Tilsworth Montessori School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff create a highly inclusive environment where every child is known, valued and supported to achieve their potential. They identify children's needs quickly and work closely with families and professionals to ensure children receive the right support at the right time. Staff carefully monitor children's progress and regularly review support, adapting strategies when needed to reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from precise planning and highly effective support. Staff work closely with external professionals and use their guidance well to shape children's experiences. Staff understand children's individual needs exceptionally well and skilfully adapt their teaching, interactions and routines to help children participate fully in nursery life. For example, staff use timers and carefully tailored strategies to help children manage transitions and engage successfully in routines. As a result, children develop increasing confidence, independence and engagement in learning. Children who previously found it difficult to sustain concentration or follow instructions now engage purposefully for longer periods and participate successfully alongside their peers.

Staff use additional funding thoughtfully to reduce barriers and widen opportunities. They work closely with families to identify support that will have the greatest impact, including offering an additional lunchtime session to provide continuity and help families access support when needed. Staff also purchase resources linked to children's interests, such as materials to support learning about the solar system, helping children remain highly engaged in learning. In addition, staff have invested in tablets to help children develop the knowledge and skills needed for life in an increasingly digital world. They complement this by providing parents with guidance about age-appropriate screen time and technology use. As a result, children who face disadvantage, speak an additional language or require additional support thrive and make rapid progress from their starting points.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Staff have designed an ambitious curriculum that reflects high expectations for all children. They evaluate the quality of teaching carefully and use training, local authority guidance and reflective practice to continually strengthen the curriculum. Staff place children's physical, personal, social and emotional development at the heart of the curriculum. Children learn to manage their feelings, develop independence and build positive relationships through carefully planned routines and highly responsive interactions.

Staff know children remarkably well and use ongoing assessment to shape teaching around children's interests, needs and stages of development. They quickly identify gaps in learning and adapt experiences to ensure all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to learning. Staff build successfully on children's strengths and interests to help them succeed. For example, Staff weave mathematical learning naturally throughout the day. Children confidently use mathematical language, identify shapes in everyday routines and solve problems during their play.

Teaching is consistently purposeful and highly effective. Staff understand that every interaction is an opportunity to extend learning and deepen children's thinking. For example, staff skilfully introduce ambitious vocabulary such as 'tear', 'splat' and 'pull' as children manipulate play dough, helping children with SEND develop communication skills while remaining fully engaged in play. Children also develop a valuable understanding of the wider world. They confidently discuss continents, countries and landmarks and explain the difference between land and lakes while independently pouring water into geographical models. These carefully planned experiences promote children's language, knowledge and independence simultaneously. As a result, children become curious, confident learners who develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for their next stage of learning.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make wonderful progress from their starting points and are superbly prepared for their next stage of learning. Children make particularly strong progress in communication and language. Consequently, children develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that support future success. Staff seize every opportunity to extend children's vocabulary, encourage conversation and deepen understanding through meaningful interactions. Children listen attentively, express their ideas with growing confidence and use increasingly sophisticated language to explain their thinking and experiences.

Children who face barriers to learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well because staff tailor support precisely to their needs and interests. For example, children confidently select and stack blocks by size, before independently choosing a more-challenging activity that involves following a complex pattern. Children independently extend their learning further, adding balls to the structure and testing how they travel through the pathways they have constructed. This sustained engagement, curiosity and willingness to embrace challenge demonstrates the strong progress children make over time.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff have embedded a culture of mutual respect and responsibility where children consistently demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning, their environment and one another. Staff build warm and trusting relationships with children and use effective interactions to help them feel secure, valued and understood. As a result, children demonstrate kindness, respect and increasing responsibility for their own behaviour. They willingly help friends, share resources and show consideration for others throughout the day. For example, children carefully wrap playdough in brown paper at tidy-up time, explaining that this keeps it ready for future use. This reflects the sharp sense of responsibility and respect children show towards their environment and one another.

Staff teach behaviour and routines purposefully and consistently. They use clear expectations, positive role modelling and sensitive support to help children understand their feelings and make positive choices. Children respond very well to these approaches. For example, during circle time, children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, listen attentively, follow instructions and participate enthusiastically in activities involving movement and mindfulness. Children confidently use language such as 'left', 'right' and 'squeeze' as they respond to instructions, regulate their bodies and work cooperatively alongside their peers.

Staff adapt support skilfully to children's individual needs, helping them manage transitions, regulate emotions and participate successfully in learning. Staff promote attendance and punctuality as an important part of children's wellbeing and readiness for school. Caring relationships with families help staff identify and respond quickly to concerns. They monitor attendance patterns carefully and follow-up absences promptly when required. This helps children establish secure routines, attend regularly and make the most of the opportunities available to them.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff place children's welfare and wellbeing at the heart of the provision. They remain alert to changing guidance and use local authority updates and training to review policies and strengthen practice. Staff respond thoughtfully to the needs of families, including those with varying communication needs or who speak English as an additional language. This helps ensure that children's individual needs are consistently considered and that families receive clear, supportive guidance.

Staff take every opportunity to nurture children's emotional wellbeing. They frequently 'check in' with children throughout the day, engaging in meaningful conversations and showing a genuine interest in their thoughts, feelings and experiences. This helps children feel deeply valued, secure and confident. Staff work closely with families and professionals so that children who face barriers to learning or wellbeing, receive responsive and consistent care.

Staff promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles, personal safety and self-care through carefully planned routines and meaningful everyday experiences. For example, they teach children why sitting up straight while eating helps food travel safely down their throats and support them to develop good oral hygiene through daily toothbrushing routines. Staff encourage children to name different types of teeth and understand why toothpaste is good for their teeth. They consistently foster children's responsibility and independence by encouraging them to recognise when a drink has been spilt, collect cleaning cloths and resolve the problem themselves without adult prompting. As a result, children develop confidence, independence and an excellent sense of responsibility for themselves and their environment.

Staff help children recognise, express and manage their emotions. Outdoors, children wait patiently for turns on the swings and understand why they stay clear while others are using equipment. As a result, children develop excellent self-care skills, confidence and emotional security.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have an insightful and accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and priorities for development. They continually reflect on the quality of the provision and respond thoughtfully to the changing needs of children and families. Leaders are highly ambitious for all children and keep a sharp focus on securing the best possible outcomes, particularly for those who face barriers to learning and wellbeing.

Leaders have embedded a culture of high expectations, professionalism and continuous improvement. They value their long-standing staff team and make thoughtful decisions that protect staff wellbeing and workload. Leaders recognise the strengths of individual staff and adapt arrangements where needed so staff can carry out their roles effectively. This contributes to a stable and committed workforce, where children benefit from secure relationships with adults who know them extremely well.

Professional development is purposeful and has a clear impact on practice. Staff actively seek out training, research and professional learning opportunities that are closely matched to the needs of children attending the setting. Leaders inspire staff to reflect, embrace new ideas and continually refine their teaching. This creates a strong culture of professional curiosity, where staff confidently adapt their approaches to meet children's changing needs. As a result, children benefit from thoughtful, responsive practice that promotes their wellbeing, engagement and progress.