The Collegiate Montessori Nursery LTD

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and well behaved.

They respond well to the staff's calm and patient approach and their many friendly smiles. Babies build strong bonds with staff. They learn to trust others and feel secure in their environment.

Children are polite and friendly. Staff provide strong support to help children who find it difficult to manage their emotions to feel safe and behave well. Children are safe and well cared for indoors and out.

Babies, for example, extend their physical skills as they play with small natural objects or brightly coloured three-dimensional shapes. Children's excellent personal developm...ent is promoted, for example, through many challenging opportunities to be physically active, independent and sociable. Staff place a strong emphasis on promoting children's communication and language skills.

Occasionally, however, they do not help children to fully reinforce their learning and think more deeply. The manager and staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff help children to learn how they can keep themselves safe and to care for others.

They provide a welcoming and safe learning environment indoors and out, which is skilfully matched to children's age and stage of development.

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

The experienced manager provides strong leadership to her staff team. She is well supported by her senior staff.

Procedures to evaluate and strengthen the quality of provision are well informed by analysis of children's achievement and observations of teaching and learning. Staff are given time and support to access different training opportunities. This contributes to the quality of resources for children's learning and the staff's planning to help all children make good progress.

Children make at least good progress in all areas of learning. Staff make sure children build well on their earlier learning. For example, babies play and sing simple action songs that help to reinforce their emerging language skills.

Older children build on this with inventing their imaginative role play inspired by traditional tales or action songs. Staff accurately assess children's ongoing progress and use the information well to help children securely reach the next steps in their learning.Children have excellent opportunities to participate in rigorous physical activities.

Children run their 'daily mile' with obvious pride and sense of achievement. They enjoy the regular movement-enrichment activities such as fun rugby for early years children, dance and yoga. Staff give children ample chances to benefit from fresh air in their outdoor play and many local visits.

Staff make an extremely strong contribution to children's social skills and understanding of the needs of others. Children explore a wide range of cultural experiences, such as creating Indian rangoli designs or learning French. They are involved in many charitable and community events, including mini-lifesaving activities with the emergency services.

Stories and books are central to much of the children's learning. Staff read stories very well to engage children's interest and build their knowledge. For example, children are enthralled by a story about a scarecrow and are inspired to use magnifying glasses to investigate the textures and colours of autumn.

Staff use the additional funding that children receive well to have a lasting impact on children's achievement and address any gaps in their learning. Staff work closely with other professionals to support children with SEND.Staff are kind and gentle role models to children.

They warmly praise children and value their ideas and achievements. They help children to explore their emotions and learn to be tolerant of others.Staff's interaction with children is effective overall in promoting communication skills.

However, staff do not consistently question children's understanding and reinforce their thinking and reasoning skills.Parents hold the nursery in high regard. The appreciate the open, friendly nature of the manager and her staff.

Parents receive regular information on their children's progress and good guidance to support learning at home. Staff welcome parents' views.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There are thorough procedures to make certain that staff are knowledgeable and confident about safeguarding processes. They know the signs that indicate that a child may be at risk from abuse and neglect. They know how to report their worries to appropriate leaders or local authority agencies.

The manager ensures that there are robust checks for staff's suitability to work with children and to maintain these standards. Staff are vigilant and deployed well to ensure children play in a safe environment at all times.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen staff's interaction to consistently help children to deepen their learning and develop their thinking and reasoning.