Lemon Tree Montessori

Lemon Tree Montessori St Mary's Church Hall, Purley Oak Road, Sanderstead, Surrey, CR2 0NY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 4 December 2017 4 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

 The dedicated manager and staff use the Montessori teaching method effectively and support children's learning well. They provide a challenging, stimulating environment and children have good opportunities to choose from a wide range of activities.  Staff regularly share information and expertise with parents and professionals to help provide children with consistent learning opportunities. They work closely with parents and speech therapists and implement effective support plans for children who have special educational needs (SEN). All children make good progress from their starting points in learning, regardless of their circumstances.  Children are very happy, confident and secure. They behave particularly well and are consistently kind and considerate of others. Staff are highly attentive to children's needs, which helps to successfully support their strong emotional well-being.  The manager and staff assess children's development closely and effectively monitor

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This provision is good

the progress of individual and groups of children. They quickly identify and address any gaps in learning and plan challenging next steps to encourage further progress.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although the manager supports staff well, systems to raise their practice to the highest level are still new and not fully embedded.  Staff do not consistently organise group activities in the best way to include all children and help them to engage fully in their learning.

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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

 offer even further support for staff and continue to embed systems to help raise their practice to the highest level  consistently organise group activities more effectively to successfully include and engage all of the children taking part.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching practices and the impact these have on children's learning.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff, children and parents.  The inspector read some of the setting's documentation, including the safeguarding policy and procedures.  The inspector sampled children's development information and records.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager and discussed children's play, learning and progress.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The manager is very well supported by the ambitious providers. She is highly qualified and so are her staff, with many of them being qualified Montessori teachers. She provides staff with individual support meetings and identifies relevant further training. For example, staff have recently improved their knowledge of how to support children's behaviour. They now have a deeper understanding of how children feel in different situations and how to treat each child as an individual. The manager works closely with the providers and staff to help evaluate the effectiveness of the environment. She continually identifies areas to improve further. For example, she has greatly improved the quality of children's resources and added challenging new opportunities to explore Montessori activities. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and all staff are well trained and have a thorough, up-to-date understanding of how to deal with any child protection concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff consistently encourage children to choose their own activities and they skilfully know when to provide further challenge. For example, as children enjoy hammering pins into corkboards, staff encourage them to name the shapes they use. They also discuss with children how to safely hold the hammer, and children take great care, successfully managing risks. Staff support children's communication skills particularly well. For example, they use simple words to model language for children who need extra support. They also use songs effectively to help children practise language and understanding of spoken rhythm. For instance, children excitedly learn new Christmas songs for a performance and sing special songs to welcome their friends each morning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are very confident and independent. They are respectful of the nursery equipment and make sure they reset each activity after they finish so that it is ready for the next child. Children enjoy daily physical play and exercise in the well-resourced and challenging outdoor space. They show good determination and perseverance. Staff are positive role models and create a nurturing environment. Children develop positive social skills and make trusting friendships. They happily include others in their play and consider each other's needs. For example, when new children want to join an activity, they happily share corkboards so that they can all have a go, kindly giving up half of their own space.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop positive attitudes towards learning and are willing to give things a go. They independently select activities from the wide variety of Montessori-based challenges. Children concentrate well and show good physical skills. For instance, they carefully create Christmas tree decorations, using scissors skilfully. Children have good early literacy skills and recognise their names in print securely. They communicate confidently and those who need additional support are catching up quickly. All children successfully gain the skills they need for the next stage in their learning and for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY341292 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 1070828 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 65 Name of registered person Lemon Tree Montessori Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 4 November 2014 Telephone number 0208 651 5061

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reference number

Lemon Tree Montessori registered in 2006. The nursery operates within the London Borough of Croydon. It is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, all year round. The nursery employs 10 members of staff, all of whom hold early years qualifications between level 2 and level 7. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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