Growing Minds Montessori Childcare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children play in a safe and stimulating 'home-from-home' environment.

They behave well and follow staff's instructions. For example, children competently help to tidy away toys ready for the next activity. Children clearly understand routine and what is expected of them.

Their independence is supported as they recall where items belong. This helps children to develop important skills for the future as they learn to look after the equipment and their nursery environment.Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, necessary changes have been made to the drop-off and... collection arrangements. Children wave goodbye to their parents at the door. They settle quickly and immediately become engaged in the many activities provided.

Staff are mindful of those children who need a little extra help and encouragement. They are kind, patient and nurturing in their approach as they warmly welcome children. Children display a positive attitude to learning.

They concentrate on their chosen activities and persevere in challenging tasks. For example, toddlers focus intently as they complete jigsaw puzzles. They use their trial and error skills to determine where pieces fit.

Older children use catapults that they have created as part of a project on castles to launch cotton wool balls. They recall how they work and count the number of balls that they successfully launch.

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

Staff make detailed observations and assessments of children's individual learning.

They gather information from parents when children first start to enable them to build on what children already know. Furthermore, staff work closely with other professionals to build up a holistic picture of children and their individual learning needs. However, on occasion, leaders and staff do not share information effectively enough to promote children's rapid progress.

Staff promote children's language skills well. Staff working with younger children model new words and use repetition to reinforce children's understanding. Staff working with pre-school children introduce a wealth of new vocabulary as children play.

For example, children develop their imaginative skills as they play with models of canal boats. They discuss how they are going to drive and park the boat. Staff skilfully introduce words such as 'rudder', 'propeller' and 'mooring'.

This helps to ensure that children hear a rich variety of vocabulary and learn new terminology.Children enjoy the variety of activities that staff provide. Staff interact positively with children as they play alongside them.

However, some group sessions in the toddler room are not implemented well enough. Not all children are able to engage and focus on the learning opportunities provided. For example, story times are sometimes disrupted by increasing noise levels as staff attend to other children.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported. Staff adopt different strategies to aid children's understanding. For example, staff use a traffic-light system and visual timetables to help children to understand what is happening next.

This supports children to make good progress in their learning and development because they feel safe, secure and ready to learn.Staff successfully support children to understand similarities and differences and celebrate what makes them unique. For example, children's culture and heritage are reflected in special activities.

Staff use these opportunities to teach children about different backgrounds so that they develop respect, tolerance and understanding of others. This supports children to acquire essential skills for the future and prepares them well for life in modern Britain.The manager and staff team are dedicated and passionate practitioners who put children at the heart of everything that they do.

The manager monitors the nursery effectively and accurately. Staff make good use of training opportunities to further develop the knowledge and skills. This has a positive impact on outcomes for children.

Parents speak highly of the nursery. They describe how their children have made progress since attending and how much they look forward to coming to nursery. They comment on the friendly staff team and the flexible service that they offer.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a thorough understanding of child protection procedures and their responsibility to keep children safe. They attend regular training to ensure that their knowledge and skills remain up to date.

Staff confidently describe the action they would take if they had concerns about the welfare of a child. Furthermore, they know how to report any concerns about the practice or conduct of a colleague. The nursery environment is clean, safe and well maintained.

Staff are deployed effectively and supervise children well. Thorough recruitment arrangements are implemented to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and remain so for the duration of their employment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: share information about children's individual learning needs in a more timely and effective manner to help accelerate their continued progress strengthen the implementation of group activities, such as story time, to fully engage all children.