Milton Hall Montessori Nursery School

Inspection of Milton Hall Montessori Nursery School Englefield Green Social Hall, Harvest Road, EGHAM, Surrey TW20 0QT

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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The provision is good

Children flourish in this vibrant and well-presented pre-school. They demonstrate that they feel happy, safe and stimulated. Children show excitement on arrival and benefit from consistent routines. For instance, children put their bags and shoes away and pop their slippers on to start their day.

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The provision is good

Staff work together to meet children's individual care and learning needs effectively. Children thrive on the positive relationships they develop with both their peers and members of staff. As a result, children achieve high levels of independence.

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The provision is good

Children of all ages demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. They are supported by knowledgeable staff who provide an abundance of interesting activities. These spark children's curiosity, helping them to become engaged and confident learners. Older children confidently extend and enhance their own learning independently, accessing additional resources to pursue their own interests and ideas. They show pleasure and excitement in the activities planned by staff and the resources that are available to them, particularly indoors. For example, children enjoy solving challenging puzzles and persevere with tasks. Others extend their mathematical learning with number cards and props, such as their favourite animals. Staff are close by to support children should they need additional help. This supports children's ongoing learning and development successfully.

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The provision is good

Overall, all children, including those with additional needs, enjoy a well-sequenced curriculum that prepares them successfully for their eventual move on to school.

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need to do better?

n Staff have implemented creative teaching methods that cover a wide range of learning goals. For example, children take part in daily yoga sessions when they chat about their morning at home, practise different yoga poses and breathing techniques. The manager, who is also the owner, teaches children how to pick up pom-pom balls with their feet. Children show high levels of enjoyment as they master the ability to pick up their favourite coloured pom-pom balls by curling their toes. Additionally, children learn to sit in a circle, participate in group discussions and learn to await their turn. This promotes their social skills and overall well-being effectively. n Staff teach children about British values and current affairs in an age- appropriate manner. For example, during the inspection, staff taught children about the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. They explained the order of the monarchy, where the king lives and which landmarks they can find in

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need to do better?

London, such as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Staff used a visuals board so

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need to do better?

4 May 2023 that children could link their understanding to the pictures. Children excitedly participated in the group discussion and showed utter pride in their learned knowledge on the topic. These informative interactions help children to understand the importance of cultural events and enhance their speech and language development superbly. n Staff ensure that all children benefit from daily activities outdoors to exercise their large and small muscles. Children smile with joy as they test their balancing skills on bicycles and scooters. Others enjoy exploring sand and water on the heavy-duty plastic tray tables. However, on occasion, staff do not always notice when some activities become too busy, such as when lots of younger children want to explore the sand and water table at the same time. This does not support all children's learning and interests consistently. n Staff have implemented clear systems and routines. As a result, children behave

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need to do better?

very well. For example, children patiently await their turn to wash their hands before mealtimes while staff sing with them. This contributes to the calm atmosphere during routine times and helps children to learn to take turns. n Overall, staff speak positively of the manager and feel that they can raise any concerns with her. Staff have yearly appraisals and regular supervision. They attend mandatory training, such as safeguarding and first aid. However, not all staff are consistently supported with professional development opportunities to further enhance their knowledge and skills to the very highest standard. n Parents report that they are happy with the care that their children receive from staff. They say that they appreciate the many outings staff organise for the children and that their children have made good progress in all areas of their learning. Information is shared regularly with parents about their children's

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need to do better?

learning and development. Additionally, parents are invited to informative workshops with professionals at the setting on topics such as children's oral health. Furthermore, staff work in close partnership with the local authority, therapists and local schools to ensure the efficient continuity of care to all children and their families.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff at the pre-school are committed to safeguarding children. They display a good awareness of the signs and symptoms that might indicate that children are at risk of harm. Staff are familiar with procedures for reporting concerns about children's welfare. They are vigilant in keeping children safe. Ongoing safeguarding training supports staff to continually refresh their good knowledge and skills. Managers follow robust recruitment procedures to check that staff remain suitable to work with children. Staff risk assess the areas that children have access to daily and practise regular fire drills with the children to enable the safety of all individuals on the premises.

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should:

n improve the effectiveness of staff deployment in all areas of the setting to ensure all children receive the support they need to gain the most from activities n make further use of professional development opportunities for all staff to improve knowledge and skills to the very highest standard, to enable staff to further support the children in their care.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY313948 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 10280078 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 32 Name of registered person Lal, Sutindarjit

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reference number

Telephone number 07949 824 326 Date of previous inspection 29 September 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Milton Hall Montessori Nursery School registered in 2005. It is situated in Egham, Surrey. The pre-school operates between 9am and 3.30pm from Monday to Friday, during term time. Staff follow Montessori teaching principles. There are four members of staff who work with children. All members of staff hold relevant childcare qualifications. The manager and deputy manager hold level 4 Montessori qualifications. The pre-school receives early education funding 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 her evaluation of the provider. n The manager talked to the inspector about how they plan activities and what they do to support children's learning and development. Staff also explained the procedures they follow to keep children safe. n The inspector went on a learning walk with the deputy manager. n A joint observation of a planned activity was carried out by the inspector and the manager. n The inspector spoke to children and viewed their activities. She spoke to parents and considered their views. n The inspector viewed relevant documents, including records of paediatric first- aid training and documents relating to staff suitability.

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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

4 May 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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