The Rocking Horse Montessori Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The education and care provided to children in this welcoming and inclusive environment is exceptional. The highly skilled and passionate staff team strives to provide high-quality care to enable all children to achieve the best possible outcomes. Children have warm and affectionate attachments with staff and demonstrate that they feel emotionally secure. The captivating and welcoming environment inspires children. They show enthusiasm, curiosity and engagement in all they do. For instance, the youngest children show remarkable independence and maturity when exploring their surroundings and choosing resources to enhance their play. Children are thriving in this community-based setting.

The provider, along with the staff team, has developed a highly ambitious curriculum for all children, which is well embedded and effective. It builds on children's personal, social and emotional development, physical development and communication and language to underpin these key aspects of children's learning. The curriculum for personal development is truly inspiring and is worthy of being shared with other providers. For example, staff offer a rich array of engaging opportunities that foster children's curiosity while promoting independence, self-care and a deeper understanding of their friends, their community and the world around them. Children are building firm foundations for their future learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified through in-depth assessments, conducted by highly skilled practitioners who are knowledgeable about child development. This approach ensures that support is obtained at the earliest opportunity to bridge gaps in children's development.

Behaviour is exemplary. Children show remarkable kindness and respect towards their friends and the staff. From a young age, children develop an understanding of using manners and the expectations for their behaviour. For example, children understand the concept of turn-taking and develop skills such as patience and the need to wait while others are talking. This is due to highly skilled staff providing children with constant praise and recognition when they show kindness or achieve something they have set out to do. This supports children's exceptional levels of well-being.

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

• Leadership is extremely strong. The setting strives for excellence in all that it offers. The provider is highly reflective and is visible across the setting to continuously evaluate practice and the implementation of the curriculum. They welcome feedback from parents, the local authority and professionals such as speech and language therapists and teachers of deaf children, along with collaborating with other local settings. This approach allows them to continuously reflect and ensure that children receive a very high quality of education.
• Staff instil a love of books and reading through shared stories and providing books for reference alongside activities. Children understand that books can be used for pleasure or to develop a deeper understanding of information. Children show their knowledge of books and describe parts such as the 'spine' and the 'blurb'. Children show pure delight and excitement when they discover new books and are eager to share these with their friends and with staff. Furthermore, the introduction of a lending library encourages parents to take favourite books home to share with their children.
• Staff practice is consistently outstanding. They provide an extremely language-rich environment and interact with children skilfully to allow them to express themselves and extend their learning. Children absorb what they are learning and can remember long term what they have been taught. For example, when children talk about countries around the world, they can identify Trinidad, having previously been taught this and how far away it is from England.
• All staff are dedicated to providing children with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive independently in life. The breadth of the curriculum designed for children's personal growth is truly impressive. For instance, in small groups, children share their photos and drawings from home about their Easter holidays. They are truly curious about each other's experiences, listening attentively and showing respect while others talk, and asking thoughtful questions. Children take responsibility for safety checks. They check the garden daily for any possible risks and discuss how these can be minimised before their friends come out to play. Furthermore, children also learn about important topics such as road safety, online safety and the risks of choking. Parents say that children come home and share this wealth of information with them.
• Relationships with parents are exceptional. There is a supportive and collaborative approach between the setting and home. Assessments and next steps in development, along with ideas of how these could be supported at home, are shared with parents through written reports and face-to-face meetings. The setting plans family events such as picnics and sports days. Staff invite parents into the setting to share their cultures, religions and occupations with the children, as part of their commitment to children learning about others.
• Staff are committed to helping children learn to be independent and explore new ideas and concepts. This supports children to continuously acquire new skills. For instance, when discussing size, staff introduce tape measures and demonstrate how to use them correctly. Children then use these new skills independently in their own play.