Townsend Montessori Nursery Faversham

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff get to know children to understand what they need from their time at nursery. They are aware of children who may experience barriers to learning and/or wellbeing for reasons, such as being previously known to social care or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders and staff build suitable links with parents and learn about children's home lives, such as sleep routines. Staff support these aspects of children's care well within the nursery, particularly for babies.

As children develop, leaders and staff typically identify any support that children may need. They work alongside other professionals effectively to implement any additional strategies and support that children may need. However, the systems to identify and support younger children with emerging needs are less well embedded in practice. This means that there is scope for staff to be able to more swiftly implement support within the nursery that will have a greater impact on children's overall development.

Where additional funding is received, leaders work alongside parents to establish how this can best be used to support children's learning experiences. This is reviewed to ensure that it positively supports their development needs.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have a clear curriculum that is understood by staff and generally implemented appropriately. There is consideration as to how children are able to build skills over time as they move from room to room through the nursery. However, leaders are aware of some inconsistencies in practice and the ongoing support that they need to put in place due to the recent changes within the team. Overall, children typically develop the necessary skills they need for their next stage of education at school.

Children have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities across the week, such as football coaching and forest school. This widens children's skills and experiences. These opportunities are open to all children who are old enough to be able to manage the additional challenge, which supports an inclusive approach. Children's communication and language skills are well supported. For example, staff repeat language back to children and use actions alongside spoken word to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Leaders and staff have appropriate settling-in procedures to help them get to know children and families at the start. This helps staff to be able to build relationships with families to continue information-sharing.

Achievement: Expected standard

Overall, children make positive progress from their individual starting points. Their individual circumstances are generally understood, which helps staff to remove any barriers to achievement that may be present. This includes any special educational needs and/or disabilities and for children previously known to social care.

Children gain a suitable range of skills to support their eventual move on to school. For example, children are confidently able to ask for help and initiate conversations with staff and other children. Children learn to work with others who have similar interests. For example, children search for bugs outside using magnifying glasses. They use their lists as a guide and decide together what to search for next.

Babies and younger children enjoy exploring the garden and the opportunity for messy play. For example, babies experiment with play foam and intriguingly watch staff as they sing actions songs and clap, which makes the foam float in the air.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff communicate clear behaviour expectations for children. For example, they discuss the safe use of equipment during forest school activities. Staff do not generally need to follow up further with children as they show appropriate and positive behaviour while at nursery. Children receive positive praise for their efforts and are pleased to receive a reward sticker. Staff share that this links with their curriculum aims and that older children are beginning to understand that they are developing their skills in specific areas. This helps children to develop their self-esteem. Children show kindness towards each other, for example, by helping their friends on the balance beams.

Children show a real enjoyment and understanding of the routines through additional sessions, such as yoga. For example, children immediately take off their shoes and line them up ready to begin the session. They demonstrate suitable listening skills and engagement in the activity.

Leaders have established systems in place to monitor attendance to ensure that children receive the appropriate support to benefit from attending nursery.

Some aspects of the minor inconsistencies in staff practice link to how children are supported in their behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Learning outside is part of children's everyday experiences at nursery. All children have the opportunity to use the garden, which also gives them time with children from other rooms. Older children have frequent visits to the forest school area. Staff carefully plan the sessions to allow children wider opportunities to explore nature and planned risk based play. Staff report seeing an improvement in children's development, such as their confidence, since this has been an established part of nursery life.

Generally, care practices meet the needs of children. However, at times, staffs communication approach means that children are not consistently supported well enough to understand some of the routines or given the opportunities to extend their skills further. For example, babies often have their noses wiped with little communication about when and why it is happening and sometimes older children have tasks completed for them that they are able to try to do themselves. Despite this, at other times, older children show their capabilities, such as during mealtimes, where they can serve themselves and wash up their plates.

Leaders have recently changed to on-site home-made food with healthy menus. Children enjoy the healthy food and social mealtimes that staff provide.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The nursery has recently opened a new room and expanded their team to support this. It has been carefully managed to ensure that newer staff are spread throughout the rooms to help maintain consistency for children. Leaders have an accurate assessment of the nursery's strengths and recognise where they are in their development journey. This shows that they have clear oversight of their responsibilities. Leaders positively received emerging feedback during the inspection and swiftly took steps to make changes to reflect this.

Staff state that leaders are very responsive to feedback and their wellbeing and workload is well considered. For example, staff received additional supervision support, where needed, and changes are made to help them through the week, such as amendments to working hours.

Leaders have suitable professional development opportunities for staff to help broaden their skills. Newer staff receive induction training to ensure that they have suitable training to cover safeguarding and food hygiene. More experienced staff receive opportunities to broaden their knowledge, such as through forest school training. This helps to extend the learning opportunities on offer for children.

Leaders and staff have suitable relationships with parents and other professionals and they promote the nursery within the community. For example, they have worked within the local community to help promote the nursery to new families. Parents positively state that their children enjoy their time at nursery. They know children's key person and appreciate the relationship staff have with children. Parents comment that the recently implemented app has increased communication and their children make progress in their learning.