Wood Street Montessori

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children are very happy and show that they are extremely motivated, independent and curious learners. They settle quickly upon arrival to the nursery and develop strong friendships with each other. They play harmoniously together.

Children form exceptionally positive bonds with the caring staff and engage busily in a wide range of stimulating and enjoyable experiences. For instance, children skilfully used a wide selection of tools and equipment, such as scissors and glue spreaders, to make colourful costumes for their paper dolls. Staff praised children for their excellent efforts as they discussed their creations.
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Children's behaviour across the nursery is exemplary. They share, take turns and are extremely respectful of others. All staff give the highest priority to help children increase their vocabulary.

They listen attentively to children and give them time to think and express themselves. For example, children actively contributed and used their imagination and own ideas during circle and story time. Children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive targeted support from staff and make rapid progress.

Staff are highly effective in supporting children's love of music, singing and exploring the wider world. For example, children welcome weekly visits from outside professionals to give them French lessons and to teach music. They respond with enjoyment and demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning.

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

The highly qualified and experienced manager and staff team successfully fulfil the highest of expectations for all children. They use extremely effective strategies to combine the Montessori philosophy of teaching with learning through play. Key persons use relevant information from parents to assess what their children know, can do and need to learn next.

They plan meticulously for each child and track their individual progress to help close gaps in their learning. All children make rapid and sustained progress in relation to their individual starting points.Staff provide an extremely broad range of activities and resources so that children can explore and investigate their world.

For example, children have access to discovery tables where they learn to use a magnifying glass to look at real-life objects and creatures such as plants and bugs. They learn to recycle the different materials and demonstrate a strong understanding of how to look after their planet.Children show very high levels of motivation and concentration.

They develop exceptional skills needed for their future learning and in readiness for school. For instance, children use tape measures to identify the different sizes of rods and bricks. Staff extend children's problem-solving skills further by encouraging them to count and calculate.

Children have a strong knowledge of letters and sounds, and many can write their own name.Staff promote children's independence highly effectively and this is deeply embedded by all staff in the nursery. For example, a daily helper is chosen to help the staff set out the cutlery and plates and help their younger friends tidy up after play.

Children learn very good self-care skills around personal hygiene, and have an exceptionally good understanding of healthy lifestyles, such as frequent exercise and outdoor play.Children are exceptionally well behaved. Staff support them to develop feelings of empathy and an understanding of their emotional intelligence through acts of kindness.

They give children lots of praise and encouragement during activities, which supports their confidence and self-esteem.The manager is highly reflective and inspirational. For example, since the previous inspection, she has improved the outdoor area further to provide an even greater range of activities to help maintain the highest standards for all children.

The manager implements highly effective plans to further enhance staff's professional development and they have regular meetings and training to maximise children's learning potential.Parent partnerships are very strong. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to support children who need extra help, are in receipt of funded early education or who speak English as an additional language.

For example, staff provide good home-learning opportunities for children and parents. This positive support means any possible gaps in children's development are closing quickly. Parents are highly complimentary, and comment that they feel extremely included in their children's development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff are extremely vigilant and implement highly effective procedures to help keep children safe and secure. All staff complete training to help them understand the potential risks posed to children, including from exposure to extreme views.

They know what action to take if concerned about a child. The manager undertakes robust background checks on all staff as part of the recruitment process to ensure staff are suitable for their roles and that they understand their responsibilities. Staff carry out rigorous risk assessments in the setting and teach children exceptionally well how to keep themselves safe.