Coolham Montessori Nursery School

Coolham Montessori Nursery School Coolham Village Hall, Billingshurst Road, Coolham, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 8QN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 November 2017 18 November 2014

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment where children explore with confidence and enjoy learning. Children make good progress in all areas of their learning and development.  The manager reflects on staff practice and effectively uses feedback from parents to help make adjustments and improvements. For example, she has increased the setting's opening hours to meet their needs.  Staff develop good relationships with parents. They include and share information about their children's development and encourage learning at home. For example, children borrow books from the setting to read with their parents.  The manager and staff have good relationships with local schools and work in partnership with them to support children's move. They share information about children's stages of development, which helps teachers prepare to support their needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 At times, staff do not provide younger children with a variety of resources to encourage them to make marks during creative activities.  Occasionally, staff do not provide enough extension in their teaching to challenge children's mathematical knowledge.

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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

 increase the variety of opportunities that children have to make marks, in order for them to explore further and develop their early literacy skills  develop further opportunities to challenge children's mathematical development during their play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and staff interactions with children, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector took part in a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector viewed some children's development records and tracked their progress.  The inspector spoke to some parents to gain their feedback and views on the setting and staff.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The manager monitors children's development effectively. She has strong relationships with staff, talks to them about their key-children's progress and oversees their planning. This enables her to identify any gaps and support staff in planning targeted next steps in children's learning. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a secure knowledge and confidence about the procedures to follow should they have concerns about children's well-being and their responsibilities of protecting children from harm. The manager ensures that staff receive relevant training to keep their knowledge and teaching skills up to date. The manager supports staff well. She talks to them regularly and plans supervisory sessions to discuss their ongoing development.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff provide an interesting range of activities and resources for children to explore. For example, children quickly became engrossed while exploring foam and enjoyed feeling the texture. Older children have good imaginations and communicate confidently while they play. Staff ask a good range of questions which encourages children to think and extend their ideas. For example, staff asked children where they were taking the toy fire engine. Children responded, 'There is a fire and the police car must come too because somebody has been naughty'. Children work well together. While building towers, they passed each other blocks and supported the structures. Children confidently used language, such as 'taller', 'shorter' and 'bigger than', to describe what they had created.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are very settled and have secure relationships with staff and each other. They are independent and beginning to take care of their own personal care needs. For example, they know where to find the tissues, blow their noses and put the tissues in the bin. Children behave very well and only need occasional reminders of what to do and what not to do. However, once staff have explained to children the reason for the reminder, they understand and stop. Staff praise children constantly for their good behaviour and for achievements. This helps develop children's confidence and encourages them to behave well. Children have plenty of opportunities for fresh air and exercise. They enjoy using ride-on toys and learn to negotiate space. Staff make good use of the local area, for example, children use the playground and field for their sports day.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make good progress in preparation for school and their future learning. Children are independent and take responsibility for their belongings. For example, they hang their coats up and clear away their plates after snack time. Children have good literacy skills. They recognise their names and sound out some of the letters.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY313759 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 1070714 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 26 Number of children on roll 16 Name of registered person Susan Anne Tully

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 18 November 2014 Telephone number 01403 741101

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reference number

Coolham Montessori Nursery School registered in 2005 and is situated in the local village hall in Coolham, West Sussex. The setting is open during term time only, from 8.30am to 3pm on Monday to Thursday and from 8.30am to 12.30pm on Friday. There are four staff employed at the setting, all of whom are qualified to at least level 2, including the manager who is qualified to level 6. The setting operates in line with the Montessori educational philosophy. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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

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