes and work well to minimise any potential upset for children with SEND. Staff are good at distracting children and offering emotional support and lots of cuddles. This supports children in their behaviour and to feel safe.
• Staff support children well to understand routines. This helps children to be independent and ready for school when the time comes. However, some parts of the routines, such as transitioning from the garden to lunchtime and sleep times for young children, are less effective. Children sit waiting for long periods of time at the table, and the food is not served as hot as it is intended to be. Children wait for staff to be ready to put them to sleep when they are still engaging with other children and tidying resources away. This activity in the room means that some children find it harder to settle. These are areas that have been identified for improvement by the manager, through reflective practice, but are not yet fully effective.
• Children are independent and confident. For instance, they enjoy asking visitors questions and excitedly talking about their friends and which schools they will be going to. Younger children enjoy washing their hands and finding their own name card for lunchtime.
• Leaders are passionate about the nursery and strive to adapt and improve the care and education they offer to children. Staff undertake regular training to improve their knowledge and skills. This works to ensure that children are receiving good quality care and education across the nursery.
• Staff and leaders build positive parent partnerships. Parents comment on the curriculum being stimulating and challenging. They say that their children come on 'leaps and bounds' in their development. This strong partnership supports the progress and well-being of all children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the organisation of lunchtime and sleep time routines so that children do not have to wait unnecessarily.