Eco Montessori Limited

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Staff are thoroughly welcoming and caring towards children. They understand the children's next steps in learning and recognise those who may need extra help. Although children settle well and generally enjoy their time at the nursery, the quality of teaching is not consistently good.

Some staff do not recognise what they want children to learn, or provide consistently good support to help children make the best possible progress. While the new manager has identified these weaknesses, her drive for improvement is still in its early stages. Nevertheless, staff provide some focused activities that support children well.

For... example, they provide activities for toddlers to support their understanding of taking turns. Staff support children's hand-eye coordination and early counting skills. Staff model suitable behaviours to children.

They implement appropriate behaviour expectations and help children to develop their awareness of these. Overall, staff provide appropriate support for children's communication and language development. This was seen during the inspection as staff chatted with pre-school children while they pretended to make food and take care of imaginary animals.

Staff working with babies and toddlers sing songs and rhymes and use simple sign language.

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

Overall, leaders and the new manager recognise where improvements are needed. They have designed development plans and are in the process of building on these further.

The manager has identified some future training for staff to help improve teaching and support for children's learning. However, the current monitoring processes are not yet robust enough to ensure that less-confident staff are fully supported to raise the quality of their practice to a consistently good level.Overall, staff provide a good range of activities and resources.

However, some staff do not understand how to support children's learning or have a good enough understanding of the curriculum. Therefore, support for children's development and progress is variable. For example, some staff do not consistently talk with young children as they play, or extend discussions with older children.

Consequently, children do not always receive the best possible support during activities.Children enjoy their time at the nursery and engage in play and planned activities. For example, younger children who attend the holiday club enjoy digging 'rivers' and making 'dams'.

Pre-school children enjoy creating painted butterfly pictures.Staff support children to build their independence skills. Children learn to set the table for lunch, serve their food, and pour their drinks.

Children gain appropriate skills ready for when they start school.Key staff form positive and caring relationships with children. They acknowledge children's feelings and provide reassurance, such as by offering extra cuddles when needed.

Staff support children to develop friendships. They encourage children to work together and make fair choices. For example, pre-school children vote for which book they wish to be read to them.

Staff praise and encourage children. Children develop their confidence effectively. They show a sense of curiosity.

For example, toddlers explore sensory materials. During focused activities, pre-school children develop their concentration skills. This was evident when children poured water in and out of small jugs and bowls.

Parents who provided feedback either in person or in writing on the day of the inspection complimented the caring staff team. They commented positively about staff support for their children to help them settle on entry and how children happily go to staff on arrival. Parents highlighted that their children enjoy their time at the holiday club and nursery.

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: nimprove the monitoring, coaching and support offered to staff to enhance their teaching practice and confidence in their roles and responsibilities strengthen staff's understanding and implementation of the intentions for children's learning to ensure that consistently good support is provided raise staff's awareness of supporting children's learning during activities and how to provide consistently good guidance for their play and learning.

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