Seedlings Montessori Childcare Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children really enjoy their time at the nursery. They quickly develop warm and affectionate attachments with staff, who actively help them to feel safe and gain emotional security.

Children enthusiastically explore the environment. They can easily select the toys they want to use from low-level shelving. This promotes independent play.

Staff implement a consistent approach to managing behaviour. This helps children to understand boundaries, behave well and have good attitudes to learning.Children have immense fun as they explore with blocks as they build a tower.

They show team spirit as they help each other n...egotiate how they will reach the top. They jointly decide to access steps to allow them to go higher. They show pride in their efforts and constantly receive praise and encouragement from staff.

Children's communication and language skills are promoted well. They enjoy listening to rhyming stories about animals. Children giggle with delight at the story and older children predict the ending.

Children are confident, independent learners. They happily leave their parents on arrival at the nursery to quickly engage in play. They begin to identify their name on the card they use for the registration display.

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

Children's development is tracked by staff who make observations of their progress. They consistently help children to extend their language and communication skills. Staff working with babies and toddlers repeat keywords, name objects and use descriptive language as they play alongside them.

Older children are encouraged to talk about what they are doing. Staff continuously ask 'how', 'what' and 'why' questions that promote children's thinking and speaking skills.Staff assess children's abilities from information gathered from parents and their own observations.

They plan the curriculum to support individual children's needs. The learning needs of younger children are supported well. However, staff do not consistently challenge children to a deeper level of understanding.

Staff model positive interactions well and listen to children's views. They respond calmly to children. They thoughtfully communicate their expectations of behaviour.

Children who are in the earlier stages of understanding boundaries for behaviour are supported well. Therefore, children behave very well at the nursery. They understand when to tidy up before going outside to play and show respect for the resources.

The manager and staff work exceedingly well together to ensure the smooth running of the nursery. They are well qualified and experienced. They have a clear vision for the nursery and ambitious plans for the future of the nursery and children.

They regularly review and reflect on their practice and setting. They use feedback from parents within this evaluation. For example, they have recently reviewed how they give feedback to parents at the end of the day to ensure this is meaningful and informative.

However, the professional development programme does not identify individual staff's areas for development to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.Partnerships with parents are very well established. Staff ensure that parents feel part of the nursery and involve them in nursery life.

For example, parents with nursing experience talk to children about caring for their brains and how to support a healthy lifestyle. Parents speak very positively about the care and education provided at the nursery. They feel well informed about their children's learning and progress and say that their children are very happy.

Parents comment that their children have made progress in 'leaps and bounds' since starting at the nursery.Children are beginning to learn the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. They are provided with home-cooked, nutritious meals and snacks.

These are served to children in family groups with younger and older children together. This supports and fosters the nursery family approach and enables children to talk together and support each other. Children engage in energetic play every day.

They enjoy tap dancing sessions at the start of the day that help to calm and focus them ready for learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding procedures and their role to keep children safe.

The manager ensures staff attend regular safeguarding training and are familiar with the nursery's safeguarding policy. All staff are aware of the main signs of abuse and neglect, including the procedures for making a referral, should they have a welfare concern. The manager implements thorough recruitment and vetting processes to ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

Staff undertake safety checks in all areas of the nursery, including outdoors, to identify and remove any hazards. Children play in a safe and secure environment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide children with consistently higher levels of challenge during activities, so that they make more rapid progress in their learning develop further the programme for professional development of staff, in order to increase their skills and develop the quality of teaching to an outstanding level.

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