The Spring Montessori

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff offer a warm welcome to parents and children on arrival. Children are eager to see their friends and begin playing.

Staff closely observe children in their play. They fully acknowledge their interests and learning styles when considering the types of activities to provide. Children make good progress from their starting points.

They are working at a level typical for their age and gaining the key skills needed for the next stage in their development and eventual move to school.Children have good opportunities to develop their coordination and small-physical skills using resources, such as tongs and tweezers to pi...ck up small objects. Children hear rhymes and familiar songs as they play.

They enjoy putting actions to the words. Mathematical skills are actively promoted and children hear and use mathematical language. For example, children are challenged to build a tower of reels bigger than themselves and compare the sizes.

Children's independence skills are consistently encouraged. At snack time, children serve themselves and pour their drinks. They wash and dry the china plates and cups carefully when they have finished eating.

Children know and understand the rules of the setting. They tidy away toys independently when they have finished playing. They are confident to approach staff when they have concerns and to reinforce the safety rules to other children, such as not to run in the setting.

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

The well-established key-person system helps to ensure that children are happy and confident in the setting. Staff are patient, kind and attentive, especially to those children who need extra support to settle, allowing them to do so at their own pace. Staff and children have formed strong bonds.

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They provide a rich and varied curriculum that interests and excites children. For example, during role play about a clothes shop, children use real shoes, scarves, handbags and glasses to dress up in and use their imagination to take on a role.

The setting is attractively resourced with resources that foster children's curiosity. Outside, the mud kitchen is a popular activity that encourages children to develop their senses and imaginations, and use increased vocabulary. For example, children tell staff they are making 'secret special soup' on the stove.

Staff help children learn how to be responsible for others. They help to care for the setting's pet rabbit and African land snails. This teaches children empathy and how to care for living things.

Staff make good use of the local community to provide children with different learning experiences. For example, children explore a natural environment as they participate in weekly forest-school activities in the nearby fields and wetlands. Extra-curricular activities, such as learning French and dance sessions, are provided within the setting to further enrich children's learning.

Children respond well to the calm environment provided by staff and their behaviour is good. Older children show kindness and consideration towards younger children. For example, they help to put on a child's slippers after outdoor play.

The setting is led and managed well. Managers consider the well-being of staff. They spend fun days out as a team and have developed strong bonds.

Moral is good.Managers offer effective support and training for staff to enable them to extend their skills. Their practice is regularly monitored to ensure teaching is of a consistently good standard.

Partnerships with parents are good. They speak highly of the staff and are very happy with the care provided. However, the management team has not found successful ways to share information to support parents to gain consistent knowledge of their child's ongoing progress and how this can be supported at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding, including wider safeguarding issues, such as radicalisation and the use of 'county lines'. They understand the procedures to follow should they have concerns about children or adults in the setting.

Robust recruitment, induction and supervision processes are in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Staff are vigilant about the security of the setting and are deployed effectively to help keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: find more successful ways to share information with parents that encourages them to be part of their children's learning and development.