Belmont Montessori Nursery

Inspection of Belmont Montessori Nursery Belmont Assembly Hall, Kenton Lane, HARROW, Middlesex HA3 8RZ

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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 enjoy exploring the wide range of resources available to them in safe and secure surroundings. Staff place a strong focus on building children's personal, social and emotional well-being. Children benefit from the trusting and respectful relationships they develop with staff and their friends. Staff support children to behave well. Where children need extra help with regulating their feelings and emotions, staff sensitively help them. Children listen to staff and respond well to them as they learn to wait patiently and take turns with toys and resources.

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The provision is good

The curriculum is varied and enables all children to make good progress from their starting points. Staff create activities that ignite children's curiosity. For instance, children enjoy role play as they engage in pretending to be dentists. They use a variety of resources to support them to gain a strong understanding of removing plaque when brushing their teeth. Staff recognise how physical play benefits children's understanding of healthy lifestyles and support this area of learning well. Children enjoy a good range of songs and rhymes and develop their problem- solving skills by exploring different ideas. They count out the number of pancakes they make from dough, and staff support them to use their fingers to represent numbers.

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need to do better?

n The managers work with their staff team to ensure that all staff understand how young children learn. Staff are now confident to plan and implement the curriculum. They use assessment well to identify children's next steps in learning. n Children learn about oral hygiene. A laminated 'mouth model' and plastic toothbrushes enable children to explore these during play. Mirrors and other role-play dental equipment enable children to look inside their mouth and to develop an understanding of how long to brush their teeth for. Accompanying pictures where children use pens to colour in plaque and remove it with a toothbrush help to support healthcare at home. n Staff understand how young children learn and regularly introduce new language to children. This helps children with English as a second language to develop their vocabulary and speaking skills. In addition, the introduction of story sacks helps to develop children's listening skills. Children increase their range of

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need to do better?

vocabulary and become confident communicators. n Staff teach children new skills during large group activities, such as talking about the benefits of eating healthy foods and the impact it has on their good oral health. However, on a small number of occasions, children who are not yet developmentally ready are expected to take part in large group times. This means that some children do not benefit fully from these larger group sessions.

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need to do better?

1 November 2023 n The managers provide support and coaching to help staff improve their practice. They generally have a good overview of what is happening in the nursery because they work alongside children and staff and watch what they are doing. However, they could further raise the quality of teaching for staff by addressing more targeted professional development. n Children use a variety of creative resources to help them develop their sensory skills. For instance, children enjoy rolling dough to make balls and using cutters or rolling pins to explore making patterns. They manipulate play dough to strengthen their hands and count how many holes they can make. Staff encourage conversations that support children's counting skills. Activities such as these help children to develop good attitudes to their learning. n Successful partnerships are formed with parents. Overall, parents are complimentary about the setting. They report that their children settle well,

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need to do better?

saying that staff are supportive and friendly. They comment that their children's social, communication and language skills are developing well. n Outside, children engage in bug hunting. They play with magnifying glasses, looking for bugs in mud, dried leaves and pine cones from the garden. Children create and practise balancing on obstacle courses using small wooden blocks, while others ride around on bikes. All children develop good physical skills. n Staff are alert to children's emotions and behaviour. They act quickly to resolve and avoid minor disputes. Staff teach children about how their actions can impact others. Children are kind and behave very well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have received training to ensure that they understand their responsibilities to safeguard children. Staff all know the signs that a child might be suffering from harm or abuse. They are clear about reporting procedures to ensure that immediate action is taken when necessary to protect children. In addition, staff are clear about what they would do in the event of an allegation against a member of staff. Record-keeping is vigorous and closely monitored. Staff ensure that the premises are secure so that children cannot leave unsupervised and any unauthorised visitors to the setting cannot gain entry.

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should:

n consider how to adapt teaching during large group times for children who are not yet ready to take part n target future professional development opportunities in order to help to refine and enhance staff teaching skills more precisely.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY385216 Local authority Harrow Inspection number 10308272 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 27 Number of children on roll 26 Name of registered person Butterflies (UK) Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07733581982 Date of previous inspection 21 March 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Belmont Montessori Nursery registered in 2009. It is situated in Kenton, in the London Borough of Harrow. The nursery opens weekdays from 8.45am to 3pm, and it operates for 45 weeks of the year. The provider offers funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery employs five members of staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including one with early years professional status. The nursery follows the Montessori educational philosophy.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the pre-school 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 nursery. n The provider joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want children to learn. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the provider. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. 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

1 November 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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