The Little Learners Montessori at Cricklewood

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this nurturing nursery. All children make excellent progress in their learning and development. Staff are enthusiastic and know each individual child incredibly well. Children settle with ease. They join in with a range of exciting experiences. Children benefit from excellent support from staff, who understand each child's interests and unique ways of learning. Leaders and staff build a community approach that is inclusive to all, creating an inspiring curriculum through which children thrive.

Staff strongly promote inclusion and diversity throughout the setting. They develop deep knowledge of each child and the lifestyles and backgrounds of them and their families. Staff comprehensively join children in learning about their similarities and differences. They go to great efforts to ensure all children feel celebrated in the embracing environment. For example, children are encouraged to explore each other's ethnicity, culture, and religious beliefs. Children bring in belongings that symbolise their culture or have importance to them. Family members come into the setting to help their child discuss special festivities that they celebrate and read stories to build on this knowledge.

Staff create opportunities for all children to be highly independent and make choices in their play. For instance, cleaning stations with coloured wipes and sponges and brushes and dust pans are available, to support children to be responsible and clean up after messy play. Children have high levels of well-being, and their behaviour is excellent. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn skills that support them in future social situations and make very strong friendships.

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

• The manager has a vision for all children, to learn and develop freely towards their own interests. Staff and children embrace the celebrations of various cultures and religious events, embedding a deep and meaningful respect for the diversity of all people. This is reflective of the various cultures and beliefs of the children who attend. Staff take time to get to know about the important traditions and celebrations of each family. This is then shared in the nursery. Furthermore, children make their own resources, such as houses made from wooden sticks, for story telling time. This develops children's character as they feel valued and become responsible people, who make a positive contribution to their own provision and learn about the wider world.
• The quality of teaching is superb. For instance, staff plan activities to promote positive relationships with new siblings. They plan outdoor areas filled with dolls, nappies, clothes, and blankets, for toddlers to learn how to take care of babies.
• Children, are highly engaged and show a real passion for learning.
• Staff are highly skilled in supporting children's communication and language, including for those who speak English as an additional language. Staff spend time learning several key words in children's home languages to help them settle and to support their well-being. Staff are consistent in engaging children in meaningful back-and-forth conversations. Books and singing are an integral part of the day.
• Staff skilfully incorporate mathematics into play. Children have a fantastic knowledge of fractions in relation to their ages. For example, children tell staff they have filled half and three quarters of the beaker with blue coloured liquid. Staff expertly use children's interests to build upon their knowledge. For example, they use children's knowledge of fractions to help them tell the time.
• Children's independence in all aspects of their learning and self-care is superb. Even the youngest children demonstrate their independence as they prepare their own snack and breakfast, cut their own fruit, wash up their plates and cups and skilfully pour their own drinks. Children develop a desire to be independent and responsible.
• Staff members consistently model respectful behaviour and boundaries. They have the highest expectations of children's behaviour. Children follow simple rules and regulate their own behaviour, with gentle reminders from staff. Children demonstrate exemplary behaviour, manners, and conduct.
• Children with SEND are supported extremely well. The passionate and knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator, who is also the manager, builds close and professional relationships with parents, carers and other agencies. Individualised plans for children with SEND are regularly reviewed and discussed with parents. Staff communicate well about all children, ensuring the environment and activities provided are inclusive for everyone.
• Staff are extremely proud to be a part of this exceptional nursery. They speak highly of the 'hardworking and committed' manager. The manager takes time to listen to staff. Together, they think of ways that they can improve their outstanding provision further. Staff access training to further develop their highly professional skills. they are motivated to provide the finest education and care for children.