Wimbledon Village Montessori School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a very warm, nurturing and friendly welcome when they arrive at Wimbledon Village Montessori School. They respond positively to staff and learn in a happy and safe place. Children, even those who have recently started, are very settled, separating easily from their main carers. There is a wide range of activities available for the children, which motivates them to learn. For example, younger children show good concentration as they recall previous learning about transport and talk happily with staff about buses and trains. Staff plan a painting activity to follow on from children's discussions, which added to children's enjoyment.

Staff have high expectations for every child. In particular, they place a strong emphasis on supporting children's emotional well-being. The key-person system ensures that children's individual needs are identified and met effectively. This helps children to form strong relationships with staff, who are kind, caring and approachable.

Children conduct themselves well throughout the day. They listen well and understand boundaries and expectations of how to behave nicely. Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, are familiar with the daily routines. Staff teach children to be independent learners. For example, they encourage children to tidy away their toys and help at mealtimes.

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

• Staff morale is high. This is because staff receive good levels of support and supervision from the management team. Staff have attended training recently, which has increased their confidence in speaking with parents about how children learn and develop.
• The manager evaluates the nursery regularly to raise the standards for children. She acknowledges that some staff have not fully considered how to support children, who are quiet and less confident during group times, to help them make the most of all learning experiences.
• Partnerships with parents are highly effective. Parents speak favourably about the manager and staff. They appreciate the opportunities to share in their children's education, for instance through various events and parent workshops. These successful partnerships help parents to support their children's learning at home.
• Staff plan a wide variety of interesting outings, to broaden children's learning experiences. For instance, a visit to a local farm and theatre enriched children's knowledge of the world around them. Staff also work in partnership with specialist teachers, such as music and sports, to aid children's growth and development.
• Children are physically active and enjoy being outdoors. For example, they demonstrate their kicking skills while playing with different sized balls. However, there are fewer opportunities for children to take age-appropriate risks outside. This does not fully support children who learn best in the natural world.
• Staff are skilful at developing children's mathematical skills. They encourage children to use numbers and identify shapes in various situations. For example, during a group activity, older children delight in identifying 'semi-circle, rectangle' and 'oval' correctly.
• Staff promote children's language, listening and early writing skills successfully. As a result, children enjoy listening to stories and singing nursery songs. They also have lots of fun drawing and practising writing their names in readiness for school.
• Staff protect children's health effectively. For instance, they ask children to wash their hands regularly and encourage them to drink water throughout the day. Children learn to eat nutritious snacks and meals by watching staff who join them at mealtimes. A previous visit from a dentist taught children how to look after their teeth. Children receive positive messages about the benefits of looking after themselves.
• Children's behaviour is good. They know how to share toys and take turns with their peers. Children show good manners by using words, such as please and thank you.
• Staff observe and assess children's learning accurately. They make good use of the information gained to plan activities to build on what children already know and can do. This aids children's good developmental progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase staff's understanding of how to support all children during group activities more effectively, particularly those who are quiet and less confident
• make more effective use of outdoor play to enable children to take age- appropriate risks, supporting those who learn best in the natural world.