Meon Springs Montessori – Kilmeston

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The owner is passionate about offering quality care and education to young children. Her ethos is very evident to the inspector, offering a blended mix of play and learning activities based on the Montessori philosophy. Staff place high emphasis on children learning key personal independence skills.

The cohesive team creates an intimate, family atmosphere in which new children quickly settle. The owner takes her role as provider extremely seriously, and since the last inspection she has ensured the weaknesses identified have been fully addressed. Relationships with all staff, parents and children are strong on all levels.
<...br/>For example, the cook is greeted each day with excited hugs and shrieks from the children when she arrives to cook their nutritious, hot meal. Children have lots of fun and exciting play opportunities at this nurturing pre-school. They feel very safe, develop high levels of confidence and exemplary behaviour.

Children are extremely well-motivated to learn. Each day they relish the well-planned play experiences on offer to them, such as the outings in the local village. Children show a zest for learning and rise to the challenges which are expected of them by the well-trained staff.

They demonstrate they are well placed to be successful in their future lives.

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

Children are extremely enthusiastic learners. They enjoy the highly stimulating environment, which staff plan very well to match children's learning needs.

Children are busy and curious, selecting activities of their choosing as soon as they arrive, such as books and imaginative play in the home corner.Staff are knowledgeable about how children learn and are skilled teachers. They implement thrilling activities that build on what children know and can do.

For example, children enthusiastically get ready for gardening club. They put on their wellington boots and waterproofs with minimal help and recall the safety and behaviour rules with ease and knowledge.Staff support children's emotional well-being to a consistently high level.

They use expert strategies, such as enjoyable animal stories, to help children understand about feelings and different behaviours. Staff are very sensitive to children's and parents' needs. They fully understand child separation anxiety and make sure their key-person system successfully supports new children to leave their main carer.

Staff show skilled interactions with children and parents at this time.Parents' feedback is highly complimentary. They talk of the great benefits children gain by attending pre-school and of the strong communication with the staff team.

Parents are particularly pleased with how well the staff prepare children emotionally for their move to school. For example, two-year-olds are called 'caterpillars' when they start and then move on to being 'butterflies'. Children grow caterpillars and butterflies in the summer and go to the woods and set the butterflies free.

This is timed beautifully with children leaving and moving on to school, accompanied by the leavers' 'Hungry caterpillar' assembly for parents.The staff place strong emphasis on children acquiring good speech and language skills. For example, children frequently recite songs during outings and recall elements of favourite books such as 'The Gruffalo' when they talk imaginatively about what they see on a walk.

Staff model vocabulary and language well and develop children's critical thinking skills by asking varied questions.The provider and the manager ensure staff have plenty of opportunities to develop their knowledge and practice. Staff are given coaching support when training for level 3 qualifications in early years and are encouraged to bring in their ideas to enhance the learning environment.

During their regular supervision meetings, staff discuss many aspects of their job including their well-being. However, their teaching targets are not specifically tailored to making sure the quality of education is of the highest quality, for example to improve the minor weaknesses in the implementation and impact of whole-group teaching activities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The provider places a strong focus on monitoring staff and ensuring they follow correct child protection procedures. All staff have been re-trained to understand the procedures they must follow if they are concerned about a child's welfare or are worried about an adult. They are knowledgeable about wider safeguarding issues such as families with extreme views and illegal cultural practices on females.

The provider uses her previous experience as a human resources manager to help her follow clear safer recruitment procedures. Any gaps in employment or discrepancies are followed up, which helps to ensure all staff are suitable for their role.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of whole-group teaching activities to ensure they are of the highest quality and children receive the very best challenges in learning.