The Montessori People Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are highly enthusiastic learners. They show considerable levels of concentration as they take part in a wide range of interesting activities. Babies giggle with delight as they explore the sounds different musical instruments make. Toddlers and two-year-olds are very focused as they scoop and pour different materials. They learn about taking turns as staff support them to use the slide safely. Pre-school children practise mark-making skills as they use different materials to paint leaves on autumn trees. They chat together as they pretend to be doctors, explaining how they can hear their friends' heart beating. The atmosphere in the nursery is wonderfully calm and purposeful.

Leaders and staff create a warm and welcoming environment for all children. Children are treated with kindness and respect. They clearly form close, trusting relationships with staff. This helps them to feel secure and to develop their confidence as they try new things, such as exploring different textures in sensory play activities or holding a stick insect. Children behave extremely well. Staff skilfully support children to join others in their play. They help older children to resolve conflicts themselves. This helps to provide children with important skills to help them as they move on to school. Parents all comment on how well the nursery prepares children for this next stage in their learning. This includes, for example, inviting teachers to visit the nursery and through holding events such as graduation, which helps children to recognise the end of their time at nursery and to celebrate their achievements.

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

• Dedicated leaders have developed a strong staff team. Staff say that they feel valued and supported. There is a strong emphasis on providing opportunities for staff to develop their careers, through gaining higher levels of qualifications and attending regular training. This benefits children as staff are continuously developing their practice to provide an even higher level of care and learning.
• The curriculum is sequenced effectively. This helps to ensure that there is clarity around the main learning intentions in each part of the nursery. This supports children to be ready to move on to the next room. These transitions are carefully planned, as are settling-in arrangements for new starters. This promotes children's emotional well-being.
• Staff provide children with high-quality interactions and use regular assessment to build on what children know and can already do. They share information with parents to help them to continue learning at home. However, the provider does not fully ensure that assessment is used precisely enough to help all children to make the best possible progress. Sometimes, staff do not identify next steps for children that address the most important aspects of their learning and development.
• There is a strong commitment from leaders to form effective partnerships with other agencies who may be involved with the families of children in their care. This includes specialists who provide additional intervention for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is greatly valued by parents who welcome the support their children receive.
• Staff collect a wealth of information about each child. This helps them provide opportunities to celebrate special events in children's lives and to learn more about their families. Leaders invite visitors from the community to talk to the children about what they do. Recent visits from emergency services have provided stimulating learning experiences. Links with a local care home, and trips to shops to buy ingredients for the chef also enrich the curriculum.
• Children take great pride in doing things for themselves. Staff support younger children to pour their own drinks. Older children serve their own food and then carefully wash up their plates and cups. However, opportunities to develop children's independence are inconsistent. Children who are old enough to do tasks for themselves, such as trying to put on coats and shoes or setting the table, are not always encouraged to do so.
• The nursery recognises the importance of its role in promoting children's good health. Tooth brushing is part of the daily routine in every room. Children learn about healthy eating and have opportunities to plant and grow different vegetables.
• Children develop a real love of reading. They often sit independently, retelling familiar stories. Staff read to children with considerable animation. Two-year-old children are captivated and join in enthusiastically. There is a wide range of books available for taking home, including many carefully chosen to support children to understand differences and similarities between themselves and others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance assessment processes so staff identify more precisely what children need to learn next in order to make even greater progress
• consider ways to promote children's independence and self-care skills more consistently across the nursery.