Little Elms Montessori Nursery

Little Elms Montessori Nursery Elm Court Community Centre, 363 Mutton Lane, POTTERS BAR, Hertfordshire, EN6 3BP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29 September 2016 22 January 2013

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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

 The inspirational leadership team evaluates the provision in a highly effective manner. They provide excellent support, coaching and training to staff to maintain extremely successful and consistently high-quality teaching throughout the nursery. All children make excellent and sustained progress.  Well-qualified staff are extremely skilled at identifying the need for early intervention through their detailed observations of children. They work very effectively with parents and other professionals to ensure the most appropriate support is provided for all children.  Children greatly benefit from having free access to exciting and challenging indoor and outdoor learning areas. They spend a lot of time playing outdoors and staff are highly skilled at making sure their learning and development are fully supported as they do so.  The quality of teaching is exceptional. Staff are astutely aware of every child's interests

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This provision is outstanding

and where they need to challenge their learning and development next. They provide play and learning opportunities that excite and motivate children to learn. Parents are extremely pleased with the excellent progress their children are making.  An extremely well-established key-person system helps children to quickly form positive relationships with staff and their peers. New children settle into the nursery exceptionally well. The high staff-to-child ratio provides staff with additional time to nurture and meet children's individual needs very effectively.

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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

 continue to review and revise the way that excellent assessment information is used and evaluate the impact that any changes made have on the quality of teaching and children's learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents and children during the inspection and took account of their views.  The inspector observed staff's interactions with children across all ages, both inside and outside. She spoke to staff about children's learning and how they assess their progress.  The inspector completed observations and evaluated her findings with managers.  The inspector held meetings with the nursery managers and looked at relevant documentation, such as the nursery's self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The management team and staff have a very strong understanding of child protection procedures and their responsibility to report concerns. A detailed induction programme provides excellent support and sets very high standards for all staff. Staff are exceptionally well supported to further extend their professional development through high-quality training and coaching. This contributes effectively to improving excellent outcomes for children. The manager has plans in place to further extend the way in which staff use assessment information to plan for children's next steps in learning. The managers have highly effective systems in place to monitor the work of staff. These include the analysis of progress made by all children and regular observations of teaching and learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff expertly motivate children and have extremely ambitious expectations of what children can achieve. They have an excellent knowledge of children's individual's abilities. They use very thorough assessment systems, which include taking the information gained from parents into account, to expertly identify children's next steps in learning. Children's speaking and listening skills are extremely well promoted. Staff are very skilled in teaching new vocabulary and modelling language. They use a range of high-quality visual prompts to encourage all children to develop their communication and language skills. Staff skilfully help children to take ownership of their learning through their excellent questioning and sensitive interventions.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children thrive in the nurturing bonds they form with familiar staff who know them exceedingly well. There are excellent arrangements to fully support children as they develop and move between rooms, so that they feel extremely safe and secure. Children build strong friendships and play exceptionally well together. Parents speak approvingly of the nursery, stating that staff are caring and their children are safe, happy and settled. Children's behaviour is exemplary. Caring and calm staff are patient, provide consistent encouragement and praise children's achievements enthusiastically. Children learn about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. For example, they enjoy healthy snacks and a wide range of opportunities outdoors and regular physical challenges, including yoga.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

All children make outstanding progress from their starting points and are extremely well prepared to gain the skills for their future learning and school. Children communicate their ideas exceptionally well and with great confidence. Staff support children's mathematical development well. For example, older children discuss the meaning of symmetrical as they consider parallel images, shapes and colour. Children develop small muscle and coordination skills exceptionally well in preparation for pre-writing. For example, toddlers remain completely focused as they choose from a wide range of activities where they can practise threading, placing, sorting and balancing objects with great skill, patience and dexterity.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY270613 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1064475 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 52 Name of registered person Little Elms Montessori Nursery Partnership

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 22 January 2013 Telephone number 01707 662436

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reference number

Little Elms Montessori Nursery was registered in 2004. The nursery employs 14 members of staff, including the managers. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications, including one member of staff who holds early years professional status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery follows the Montessori ethos.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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