Chagford Montessori Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children and their families are warmly welcomed to the nursery by the staff. Parents appreciate the values of the setting and feel privileged that their children attend.

Staff promote children's emotional well-being, providing flexibility for families as children settle in and supporting younger children to learn to become independent. Children learn to persist as they develop new skills, such as pegging up their own paintings to dry. Children are confident in the clear routines that staff provide; they learn to choose resources for themselves and place them back on the shelf when they have finished with them.

Adults t...une into children with great sensitivity to how they might be feeling. They notice when children are less confident, for example, and offer support to help them feel safe and secure. Older children learn to maintain concentration as they listen to stories with an adult, and younger children find comfort in snuggling up to an adult with a story.

Children are curious and eager to learn, and staff provide an ambitious curriculum. Older children become confident in their own ideas and use these in imaginative games in the garden. They collect guttering and balls, playing together collaboratively with their friends as they compare the speed of the balls rolling down the slope.

Younger children develop social skills and friendships as they dig together in the sand, and this helps to prepare them for the next stage in their learning.

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

Leaders ensure that staff work together as a team and meet regularly to review their policies and to undertake training together. Leaders ensure that new staff complete essential training and help staff to further develop their teaching and learning skills.

Staff develop their understanding about how to improve children's language and support gaps in their development. Staff make effective use of additional funding to purchase resources, such as large jigsaws for children to collaborate together.Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively.

As children play with autumn objects outside, staff introduce new vocabulary, such as 'spiky and smooth', as younger children explore conkers. Staff help children to find out about mathematical ideas through their play, such as 'more and less' and 'bigger and smaller', and they encourage children to practise counting throughout the day. Occasionally, staff are less clear about the sequence of when children might begin to write numbers, as they invite younger children who are not yet making clear marks to write numbers on a chalkboard.

Children develop a love of books as staff regularly offer opportunities for stories to be shared together. They enjoy choosing their favourite books and gather around the adults together. Staff encourage children to begin to hear and identify some sounds in readiness for moving on to school.

They support parents' understanding about the teaching of early reading skills, and the children come together as a group to share objects from home that match the sounds. Staff do not always identify carefully enough where group activities do not meet the needs of younger children, and some lose interest as they wait for a turn.Staff communicate effectively with parents, who comment that they appreciate the regular information they receive about their children's learning, both in conversation as well as electronically.

They work in partnership with health professionals to share information about children's early development. Staff work closely with families regarding children's routines, such as helping children to learn to use a potty.Children begin to learn about health and well-being as they prepare their own healthy snacks.

They develop strength and agility as they climb outside on the climbing frame, and staff help them to learn about safety as they remember to 'hold on with both hands' on the climbing frame.Children are encouraged to follow their interests, which helps them to become absorbed and build concentration as they play. Staff ensure that there are familiar toys for younger children to enjoy as they settle into their day, for example playing with toy vehicles and bricks on the carpet.

Staff extend the learning of older children. For example, some children who are interested in insects are helped to discover mini bugs in the garden. Other children become confident to use imaginative ideas, such as finding 'golden treasure' at the bottom of the sandbox.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance staff's knowledge of the developmental stages of younger children, in order to provide an even more effective curriculum manage group activities to ensure younger children are able to focus more and extend their learning further.