Playdays Montessori Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff are consistently kind, sensitive and attentive towards children. This helps all children to feel safe and secure at the nursery.

Children who are new to the setting settle in quickly and develop affectionate bonds with staff. They make choices about their learning and are confident to ask staff if they want more or different resources. Children are happy at the nursery.

They arrive with smiles on their faces and thoroughly enjoy their time there. Children show very positive attitudes towards their learning. Younger children are delighted to look at books with staff.

They enjoy lifting flaps to reveal pic...tures of animals underneath and are excited as they find toys to match to the pictures. Older children show enthusiasm and perseverance as they learn new skills, such as how to cut with scissors. All children show pride in their achievements and enjoy sharing these with others.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning and behaviour. Children respond positively to their gentle and consistent guidance and soon start to understand the routines and boundaries in the nursery. They behave well and enjoy playing with and alongside their peers.

Children like being helpful and join in willingly with tasks, such as tidying away resources after play.

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

The manager and staff have developed ambitious learning programmes to support all areas of the early years curriculum. They understand how to sequence children's learning to give them the skills that they need for the next stages in their development.

For instance, staff ensure that children have good strength and coordination in their hands before encouraging them to attempt writing.The quality of teaching is generally high. Staff ensure that children learn useful information, such as how to count, recognise numbers and compare measurements.

They deliver activities in playful and interesting ways that encourage children to join in and stay focused for long periods. However, at times, staff miss opportunities to support children's thinking skills and encourage them to solve problems.Staff regularly check on how well children are progressing and what their current interests are.

This enables them to provide activities that engage children and motivate them to learn. Staff develop targeted plans for children who need extra help. They use additional funding to provide resources which extend children's individual interests.

All children, including those who speak English as an additional language and those receiving funding, make good progress.Many of the children attending speak English as an additional language. Staff ask parents about the words they use at home, to help them communicate with children.

They also place a strong focus on supporting children's English language skills. For example, staff introduce new words during children's play and when they look at books with children. They demonstrate how to say words and sentences properly and teach children about the rhythm and rhyme of speech by singing with them regularly.

As a result, most children's communication skills develop rapidly.Staff encourage children to be independent and to manage their personal care needs, such as washing their hands and using the toilet. They help children to understand how their bodies work and support them to make positive choices about diet and exercise.

Children talk knowledgeably about foods which are good for their teeth and which help to keep their bodies strong.Children are confident to try out new things and enjoy setting themselves challenges. They learn to manage risks safely, such as when using the climbing and balancing apparatus outdoors.

The manager has developed effective systems to supervise staff and support their professional development. This keeps staff motivated and helps them to continuously improve their professional skills. Staff say that they enjoy working in the setting.

They feel valued and have good relationships with children and families.Parents speak highly of the nursery. They describe how staff keep them well informed of their children's daily experiences and achievements.

They say that they are confident to leave their children, knowing that they are safe and well cared for.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager ensures that staff receive regular training to update their knowledge of a range of safeguarding issues.

This includes risks to children from extreme views and radicalisation. Staff have a clear understanding of how to identify the signs and symptoms of child abuse, such as physical marks or changes in behaviour. They know what to do if they have concerns about a child's welfare or the behaviour of an adult.

The manager and provider carry out robust checks when recruiting staff, to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Staff use risk assessments effectively to ensure that the nursery environment is safe for children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenable staff to support children's thinking skills more effectively, such as through effective questioning and encouraging problem-solving.