Impact Montessori Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children at the nursery follow a well-organised and thought-out curriculum.

They learn big ideas in small steps. For example, children practise brushing a set of plastic teeth with a toothbrush. Over time, they build on this to learn about what foods can cause damage to their teeth and learn about healthy food choices.

From a young age, children know what staff expect of them. They make choices about what activities to play with and take care to return them to the correct place on the shelf after they finish. Children enjoy playing in the garden, where they grow flowers and strawberries.

They enjoy mixing wate...r and earth together in the mud kitchen and approach activities with a sense of purpose. Children learn using all their senses, enjoying different ways to explore the world around them.Since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, parents have not been able to come into the setting.

However, staff have worked tirelessly to maintain the excellent relationships they have with parents and families. Consequently, children have settled back into the nursery with confidence. They benefit from exceptionally close relationships with their key person and display high levels of confidence.

Children behave extremely well. They are considerate towards each other and the resources and staff.

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

The provider puts into place a progressive and ambitious curriculum.

The nursery follows the Montessori approach to learning. Staff successfully build on what children know and can already do. They check what children are learning and monitor their good progress.

Staff share their findings with parents on a daily basis. As a result, parents say that they can support children's learning at home and recognise the rapid progress their children are making.Children learn about number, weight and measure.

They compare quantities and recognise the differences between two groups of beads, as they start to learn about simple mathematical problems.There is an extensive programme in place for supporting children's communication and language skills. Overall, staff implement this well, talking to children and engaging them in conversation.

Children who speak English as an additional language make exceptional gains in their speaking and understanding. However, on occasion, when staff support children, they are quick to give them answers or focus on giving directions rather than finding out what children know themselves.Children are independent and capable.

They demonstrate skill in meeting their personal needs, such as tidying away after eating and putting on their own slippers when they return from playing inside.Throughout the day, the routine helps children to know what staff expect of them. However, there is less organisation at lunchtime.

When staff take lunch breaks, there are always safe adult to child ratios, but staff divide their time between helping children who are still eating with encouraging children's learning. During this short time, some children do not find meaningful things to do.Staff help children to learn about the world.

Together they search on a globe for different continents and talk about their home countries and what makes them unique and special. The nursery is a warm, diverse and welcoming environment, where children show they feel content and safe.There is an effective programme of professional development for staff to develop their knowledge and expertise.

Staff are well qualified and experienced and bring a wealth of knowledge to the nursery. The provider places high importance on staff welfare and well-being and ensures they can share their views. This creates a happy staff team, who talk about how much they enjoy their work.

The special educational needs coordinator is well experienced and knowledgeable about identifying children who might need extra support with their learning. As a result, staff quickly put action into place to support children to ensure that they do not fall behind in their learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff place a high priority on keeping children safe at the setting. They have a secure understanding about their role in recognising if children might be at risk of harm. Each member of staff can explain the action they would take to report any concerns to the relevant local safeguarding partners.

All staff recognise the negative effects COVID-19 has had on families and have worked effectively to remain in touch with families during this time. The manager is aware of local issues that can damage children's health and well-being, such as high levels of static traffic as children walk to the nursery.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance staff knowledge of how to maximise their interactions with children to promote children's communication and language skills more effectively nexpand the good plans for learning to ensure lunchtimes are given the same high priority for children's learning as the rest of the day.

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