The Grange Montessori

Inspection of The Grange Montessori Westcliff Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 9LJ

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is outstanding

Children access a rich, enabling environment, where their individual personalities and characters are passionately nurtured and developed. Children are cared for by highly skilled and experienced staff, who know their key children well. Children benefit from carefully planned learning experiences that build upon what they already know and can do. For example, children who have been learning about mixing colours are provided with primary coloured paints and real cut flowers to experiment with. One child proudly explains that they need more blue paint to mix with red and yellow because she is mixing a brown muddy puddle.

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The provision is outstanding

Children's behaviour is excellent, and very young children demonstrate the ability to share, take turns and cooperate with their friends. For example, children in the room for two-year olds listen carefully to staff, who help them to negotiate and compromise with one another. Children are able to consider suggested options, ask questions and show empathy for the feelings of others. All children are keen to help to tidy up and relish the responsibility of using low-level sinks to wash resources in the classroom.

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The provision is outstanding

All children demonstrate high levels of engagement in the activities and experiences available. Pre-school children remain engrossed in their learning for significant periods of time. This allows them the time and space to practise newly developed skills and to test out their ideas and understanding. All children make exceptional progress in their learning and development.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and managers have successfully shared their high education aspirations and expected levels of behaviour with the wider staff team, children and their families. This means children are benefiting from consistent messages and support in managing their feelings and behaviour. n Staff are clear on what they want children to know and learn. Children benefit from a carefully sequenced curriculum, and their next steps are known by the staff team and shared with their parents. This helps children to make rapid progress and reach their individual potential. n Support for children's language and communication is excellent. Children develop a rich and extensive vocabulary in relation to their age. For example, children doing observational drawings of real fruit and vegetables are asked to describe what they see. When describing the colours, they use words such as 'teal' and 'beige'. This provides children with the vocabulary they need to

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need to do better?

succeed in their next phase of education. n Children are provided with high-quality adult interactions. Staff take the time to explain new concepts to children and provide examples linked to prior learning

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need to do better?

21 February 2023 to help them understand and begin to make connections of their own. Staff allow children the time they need to reflect and consider information before asking questions. They then provide experiences for them to practise and master newly acquired knowledge and skills. n Children have ample opportunities to learn about being healthy, and they thoroughly enjoy activities that involve exploring real objects like fruit and vegetables in the role-play, creative and mathematical areas. In addition, children love to access the forest school area, where they can develop first-hand knowledge and understanding of the world. n Staff benefit from regular supervision, coaching and support. This provides leaders and managers with good oversight of workloads and staff well-being. Furthermore, managers provide staff with valuable feedback on observations of their practice, which further promotes consistency in the high quality of teaching

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need to do better?

and learning. n Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and for children who speak English as an additional language is excellent. Staff are proactive in sourcing specialist advice and support for children and families. Children benefit from targeted interventions where a gap in their learning or development has been identified. For example, staff work with advisory teachers and educational psychologists to develop their skills and knowledge and implement strategies to support individual children's needs. n Leaders and managers provide parents with an abundance of information and resources for them to support their children's learning and development at home. Parents feel absolutely confident that their children are extremely well cared for, receive an exceptional, high-quality education and are kept safe at the nursery.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff demonstrate an extremely robust safeguarding knowledge. They are clear on the procedures in place for the reporting of any concerns that a child may be at risk of harm or abuse. Staff benefit from the support of a strong designated safeguarding team. Child protection files are comprehensive and demonstrate effective supervision and management oversight. Children are very well supervised and supported in managing risk taking in their play and learning. Security at the setting is excellent, and there are clear procedures in place for dealing with accidents and incidents.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY413013 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10277948 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 94 Number of children on roll 167 Name of registered person Townsend Montessori Nurseries Ltd

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Telephone number

Date of previous inspection 13 February 2019

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Information about this early years setting

The Grange Montessori registered in 2008. It operates from a two-storey converted school near to the centre of Ramsgate, Kent. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. The nursery has a team of 32 members of staff. The majority of staff hold appropriate childcare qualifications between level 2 and level 6. Of these, one member of staff holds qualified teacher status. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

21 February 2023 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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