Sweetpeas Montessori

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are very happy and secure. They are confident and self-assured individuals, who are building the skills they need for the next stage in their learning. Children behave well and display a growing awareness of how to share and play well with others.

Staff provide children with boundaries, which helps them to recognise and cope with their own emotions and those of their peers. Children are curious, engaged and independent learners. They persevere as they try to complete tasks by themselves.

For example, when using pipettes to carefully transfer coloured water into glass bottles. Children are praised for their ach...ievements and this helps them to build confidence in their own abilities.Children have a growing awareness of the world they live in.

Staff value children's own interests and realise the importance of adding to their understanding through meaningful discussions. For instance, children are articulate in discussing current topics, such as how plastic in the ocean is affecting sea creatures. Children use a wide range of vocabulary when staff skilfully ask them questions.

This supports children to build on their understanding and to have time to express their own opinions. Children display their impressive recall skills as they discuss the role of a palaeontologist and how they search for bones and fossils.

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

Children develop secure bonds with their key person and other members of staff.

A wealth of information is gathered when children first start to precisely plan for their learning and to build on what they already know and achieve. Staff have high expectations for each child's individual progress to ensure they reach their fullest potential.The nominated individual, who is also the manager, recognises the importance of evaluating the quality of the setting.

She fully involves the other team members, children and parents in helping to identify areas for improvement. Staff benefit from regular supervisions and access to training, to keep them motivated and build on their high level of practice and knowledge.Children use mathematics in their play and learning.

They are able to identify similar colours and shapes as they place glass beads onto the matching areas of a rainbow. Children enjoy working together to make tall towers with bricks and eagerly add more to make it taller than themselves. However, staff are too quick to provide them with solutions to problems they encounter, rather than building on children's own problem-solving skills.

Staff closely watch the progress children make. All children are making good progress, including those who receive additional funding. Staff know how to identify potential gaps in children's learning to ensure they receive appropriate support.

Children who excel are given further challenges to keep them highly motivated and engaged. Staff place a lot of thought into planning exciting activities and resources to help children to gain new skills. They prioritise children having lots of time to practise and master these developing skills.

Children have many opportunities to be physically active with lots of space and the freedom to explore outdoors. They embark on weekly woodland walks and this helps children to be immersed into nature and manage simple risks in their play as they climb and balance.Staff help children to develop positive attitudes towards caring for themselves.

For example, children recognise the importance of putting on sun cream and hats in hot weather and staying hydrated. However, staff do not consistently build on children's understanding of making healthy choices in the food they eat.Partnerships with parents are strong and this is a particular strength of the setting.

Parents feel fully involved in their children's development. They value the reports of their child's progress and how they can support them at home. Parents comment on how well prepared children are for their move on to school.

Children are building a love of stories and books. They quickly recall their favourite parts of a story using their increasing memory. Children delight in joining in with actions songs and taking part in circle time.

This helps children to continue to build on their ability to concentrate, follow instructions and participate in group activities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a secure understanding of how to safeguard the children in their care.

They are confident about how they would identify potential signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedures they would use to report concerns. This helps to protect the welfare of children. Staff use thorough risk assessments to keep children safe when at the setting or on walks outdoors.

The manager follows effective recruitment and supervision procedures to ensure staff working with children are suitable. Recent training has supported staff have the most up-to-date knowledge of wider issues, such as county lines and the 'Prevent' duty.

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 more time to find their own solutions to problems they encounter in their play and learning develop further ways to support children to gain a better understanding of the importance of making healthy food choices.