The Rugby Montessori Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive to a warm welcome and step into an environment where staff have an in-depth knowledge of them as individuals. Staff respond to the youngest children's needs with gentle voices, expressive gestures and close interaction. Staff deploy themselves effectively with older children, placing themselves where children gain the most from attentive one-to-one interactions or focused small-group time. Children are fully supported, valued and confident in their learning.

Leaders have identified a meticulously sequenced, progressive curriculum. Staff deliver the curriculum seamlessly through expert teaching across the setting. They plan for children to gain independence step by step. For example, they teach babies to recognise their shoes and place them on a shelf, moving to older toddlers who peg shoes together and progressing to pre-school children who manage all their belongings confidently. Staff build on what children already know and can do, introducing new skills in logical steps and providing rich opportunities to practise them in different contexts. This deliberate, well-informed practice enables children to master essential skills with confidence and enthusiasm.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff set clear expectations from the earliest stages and model respectful interactions at every opportunity. With babies, they introduce the visual prompts that are used across the setting, so babies begin to understand and follow expectations for 'good sitting,' 'good waiting,' and 'good sharing.' Older children show maturity and self-control. They negotiate fairly when they share resources and respect each other's learning spaces.

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

• Leaders use accurate self-evaluation to drive continuous improvement. They have improvement plans for each room, so staff can make small changes to enhance children's learning. For example, they changed outdoor playtimes to when younger babies have more energy. With older babies, staff now follow a simple three-step approach to build understanding. They name the object three times, then ask the child to point to it and finally ask them to say what it is.
• Leaders provide high-quality training that sharpens staff expertise and keeps teaching at an exceptional level. Every new team member completes a thorough induction covering safeguarding, health and safety and the setting's approach to teaching and learning. Leaders run monthly workshops that challenge staff to reflect on and improve their practice. In addition, they provide targeted training on areas, such as creating rich learning environments, using resources to extend thinking and support early communication. This commitment to professional development ensures the highest quality of interactions and deepens children's learning.
• Leaders build strong partnerships with parents that enrich children's learning and well-being. Staff share daily updates, have termly progress meetings, and monthly progress newsletters so parents know what their children are learning and how to support them at home. They gather detailed information from families when children start, including home routines, favourite activities, and key words in home languages, so children feel secure from the outset.
• Staff use precise observation and assessment to shape learning that meets each child's needs. They notice children's interests and achievements in the moment, record them accurately, and use this information to plan the next steps in learning. Leaders review assessment information to check progress, spot gaps quickly, and make sure every child is on track to achieve exceptionally well.
• Leaders provide highly effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work closely with key persons, families, and outside professionals to create tailored support plans that meet each child's needs. Staff use consistent strategies, such as visual timetables, signing, and specifically designed sensory areas so children understand routines and feel secure. They adapt activities and the environment so every child can take part and make progress alongside their peers.
• Staff create indoor and outdoor spaces that inspire exploration and independence. They place resources where children at every stage can use them and put them back without help. These deliberate choices build children's confidence, decision-making, and readiness for future learning. For example, older children benefit from extensive challenge and interact purposefully with resources, such as maps, books, and artefacts to investigate the continents of Antarctica and Africa. They use homegrown vegetables to make soup, linking the activity to learning about wartime rationing and discussing what life might have been like for children during that time.
• Staff teach children how to keep themselves and others safe. They use child-friendly visuals, such as a 'Danger Mouse' character on stair gates, to show which areas are for adults only. Children explain why these spaces are out of bounds. Outdoors, staff join in children's role-play scenarios to practise crossing roads safely, reinforcing how to stop, look and listen.
• Children show exceptional awareness of their own and others' emotions. Staff help them name and talk about their feelings from an early age, using simple language and stories that reflect real-life situations. As children grow, staff guide them to recognise how their actions affect others and to choose positive ways to respond. Older children work together to find solutions.