Goldstar Montessori Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff develop warm and caring relationships with children and their families.

The settling-in process is flexible to provide parents with reassurance that their children are ready to begin nursery. Children are happy to attend the nursery and quickly engage in activities on arrival each day. Children form healthy bonds with staff, who are positive role models for children.

Staff engage and encourage children throughout the day. This helps to build children's confidence and resilience, and supports children in having a good attitude to learning. For example, staff encourage children to take risks outdoors and use the ba...lance boards to jump and manage space.

The manager and his team are ambitious for every child, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make progress. The curriculum is supported by weekly planning, which is led by what children need to learn to support their understanding and what they need to know next. Staff follow children's lead and interests, helping to engage children and learn in the moment.

Staff help children to be effective communicators. They extend children's vocabulary and use children's experiences to promote conversations. For example, as children play at the sand table, staff encourage them to make links from their learning.

Children talk about their trip to the seaside. They explain that they need sun cream and a hat to stay safe from the sun. Children behave well at nursery.

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

The manager and the leadership team are supportive of their staff to provide good-quality teaching for children. Staff receive regular training and team meetings to ensure that their practice is engaging and provides curiosity for children to learn. The manager has an open-door policy for staff so that ideas can be shared and issues are resolved quickly.

He checks staff's well-being, which they appreciate.The manager is passionate that children have varied learning experiences that excite and engage them. However, at times, some staff do not offer children further challenge to extend their learning or engagement.

For example, when babies participate in a planned activity in the garden, the learning intention is not always clear or delivered. As a result, occasionally, children are not fully engaged in their learning.Children enjoy outdoor play, which staff use to support their physical development.

Babies who are learning to walk are supported by staff to build their leg muscles to reach their goal of independent walking. They smile as their confidence grows with the support they receive as they explore the garden. Children enjoy jumping and kicking balls, which helps to release energy.

During indoor play, children build their fine motor skills, such as through exploring with dough and threading. This helps to build children's small finger muscles to support their early writing skills.Children develop a love of books.

Staff read to babies who snuggle up with staff as they look at pictures and feel the textures of the pages. Older children approach staff for a story during the day, and enjoy some relaxation time after some energetic outdoor play. Children love to hear the book of the week, which is familiar to them.

Staff effectively bring the story of 'Dear Zoo' to life, as young children explore boxes of soft animals, which link to the story. Children are excited as they correctly match the animal in the box to the page on the book.Children follow good hygiene routines.

For example, they wash their hands after outdoor play and before mealtimes. Staff support young children well to learn this skill. Children are encouraged to independently wipe their own noses.

They learn how to keep their bodies healthy. For example, children drink water in nursery and have freshly prepared snacks and meals, which are nutritious and healthy. Staff manage children's dietary needs well.

Children hear mathematical language during their play. Staff often count resources or use numbers in a fun way to support children. However, children do not hear consistent mathematical language about quantities or measurement to extend their learning further.

Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively. They talk to children throughout the day. Children hear nursery rhymes and songs to help to build up their vocabulary skills.

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: consider how to provide children with further challenge in their learning when planning activities and resources in all rooms plan opportunities to extend children's mathematical skills further.