The Bristol Montessori School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide children with a warm welcome into the carefully planned and resourced environment. Children quickly learn the structured routine and behavioural expectations of the Montessori approach that staff follow. Children understand the ground rules and classroom etiquette. They follow staff's instructions, line up, sit patiently, take turns and are impeccably well behaved.

Children make good progress in their learning from their individual starting points. Staff implement a varied curriculum that provides many rich play and learning experiences, indoors and outdoors. Children gain great independence from a young age. For example, children, including two-year-old children, find their name to register their attendance and choose where they wish to play. They remove and hang up their coats, peg their outdoor shoes together, learn to do fastenings and choose activities that they want to do. Children move freely between the four classrooms that are based over two floors, negotiating the stairs confidently and safely.

Children acquire many skills to prepare them for school. Staff in the 'practical life' classroom present children with many opportunities to develop self-care skills. Children learn to use cutlery safely, pour, cut with scissors, sweep and carry out tasks, such as washing up after snack. Children practise their developing early writing skills and develop confident mathematical skills. For example, they draw with control and many form letters. Staff teach children of all ages to recognise numerals, put numbers in sequence and complete simple calculations. Children enjoy planned art activities. For example, they develop their hand muscles and coordination as they draw up paint into pipettes. They recognise colours and learn to mix them to create more. They squirt paint onto wadding material and staff talk about how clouds hold water, increasing their understanding of the world.

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

• The managers are passionate about their provision. They foster team working, and staff receive good support to develop their skills. For example, staff use research material that is provided to assist their delivery of the curriculum.
• The management team and staff are Montessori trained and implement Montessori teaching methods. They have clear expectations of what the provision should look like. They create a harmonious and peaceful environment, where children learn to work quietly and not to interrupt other children's work. The planned curriculum places a heavy focus on developing children's independence, numeracy, early reading and writing skills. Children develop impressive levels of independence. When staff interact one to one with children, they challenge children to think and share ideas.
• Staff plan group activities, such as 'bucket time', and intervention sessions to help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who find verbal communication more difficult. They use sign language and picture cards. Many staff are bilingual and staff use words in children's home languages to aid children's understanding. However, staff do not actively encourage and engage children in conversations to enhance their language skills. For example, at times, staff fail to respond to children wishing to speak and participate more fully in group activities. A musician visits each week and staff report that they children enjoy singing, but it is not evident that staff make the very best use of singing, rhyme and stories at other times to enhance children's language development further.
• Staff and children reflect a diverse community. Staff ensure that children's individual uniqueness is valued. They increase children's awareness of different cultures and diversity. For example, staff teach children about countries and traditions. Children learn where countries are on a map, and to recognise countries' flags and landmarks. Cultural festivals that are relevant to the children are celebrated.
• Children enjoy fresh air and exercise. They develop coordination, balance and agility as they travel across a row of stepping stones of differing heights then jump off safely. They engage in gardening activities and regularly go to forest areas where staff encourage them to explore and investigate the natural environments.
• Parents speak positively about the provision and staff. Key persons provide regular verbal feedback about children's progress. They use an app to share photographs of children's activities and day-to-day information. Family events, such as a picnic and Christmas celebrations, allow parents, staff and children to come together. Parents drop off and collect their children at the door. They report that they rarely go into the nursery to gain first-hand insight into their children's play, learning and social interactions, and would like more opportunities to do this.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give greater focus to extending children's communication and language development, and make more use of stories, songs and rhymes
• provide parents with more regular first-hand experiences to gain an insight into their children's play, learning and social interactions.