The Village Montessori at Wrekenton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a warm and friendly home-from-home environment. The small team works closely together and staff communicate well with each other to meet children's needs. Children form good relationships with all staff, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Children display keen interest in their play and learn to make decisions about what they want to do.

Children show curiosity as they explore materials such as sand and water. They develop mathematical skills as they fill and empty containers and count how many scoops they need to fill a bucket. Older children discover that when their hands are wet, they can make handprints on the fence. Toddlers learn early writing skills. For example, they grasp chalks and make marks on the ground outside. They are keen learners and enjoy mixing sand using different tools and chasing after bubbles.

Children become confident communicators and are eager to express and share their views. Staff encourage children to know and use specific vocabulary. For example, when staff teach children about nature, they encourage children to observe caterpillars and to use key vocabulary, such as 'cocoon'. Children develop strong social skills and play together well. They independently look at books and listen attentively to stories. Children count as they play, join in number rhymes and discuss height as they build a tower with bricks.

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

• The manager, who is also the provider, has made significant improvements since the last inspection. She and the staff team have completed paediatric first-aid training. They have strengthened the arrangements to follow up on children's unexpected absences. Staff confidently and precisely use children's assessment information to plan activities and build on what children know. The quality of activities and teaching is greatly improved, and children make good progress.
• Staff place a strong emphasis on developing children's speech and language skills, including children who speak English as an additional language. Staff skilfully reinforce new words and concepts during their interactions and the routine includes plenty of opportunities for children to talk, listen, sing and enjoy stories.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. For example, staff use picture cue cards to support children's communication. As a result, children who are not yet using words can make choices about what they want to do. Staff work closely with parents and external agencies to plan the individual support that each child needs.
• Staff are good role models. They are calm and attentive and show genuine care for children's needs. This supports children's emotional well-being and self- esteem. Children are confident and happy and enjoy playing with their friends. They learn to be kind, share and take turns. Staff offer lots of reassurance and praise and are consistent in their approach to behaviour management. They skilfully teach children to respect each other, and children enjoy learning about people and communities different to their own experiences.
• Children's health needs are promoted well. They benefit from plenty of opportunities to be physically active and build their physical strength. They know to wash their hands before eating. However, staff have not worked with parents to help identify those who need a dentist.
• The enthusiastic staff speak positively about the manager and the support they receive. The manager plays an active role in the nursery. She conducts regular staff supervision meetings and makes observations of teaching practice. She places a sharp focus on improving staff's knowledge of the areas of learning and how they can enhance their teaching even further. For example, recent training has helped staff to focus more on developing children's mathematical skills.
• The manager ensures that staff maintain constant communication with parents and share ideas to extend children's learning at home, such as lending out story sacks. Parents speak highly of the nursery. For example, parents feel staff are friendly and easy to approach. They feel their children are making good progress and have increased their speaking skills, independence and confidence. However, although the manager makes good use of early years pupil premium funding, parents are not included in the decision making so that children's learning is supported at the highest level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• involve parents more when deciding how to use the early years pupil premium to help promote children's learning to the highest possible level
• enhance parental partnerships to develop methods for promoting the good oral health of children.