The Village Montessori Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily arrive at the nursery and are ready to learn and play. Staff greet them warmly. Children form secure attachments with staff and learn to engage socially with their peers. They settle well and learn to explore the environment with confidence. Children acquire good communication and language skills. They confidently engage visitors in conversation. Children excitedly talk about the pictures of rainbows they have drawn. They are proud of their achievements and are eager to show staff.

Children develop high levels of independence and life skills. They help staff to set the tables. Children wash their hands, help to prepare snack and tidy up after themselves. They enjoy using the broom to sweep the floor. Children are well behaved. They learn the nursery rules and know what is expected of them. Children explore a range of activities that promote their fine-motor skills, such as manipulating play dough, using scissors and picking up small objects with tweezers. This helps to prepare children for early writing.

Children develop a love of books. They happily sit and share a story. Children snuggle together and turn the pages of the book. They are prepared for the next stage in their learning, including the move to school. Children enjoy dressing up in school uniform and reading books about what school might be like. They experience a range of different cultures and ways of life. Children excitedly learn about the cultural dress of different countries and copy traditional dance moves. They learn new languages and learn to respect and appreciate similarities and differences.

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

• The provider, who is also the manager, leads a passionate team of staff who care about the children and families attending and want the best for them. Staff know the children well. They get to know them through in-depth observations of what they know and can do. Staff plan activities to build on children's learning. As a result, all children make good progress.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents comment on the in-depth communication they receive about their children's care and learning. Parents are familiar with the nursery curriculum. This helps them to provide consistency in their children's learning at home.
• The support in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective. Staff identify where there are emerging gaps in learning and advocate for the children to get the support they need. They liaise with outside professionals and other settings to provide a consistent approach to children's progress.
• The chef and staff have a thorough understanding of children's dietary requirements and allergies. They follow strict procedures, and children's needs are reviewed regularly with parents to make sure that they are kept safe. Medication is close by, and staff are trained in how to respond to children's symptoms. Staff help all children to understand allergies and the importance of only eating food that is prepared for them. For example, children and staff act out managing allergies in the role-play area with pretend food.
• Staff promote a healthy lifestyle. They provide children with a healthy, balanced diet. Children learn about what foods are good for them and what to eat in moderation. They have daily exercise and fresh air, including activities such as yoga, indoors and in the garden. Children enjoy using a range of equipment to support their physical skills, including climbing frames, slides, balancing beams, tunnels and tyres.
• The manager and staff do not fully consider how the set routines of the day, such as registration time and snack time, interrupt children's play. This sometimes prevents children from becoming totally absorbed in their play so that they can build on their ideas and concentration skills further.
• Staff have regular supervision meetings with the provider to discuss their progress and training needs. However, the programme of professional development is not targeted enough to raise staff's teaching practice to higher levels.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of daily routines so that children have more opportunities to build on their own learning and interests
• build on the programme for staff's professional development so that it is more targeted at raising the quality of teaching to higher levels.