The Bix Montessori School

The Bix Montessori School Bix and Assendon Village Hall, Bix, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 6BS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 September 2015 29 November 2011

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children make excellent progress and achieve very well in relation to their starting points. Staff make regular, accurate assessments of what children know and can do, and they carefully plan activities that interest children and which rapidly build their skills and knowledge. Teaching is well informed and effective, and it supports children to do well and become very confident learners.  Children's relationships with staff are strong and trusting. Children feel very safe and everyone in the setting is treated with great care and respect. This effectively contributes to children's very high levels of self-esteem and resilience.  Children have a very good awareness of right and wrong, and the standards of behaviour that are expected of them. Staff are exceptionally consistent in their routines and in their demonstration at all times of courtesy and consideration for the feelings of others. As a result, the provision for keeping children safe and promoting their welfare

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This provision is outstanding

is excellent.  The owner sets a very professional example and is instrumental in building the high- quality teamwork necessary to sustain its outstanding capacity for further improvement. The school development plan is sharply focused and identifies well-chosen actions to build on the current successes of the setting.  Conversation flows freely as children play and staff are highly skilled in giving children time to respond to the questions they ask and to extend their language. Children gain confidence in speaking, reading and writing, so that by the time they leave, the majority are working above the levels typical for their age.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 extend further children's access to a wider selection of activities and resources that celebrate similarity and difference in the community.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor areas.  The inspector spoke to members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection, and held a meeting with the owner.  The inspector looked at children's records, evidence of the staff suitability, and a range of other documentation, including policies and procedures to safeguard children's welfare.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector gathered the views of parents, children and staff.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

All the staff work exceptionally well as a team, characterised by very high quality professional relationships with each other, the children and parents. They have a secure understanding of early years education and of the importance of children learning through play and self-discovery. Arrangements for checking on the quality of teaching are robust and management quickly identifies training needs. There is a strong commitment to ongoing professional development to ensure that staff continually update and improve their skills in response to children's needs. This in turn helps practice to be innovative and creative, such as outdoor play that draws on the new initiatives. Monitoring of children's learning is exemplary and staff quickly identify and address any gaps. Partnerships with others are well established and purposeful. Safeguarding is effective. For example, all staff have an excellent understanding of child protection, including up-to-date legislation, and

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

they know the appropriate action they must take if they have any concerns about a child.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Highly stimulating activities and equipment inspire children to use their imagination and make discoveries for themselves. For example, children count accurately and learn the names and properties of shapes such as cylinders and cuboids as they build models with bricks. They create models of insects from sculpting clay, explaining how they are crafting the 'antennae', using non-fiction books for reference. However, they have slightly fewer chances to learn about the lives of others. Staff have very high expectations of the children and they very effectively monitor children's progress, push children's learning forward and deepen their understanding. Children develop stamina in their learning and retain concentration for long periods in relation to their age. Parents are very actively involved in all aspects of children's learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff encourage children to make independent choices in their learning and do as much for themselves as possible. Staff use the outdoor spaces exceptionally well and children relish the time they spend outside. Group activities effectively build pupils' understanding of behaviour and personal responsibility. Children look out for each other and work together very well. For example, children hold down logs for their friends when it is their turn to handle the saw. Risk assessments are robust and great care is taken to ensure that children get a wide range of experiences, such as digging and manipulating tools or cooking over open fires, without compromising their safety in any way. As a result, children learn to make sensible assessments of risk.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children's attitudes to learning are excellent and their achievement is outstanding as a result. They are prepared exceptionally well for the next stage in their education.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY429246 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 838884 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 22 Name of provider Sophie Charlotte Zoe Jackson Date of previous inspection 29 November 2011 Telephone number 07795168293

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Setting details

The Bix Montessori School registered in 2011. It is situated in the Bix and Assendon Village Hall, Bix, in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire. The setting is open weekdays during school term times only. Sessions are from 9am until 12 noon and from 1pm until 4pm. Children also have the option to stay all day. A lunch club is also offered. There are five members of staff who both work directly with the children, all of whom hold relevant Montessori and/or Early Years education qualifications.

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Setting details

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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