Cambridge Montessori

Cambridge Montessori 73a Tenison Road, Cambridge, CB1 2DG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 April 2018 24 April 2017

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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

 Since the last inspection, new strategies for observing and assessing children's development have been introduced. Staff use these well to help them build on children's individual learning needs and they effectively support children to make good progress.  The provider ensures staff are given regular opportunities to further their knowledge and teaching skills by accessing training and a mentoring programme. Staff talk about the positive impact this has on their practice. For example, they gained a more thorough understanding of how Montessori education links to the early years foundation stage.  Staff give good support to the many children who speak English as an additional language. They learn words and familiar phrases from children's home languages, to help build children's confidence and self-esteem, as well as to support their acquisition of English.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff keep parents well informed about their

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This provision is good

children's development and share how to extend their learning at home. Parents comment that their children are happy and cared for very well by attentive staff.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The management team does not have the best possible insight into the progress different groups of children make, to help identify any possible gaps in their learning to strengthen teaching further.  Staff do not have the best possible understanding of how to observe and assess children's development in technology.

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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

 build on the monitoring and tracking of the progress different groups of children make, to identify gaps in their learning more swiftly and tailor teaching to help them catch up where required  widen staff's knowledge and understanding of how to observe and assess children's development as they use technological equipment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff's teaching and interactions with children indoors and outside.  The inspector spoke to staff and children, and held a meeting with the provider and acting manager.  The inspector observed an adult-planned activity with the acting manager and held a discussion with him about children's learning.  The inspector looked at a sample of paperwork, including staff's qualifications and suitability checks. The safeguarding policies and procedures were also seen.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The provider and staff have a robust knowledge and understanding of the signs and symptoms that may indicate concerns about children's welfare. There are robust recruitment and vetting procedures in place. This helps to ensure that new staff are checked to determine their suitability to work with children. A thorough induction process helps them to understand their roles and responsibilities. Managers effectively support staff through supervision meetings and through monitoring their practice and teaching skills. This helps to ensure consistency across the staff team. Managers seek the views of parents when evaluating the nursery provision. They take swift action to deal with any issues parents raise, such as changing how cars are parked outside the nursery, to help ensure children and parents can access the nursery safely.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff gather relevant information from parents about what children already know and can do. They use this information along with their ongoing observations to establish children's starting points and to identify what they need to learn next. Staff plan engaging activities, relevant to children's needs. For example, they teach children about the sounds that letters represent and how to build words. Children enjoy finding hidden letters and staff help them to work out the order of letters in words. Staff in the toddler room spend time looking at books with children. They teach them how to handle books correctly and children enjoy listening to stories. Babies enjoy playing with toy animals. Staff help to promote their language development as they tell them the names of animals and the sounds they make. Babies listen well and repeat this back to attentive staff.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children enjoy fresh air each day and have many opportunities to be physically active. For example, they use ride-on toys, balance on planks of wood and run around the garden. Staff in the baby room organise the daily routine based on children's needs. For example, when babies show they are tired, they are soothed to sleep in an adjacent, quiet room. Staff regularly check babies as they sleep to make sure they are safe and feel secure. Children are developing good levels of independence. For example, they tidy away their activities and help to prepare healthy food at snack time, such as chopping fruit. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and provide consistent praise as they play and learn.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make good progress and are well prepared, with the skills they need, for their next stage of learning and for starting school. They develop good skills using their hands. For example, babies explore how to take lids off containers by pulling and twisting. Toddlers persevere in their tasks, such as when they work out how to fit shapes into wooden puzzles. Pre-school children hold pencils correctly and show a good understanding of the difference between words and pictures.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY543195 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 1097922 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 86 Number of children on roll 46 Name of registered person Cambridge Montessori Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 24 April 2017 Telephone number 01223 352472

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reference number

Cambridge Montessori registered in 2017 and follows the Montessori method of education and philosophy. The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years and Montessori qualifications, including five who hold qualified teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round, with the exception of bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for 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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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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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