Montessori Explorers

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff help children feel emotionally secure and place a high priority on establishing close relationships with them to help them feel safe.

Staff know their assigned key children extremely well, and they plan for their individual needs. For example, staff effectively incorporate children's next steps in learning during their interactions and activities to help children progress. They provide a rich quality learning environment, which quickly captures children's curiosity and, consequently, children show high levels of engagement.

For example, pre-school children are intrigued as they learn how to mix coloured water to ...make their pretend potions. Staff successfully introduce a rich range of concepts and vocabulary. For example, children understand more and less and half, and use words, such as transparent.

Staff have high expectations of all children, including babies, and activities have a clear learning intention. For example, staff support babies to increase their confidence and be physical as they use various utensils to explore the dry rice. Staff caring for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities know their unique personalities and develop close relationships with them.

They support children to learn about the needs of others. For example, during circle time, pre-school children talk about being kind to others, and respecting each other and their environment and resources.

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

The senior leadership team have effectively addressed the actions and recommendations raised at the last inspection.

Since the last inspection, the experienced area manager is now the nominated manager with overall responsibility for the nursery. She undertakes ongoing internal reviews to ensure the good practice that has been achieved is maintained. For example, mealtimes are now organised effectively to ensure all children are supervised and receive the appropriate cutlery for their needs.

Preparing children to acquire the skills they need for their next stage of learning is the main focus of the educational programmes. Staff deliver a unique curriculum in each room, which is shaped with children's needs in mind. Staff successfully weave in the changing seasons, popular books, and children's interests to provide a stimulating learning environment.

There are effective systems in place to monitor staff practice and build on their skills and qualification. Staff speak highly of the support they receive. The manager places a high focus on monitoring, coaching and training new staff to help them improve quickly and sustain the good practice.

For example, teaching observations are carried out regularly, and precise targets set for each member of staff to help raise their teaching even further.Children are supported well to talk about their home life and learn about their differences. For example, children taste a variety of cultural foods and listen to cultural music, often linked to the festivals they celebrate.

Staff are trained in using British Sign Language and children use the signs during circle time. Children who speak English as an additional language make good progress from their starting points. However, staff do not create enough opportunities for children to use their home languages to help them and others value these.

Staff have a deep understanding of the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and additional funding is used to support them. Staff spend their time observing and engaging individually with these children, building on their interests and working on their key targets. However, staff do not always make the best possible use of the available activities to ignite these children's interests to help them take part more fully.

There is a strong commitment in valuing parents and including them in their children's learning from the very start. Staff work closely with parents, sharing aspects of the curriculum and children's next steps in learning to help them extend children's learning at home. Parents report staff are very nurturing in their approach and provide personalised learning, which motivates their children.

Promoting children's health and well-being is a priority. Staff give clear messages to children, and their parents, about the importance of physical activity and healthy eating. Children have opportunities to be outdoors and extend their physical skills as they use a challenging range of play equipment.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Prioritising child protection is a clear priority. The manager ensures all staff benefit from up-to-date training to ensure they have a secure understanding of safeguarding issues.

Child protection questions are asked weekly and are incorporated into staff supervisions and staff meetings. There are robust vetting systems in place to ensure all staff are suitable to work with children. Staff carry out daily checks to ensure the premises are suitable and safe.

Detailed risk assessments are carried out, and adjustments made to help keep children with additional needs safe. For example, staff have undertaken additional training to help meet the needs of children with complex health needs.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to more creatively plan for the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to further ignite their interest and help them take part more fully in activities nincrease the opportunities for children who speak English as an additional language to use their home languages to help children value the various languages spoken.

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