The Orchard Montessori Pre-School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents

This provision is good • Management and staff are committed to providing a good-quality care and learning experience for all children.

• Management and staff build exceptionally friendly and trusting relationships with parents and carers. Partnership working is a particular strength of this nursery. Parents and carers hold staff in very high regard.

They describe staff as 'friendly and caring'. Parents have 'absolute trust' in the management and staff. • Staff plan and provide a calm learning environment.

They implement the Montessori method of teaching during school term time. Children are motivated to play and learn. They make good progress in their learning a...nd development.

• Staff successfully support children's speech and language development. They engage children in conversation and actively listen to what they have to say. The gestures and babbles of babies are responded to positively.

• Children enjoy their time in the nursery. They arrive each day eager to explore the activities available to them. Children develop secure emotional bonds to their key person and other staff.

• Management's supervision of staff is not as effective as it could be to aid the monitoring, support and further improvement of staff practice. • The quality of staff interaction with children is not as consistently high at times of transition between activities as it is at other times during the session. The routine of the day changes during school holidays and the involvement of some children could be managed more effectively.