The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School

Inspection of The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School 8-9 Great Hall Arcade, Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1QQ

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is inadequate

Children do not receive good standards of care and education in this setting. There are significant breaches to requirements, which have a direct impact on safeguarding arrangements, and the quality of experiences that children receive. This affects children's safety, and the progress that they make.

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The provision is inadequate

Recent changes mean that leaders are faced with staffing challenges and undertake a workload that is unachievable. This has a negative impact on the service that is offered. Leaders have not created a curriculum that is clear and ambitious for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Ineffective key person arrangements mean that staff do not have the information required to give children the individualised support needed to build on their skills. Children are not receiving the good-quality teaching that they deserve.

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The provision is inadequate

Although children are happy and seek comfort and play with staff, they are not consistently engaged in meaningful play and learning. Consequently, they wander around and at times demonstrate unwanted behaviours that often go unnoticed. Children do not receive consistent messages that help them to learn the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Staff use ineffective behaviour techniques to encourage children to join in as they transition into the next aspect of the routine. For instance, children are offered dummies as a reward if they come and get ready to go outside. This does not support children to develop the skills they need to behave positively and learn appropriate behavioural expectations.

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need to do better?

n The provider has not ensured that leaders and staff have sufficient safeguarding knowledge as required. Staff demonstrate poor understanding of their child protection roles, responsibilities and internal and external referral processes. Leaders do not respond promptly to concerns and maintain accurate records to share with relevant professionals if needed. Additionally, although staff and leaders provide appropriate first aid, they do not consistently record accidents and injuries to enable them to share this information with parents. As a result, children's safety cannot be assured. n There is no deputy manager in place to manage the setting in the absence of the manager. This is a breach of requirements. In addition, at times, poor deployment of staff means that children are not well supervised. For example, children are left unattended as they eat and are not adequately supervised as they explore the environment. This compromises children's safety.

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need to do better?

n Arrangements for supporting staff performance are ineffective. The provider has not ensured that leaders and staff benefit from regular supervision opportunities

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need to do better?

6 June 2025 in order to improve their professional development and quality of teaching further. Additionally, leaders do not effectively monitor staff performance to identify key aspects of training required, such as how to effectively manage children's behaviour. This impacts on their ability to support children to regulate their emotions and learn right from wrong. n The setting does not yet have a clear plan for children's learning to help them make the progress that they are capable of. In addition, children do not receive sufficient targeted support from their key person. There is little focus on children's next stage of development to ensure their individual needs are met. Staff do not coherently plan ambitious activities that stimulate children's interests. The learning environment tends to be based on what staff think children will like, and learning becomes incidental rather than well-considered

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need to do better?

and planned for. Despite this, children confidently access resources that are available to them. n Children's behaviour is not always managed in an appropriate way. Rather than helping children understand the consequences of their actions, staff will call out expectations and give directions from across the room. Children are not given consistent boundaries, which can be confusing, and does not support children to learn to behave in acceptable ways. n Arrangements for assessing children's learning are not effective. For instance, staff do not complete progress checks for children between the ages of two and three years as required. This does not support staff to identify strengths and any areas where children's progress is less than expected. n Staff do not have sufficient information about children who attend with SEND. This is in part due to the lack of an embedded key-person system and absence of specialised plans in place. As a result, children with SEND are not receiving

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need to do better?

the support they need, which hinders them making the progress that they are capable of. n Parent partnership is variable. Although parents share an understanding of recent challenges, the lack of communication can lead to frustration. Parents are not receiving vital information about their child's learning to help them understand how they are progressing and how they can support them. However, parents share that their children arrive happy and enjoy their time at the setting.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Due date

ensure that all leaders and staff understand the safeguarding policy and procedures to enable them to identify, manage and respond to concerns in a timely way 28/07/2025

p.4

Due date

take action to record and maintain accurate records to share with other professionals to ensure children's safety 28/07/2025

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Due date

ensure accident forms are completed as required and the information shared with parents 28/07/2025

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Due date

ensure there is a named deputy in place 28/07/2025

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Due date

monitor the deployment of staff to ensure children are always supervised, including while eating 28/07/2025

p.4

Due date

put in place effective supervision for staff, including managers, so that all staff benefit from support, coaching, and training to improve their personal effectiveness 28/07/2025

p.4

Due date

design and implement a broad and ambitious curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do, and what they need to learn next 25/08/2025

p.4

Due date

implement an effective key-person system that meets children's individual learning needs and promotes their emotional well-being 28/07/2025

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Due date

support staff to develop strategies to help them manage children's behaviour and positively promote rules, boundaries and expectations 28/07/2025

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Due date

ensure that progress checks are completed for children aged between two and three to provide accurate and clear assessment of children's learning 28/07/2025

p.4

Due date

6 June 2025 improve arrangements to support children with SEND to ensure that tailored support is given, in line with the SEN code of practice. 28/07/2025

p.4

Due date

improve the information shared with parents and carers about what their children are learning and activities provided. 28/07/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2804421 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10402782 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 80 Number of children on roll 18 Name of registered person Green Cave Daycare Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01892802033 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School registered in 2024. It operates from Great Hall Arcade, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6.30pm, all year round. The pre-school employs three members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 3 to level 6. The pre-school provides government funded early years places.

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Inspection activities

n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n Staff spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n Parents shared their views of the provision with the inspector. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff.

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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

6 June 2025 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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