Butterflies Montessori School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children choose from an extremely wide range of interesting learning resources that capture their imagination. Younger and older children have an amazing ability to sit and concentrate on their tasks.

Children crave a challenge and are extremely eager to learn. They persevere at the activities until they have achieved their purpose.Children make very close bonds with staff.

They receive superb individual support and this helps them to feel safe and welcomed. Children develop an exceedingly secure sense of belonging. They know where to keep their possessions.

They rapidly become familiar with the routine...s and carefully tidy away their playthings after each use. Children are exceptionally independent. For example, they put their coats on easily by spreading them out and flipping them over their heads.

Children are confident to ask staff to help them if their zips are too much of a struggle. Children are happy and they behave very well. They are friendly to each other and fully understand how to manage their feelings.

They learn how to share and to also how to wait their turn. Children explain clearly how they must watch for the sand timer to run down, so they can change places with their friends at soft play.

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

All children make exceptional progress in their learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

Staff make precise and accurate assessments of children's abilities, in partnership with their parents. This helps them to identify any delay in children's development. Staff work very closely with external professionals to secure the correct support for children and their families, to ensure any gaps in learning are swiftly reduced.

Staff take time to get to know each individual child. They tailor their teaching and the resources they use to extend children's understanding of their favourite topics. For example, staff use picture cards, books and replicas of planets to develop children's understanding of the solar system.

They broaden children's language and vocabulary, referring to new words in a book, such as 'asteroid', 'orbit' and 'volcano'. Children learn about mathematical concepts as they measure which planets are the nearest and furthest from the sun and which are the biggest and smallest.Children have free access to the excellent outdoor learning environment at all times of the year.

They explore and investigate a wealth of natural and real-life materials. Children are exceptionally creative and imaginative as they pretend they are cooking a meal, arranging various objects on trays. Staff support and extend their role play as they patiently and thoughtfully ask questions about the food their objects represent.

Children have lots of healthy exercise as they adeptly peddle around the garden on tricycles. Staff remind them to think about their safety and the safety of others while they are having so much fun.Staff allow children to decide when they want to eat snack, so as not to interrupt their play and learning.

Children prepare and serve themselves from a selection of nutritious food, as staff talk to them about making healthy choices. They take responsibility for their own personal hygiene according to their age and ability and confidently wash their used plates.Staff are dedicated and have a passion for providing the best learning environment for the children in their care.

Parents say the staff surpass their expectations and their children make amazing progress. Partnerships with parents are exceptionally strong. Parents spend time with the staff when they settle their children into the new environment.

Staff deliver talks for parents on the Montessori philosophy and other relevant topics. They speak to parents on a daily basis, discussing their children's development and how they can continue their learning at home.Providers, managers and staff work exceptionally well together as a close, coherent team.

Staff observe each other's practice regularly and provide constructive feedback to develop their skills. Providers and managers supervise staff particularly well. They provide excellent opportunities for staff to pursue continuous professional development opportunities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff are extremely confident in their knowledge of safeguarding, including radicalisation and other safeguarding matters. Staff are fully aware of the signs that could indicate a child is at risk of harm.

They have an excellent understanding of the procedures to follow for recording and reporting concerns. Managers question staff regularly about safeguarding to ensure their knowledge is secure and stays up to date. Recruitment of new staff is extremely robust and managers check regularly that all staff remain suitable to work with children.

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