The Spring Montessori

Inspection of The Spring Montessori Spring Close Montessori School, The Guildhall, Spring Close, Burwell, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB25 0HF

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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 attending the setting and arrive happy and ready to begin their learning. Staff know children well and plan appropriate and meaningful next steps to support children's good progress. Staff deploy themselves across the classroom and engage in play alongside children, extending their language and vocabulary. Children enjoy a range of different activities and demonstrate good concentration skills when an activity interests them. Staff encourage children to keep trying and they have a positive attitude to their learning.

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The provision is good

Outdoors, children thoroughly enjoy the mud kitchen. Staff provide numerous resources that support children's engagement, social skills and mathematical development. For example, children follow the recipe cards that are displayed. They find and count different ingredients and work as a team to ensure the correct mixture is made. Children demonstrate good behaviours and social interactions as they play alongside their peers. Staff praise children for their achievements. They add written notes to the 'achievement tree' to celebrate children's progress and success. This helps children to feel valued.

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The provision is good

The management team is passionate about providing children with a wide variety of experiences. For example, children enjoy meeting new people when they visit the setting and take part in different activity groups and classes such as football and sign language. Children help to look after the settings pets, learning how to care for animals and visit different religious buildings and places in the community to learn more about others.

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need to do better?

n Children are provided with a vast range of learning opportunities to develop their understanding about the world. Boxes for each of the continents are displayed on shelves and children enjoy exploring the contents. They discuss the different items in each box and talk about the different weathers, lands and animals from around the world. Additionally, children compare the world map and globe, developing their understanding that the world is round and there are many different places that people live. This extends even further as children learn about different festivals, traditions and religious events from around the world. n Children demonstrate their love of reading as they sit quietly looking at books independently. They also enjoy listening to staff read, talking about the pictures they can see and staff extend other areas of knowledge such as mathematical terms and language. Additionally, children make their own books, working as a

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need to do better?

team to make up a story. Staff use this information to create children's individual stories. Children are very proud of their achievements and enjoy reading and reflecting on these experiences.

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need to do better?

26 June 2025 n Overall, children develop good listening skills and begin to engage in adult-led group games well. However, staff are not always consistent with their expectations or the boundaries they put in place at the setting. This impacts on children's understanding of the rules. n Children enjoy regular time outdoors and staff provide a vast range of opportunities to extend children's physical development. However, daily routines and transitions can, at times, be disorganised and this can impact on children's engagement and behaviours. For example, children become distracted, and staff do not always maximise learning opportunities. n Staff work closely with other professionals to support families and children alike. They share relevant information, attend regular meetings and ensure good communication to prioritise children's safety and well-being. Transitions to school are well-supported. Staff share relevant information with teachers and visits are

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need to do better?

accommodated to help children feel familiar with new adults. n The management team hold regular staff meetings and supervision. They discuss staff practice, strengths and weaknesses and well-being. Staff talk about the excellent support they receive at the setting. They thoroughly enjoy their roles and feel extremely valued by the management team. n The management team has now implemented strong methods of communication that ensure parents are kept up to date and well-informed about their children's care and learning. Parents receive daily updates, as well as face-to-face meetings to discuss more in-depth information. Home-learning opportunities are shared regularly and provide continuity in children's learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n provide children with clear and consistent boundaries to help them understand what is right and wrong n improve the organisation of daily routines to ensure all opportunities are used for learning and support positive behaviours and engagement.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY555552 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 10398273 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 26 Number of children on roll 33 Name of registered person Vincent, Grace Queenie

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reference number

Telephone number 01638 743304 Date of previous inspection 11 October 2019

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Information about this early years setting

The Spring Montessori registered in 2018. The setting employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level two or above. The setting opens from 8am to 3pm, Monday to Friday during term time only. The setting provides government funded early education for all eligible children.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the setting and discussed the early years curriculum. 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 The inspector carried out joint observations of group activities with the manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff.

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Inspection activities

26 June 2025 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

26 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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