Mace Montessori Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

When children first arrive, they are very warmly welcomed by caring staff. Staff skilfully greet children in their home language to help promote their sense of self and belonging.

Children eagerly take off their coats and hang them on labelled pegs. They quickly settle in the rooms that they are very familiar with. Children's personal, social and emotional development is at the heart of the curriculum.

Children are highly independent from a very young age. For instance, they very quickly learn to put on coats, lay tables for lunch and serve meals. Children eagerly show visitors how they put on their coats.
<...br/>They are extremely persistent and show pride in their achievements. Very young children tightly grip chunky chalk and paint brushes that help to promote early mark-making skills. Children flourish and make rapid progress in this extremely nurturing nursery and staff have very high expectations for all children.

Children behave exceptionally well. For example, pre-school children begin to regulate their emotions and resolve conflict. They consistently show care and concern for each other and sit quietly in a 'peace area' to look at books and have time to reflect on their behaviour.

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

The curriculum enhances children's learning superbly to help them to make the very best progress. They benefit greatly from exceptionally meaningful experiences across the nursery curriculum and the Montessori ethos. For example, children correctly hold tiny paint brushes and make good attempts to skilfully copy Chinese handwriting.

They recognise that these marks carry meaning.Children are extremely motivated and eager to learn. For example, they concentrate as they put together a set of beads to help them learn about quantity, colour and numbers.

They become deeply engaged when they use a range of different-sized brushes and sponges to skilfully paint real flowers. This successfully helps children to express themselves freely.Babies confidently explore the environment as they begin to make sense of their world.

For example, they are fascinated by sensory experiences, such as cornflour, sand and paint. Their social skills are supported to the highest level. This is demonstrated when babies sit together, shake rattles and move their bodies up and down to songs, such as 'Good morning, how are you today'.

Staff consistently and expertly support all children's early reading skills. Books are easily accessible in all areas of the nursery, to promote children's love of books. Children are encouraged to take a book home to share with parents to extend learning at home.

Babies excitedly look at soft books; they are fascinated by different textures and sounds.Staff show consistently exemplary teaching skills, such as when they read a story about baby owls. They use puppets, tealights and natural resources, such as sticks, feathers and logs, to bring the story alive.

Staff engage with children in a highly effectively way. They talk to them and find out what they know and can remember about their home experiences. Children eagerly remember key parts of the story and speak with confidence and fluency.

Children are very well prepared for the next stages in their learning and when they move on to school.Staff swiftly identify and help to close any possible gaps in children's learning. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This helps all children to achieve superbly well.Exceptional partnership working with parents and other professionals helps to ensure very positive outcomes for all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged. For example, parents are encouraged to join a parent committee to share their views and comments.

Regular meetings with external agencies help to support the most vulnerable children very well.Self-evaluation is of the highest priority. Leaders have worked extremely well since the last inspection to ensure they continue to provide an outstanding service for children and their families.

For example, all staff have accessed a range of training opportunities to enhance their professional development and teaching skills, such as autism awareness training. Some staff visited other outstanding early years provisions to share excellent practice.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff are fully committed to safeguarding children. They get to know the families of children extremely well. For example, they understand precisely what support children and their families need and use this to ensure that children thrive.

All staff receive regular training to maintain their safeguarding knowledge. This results in staff having an excellent knowledge of their safeguarding responsibilities, as well as wider safeguarding matters. Partnership working with other professionals involved in safeguarding matters is highly successful.