Little Legs Montessori

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff are nurturing and take time to get to know the needs of all children.

Children are happy and enjoy the time they spend at the nursery. They are learning about independence and happily leave their parents. They hang up their bags and place their lunches in their named storage boxes.

Children show great enthusiasm and excitement to learn and explore what is on offer.Children delight in playing in the garden. They have fun mastering the physical skills to play hopscotch.

Children show immense pride and satisfaction at their achievement as they giggle hopping from one foot to the other. Children show sustain...ed levels of concentration as they become engrossed in bathing the dolls. Staff support children to show empathy and caring as they change the nappies and dress the dolls.

Children are curious about the natural world and the staff embrace this. While looking at the sky, children talk about the weather. They describe it as the 'perfect day' because the sun is shining, with the right amount of cloud cover and a gentle breeze.

Children develop a sense of community as they visit the playground and local woodland area. Staff support children to understand risk before the outings. They talk about what they need to do if they meet dogs and wildlife.

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

The management team is enthusiastic and has a clear vision of how to provide high-quality care and education. Staff's morale is very good, they feel valued and know the management team welcome their ideas and suggestions. Staff speak with enthusiasm about recent and planned training.

They share new knowledge with the team to help to continually improve the high-quality teaching.Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is very good. Staff who take a lead in this support are very knowledgeable about children's individual needs and manage these in a positive way.

Staff support children who have any delays in their learning well. They recognise any possible gaps in children's development and successfully plan activities to support their learning.Parents speak highly of the nursery and say the staff are 'wonderful'.

Overall, parents comment that the communication from the nursery is good. Staff share pictures and observations about what children have been doing. However, occasionally, staff do not share enough information with parents.

There are times when parents are not always clear about their children's progress.Children's language and communication are of paramount importance in the nursery. Staff inspire children to develop a love of reading.

They read stories throughout the day and delight in joining in with repeated rhymes and familiar tales. Staff listen to children and ask them questions, allowing them time to think and respond. They regularly introduce new words, themes, and ideas for children to discuss further.

For example, while drawing in the garden, children talk about dinosaurs being prehistoric. When designing their own dinosaur, they name it 'hedgehog-o-saurus'.Children behave very well.

They know how to share and take turns when playing. Staff praise children regularly for their good behaviour. This helps to boost children's confidence and helps them learn how to share and be kind to others.

Children develop a strong sense of their individuality. Staff help children to learn about and celebrate festivals and events that are important to them and their friends. Children show the utmost respect and interest in each other.

For example, children talk about both boys and girls wearing nail polish.Children regularly count during activities, confidently reciting the numbers up to seven. Together they solve the problem of how many spoons of sand it takes to half fill the jug.

They estimate how many more spoons they need to fill the jug.Children develop good hand-to-eye coordination as they use small tongs to transfer gems to a pot. Staff model how to hold the scissors to gain good control.

Children practise their small-muscle skills, cutting the paper across the prepared lines.Children are very confident and independent. They take complete ownership during mealtimes, which helps them to manage their own self-care.

Staff encourage children to persevere, and children do not give up when buttering toast and pouring milk.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The staff team understands their responsibility to protect children from harm.

They know what procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child or if an allegation is made about a colleague. Staff regularly update their training to support their safeguarding knowledge. This includes training around wider safeguarding concerns, such as children who may be at risk of radicalisation or county lines.

They complete effective risk assessments of their environment and local park to keep children safe. The management team has robust recruitment procedures in place to ensure all adults working with children are suitable.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance further the systems for sharing information with parents about their children's learning and development.