Seedlings Montessori Childcare Ltd

Seedlings Montessori Childcare Ltd

Unique reference number (URN): EY488084 Address: The Old Grammar School, Burneston, BEDALE, North Yorkshire, DL8 2HX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 05/08/2015 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Seedlings Montessori Childcare Ltd

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children's wellbeing is at the heart of this nursery. Leaders and staff provide a safe, warm and welcoming environment where children feel secure and valued. Each child is allocated a key person and a secondary key person, which ensures continuity of care and emotional support. Staff know children well and understand how to support their individual needs. Effective settling-in sessions help children to feel safe, and detailed information is gathered from parents to support a smooth transition. Staff teach children to recognise and talk about their feelings, through resources such as 'emotion bags' and through consistent conversations during daily routines. This builds their emotional awareness, self-esteem and sense of belonging.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders place strong emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from daily outdoor play and walks in the local community, which support physical development and wellbeing. Staff involve children in self-care routines, such as washing their hands and making healthy choices at mealtimes. Staff also help children learn about personal safety, for example by teaching them to remain seated while eating to reduce the risk of choking. The nursery cook prepares nutritious, well-balanced snacks and meals, further supporting children's understanding of healthy eating. Care routines, including supervision during eating and sleeping, are implemented effectively to support children's safety and emotional wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders place a strong emphasis on inclusion and create an environment where every child is valued and able to thrive. Staff are quick to identify where a child may need additional support and implement appropriate strategies to meet their needs. Strong partnership working with parents and external agencies ensures children receive timely, targeted support that has a positive impact on their learning and development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported by knowledgeable and experienced staff who understand their individual needs. Staff work closely with leaders and professionals, such as occupational therapists, to make precise adaptations. This ensures all children can access the full curriculum and participate alongside their peers. Specialist equipment is used effectively to help children engage

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Needs attention

purposefully in play and learning. As a result, children with SEND make good progress from their starting points.

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Needs attention

Leaders use additional funding effectively to meet the specific needs of eligible children. For example, funding has been used to introduce 'emotion bags' to help children recognise and regulate their feelings successfully. Staff use observation and assessment accurately to identify where children may need extra support, such as with language development, and tailor provision accordingly, helping to improve children's outcomes.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are reflective and have high expectations for children's learning. They maintain effective oversight of the nursery and regularly identify strengths and areas for further improvement. For example, recent changes to outdoor transitions have helped create a calmer and more purposeful routine for children. Leaders are also reviewing lunchtime arrangements, to reduce noise levels and enhance children's dining experiences. This demonstrates their commitment to continuous improvement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff wellbeing is prioritised. Staff say that they enjoy working at the nursery and feel valued, listened to and supported. Regular team meetings and one-to-one supervisions enable leaders to provide targeted guidance and identify professional development needs. For instance, staff speak positively about recent training on purposeful interactions. They explain how this has strengthened the quality of their engagement with children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Partnerships with parents and external professionals are strong. Leaders and staff foster close and trusting relationships with families. Staff share daily photos, observations and useful information through an online platform, combined with meaningful face-to-face conversations. Parents comment positively about how staff meet their children's needs. The lending library and sharing of children's next steps encourage continuity of learning at home and support children to make further progress.

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Achievement Needs attention

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, generally make progress from their individual starting points. They are independent, curious learners who confidently explore, investigate and ask questions. Children communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly and are developing strong language and reasoning skills. For instance, children experiment with paint and ice, recalling prior learning as they predict what colours will appear when mixing them together. However, due to weaknesses in teaching, children are not yet typically supported to deepen their learning or extend their thinking further. As a result, not all children make the best possible progress they are capable of. Children persevere when faced with challenges and take pride in their achievements. For example, during role play, they work together to solve problems, such as finding ways to

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Achievement Needs attention

transport water to their pan. Staff support children to develop key attitudes to learning, including resilience, cooperation and sustained concentration. As a result, children develop the knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of their learning, including their eventual move to school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders set age-appropriate expectations for children's behaviour. Staff use praise effectively to build children's confidence and self-esteem, recognising effort and celebrating positive choices. However, staff do not always explain the reasons behind expectations, which means children do not fully understand why certain behaviours are important. For example, while children are reminded not to run indoors or to avoid eating play food, staff do not consistently explain how these rules help to keep them safe. As a result, children do not yet develop a secure understanding of expectations or how their actions impact on themselves and others. Staff have recently attended behaviour training to strengthen their approaches and promote greater consistency, but this is still in the early stages and is not yet fully embedded across the nursery.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Despite this, children demonstrate kindness and respect towards one another and build warm, trusting relationships. They enjoy playing cooperatively and generally follow routines well. For instance, when staff ring the nursery bell, children respond quickly, recognising this as a signal to tidy away and prepare to move indoors. Leaders also emphasise the importance of attending regularly and work closely with families to promote positive attendance. Staff encourage children to take on age-appropriate responsibilities, such as handing out cups at mealtimes or tidying equipment. These opportunities support children to develop independence and learn to care for their environment.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff make effective use of small-group and one-to-one interactions to deepen children's learning. For instance, they embed early mathematical concepts into play, encouraging children to count, compare quantities and use positional language. However, on occasion, children are not fully supported by staff to join in activities and engage in the intended learning. As a result, these children do not always benefit from the same level of interaction as others. Leaders recognise this and have begun to implement strategies to improve consistency in teaching.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Overall, leaders have designed a clear and purposeful curriculum that focuses on preparing children for the next stage of their learning. Staff use assessment to identify children's next steps and adapt teaching to meet their individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. A range of communication strategies, such as Makaton alongside verbal language, are used to strengthen children's communication and language development.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Children develop their physical skills well through a wide range of engaging activities. Babies have consistent opportunities to crawl, pull themselves up and take their first steps. Older children benefit from daily outdoor play, where they confidently run, balance and climb. These experiences support children to become physically confident and well prepared for future learning.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children generally develop a positive attitude to learning and make progress from their starting points. Staff provide targeted support for disadvantaged children, helping them make secure progress from their individual starting points. Staff often nurture curiosity through interactions that extend children's thinking and deepen their understanding. For example, children show excitement as they explore ice and investigate the effects of cold weather. Staff use skilful questioning to help them make links and learn new concepts. However, this good practice is not yet typical for all children across the nursery. At times, variations in staff approaches to engagement and behaviour management mean some children lose focus. During these times, children do not fully benefit from the intended learning.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are happy, confident and settled in this warm and welcoming nursery. They form secure and trusting relationships with the nurturing staff, who know them and their families well. Staff prioritise children's emotional wellbeing, offering sensitive support as children separate from their parents. For example, children use the 'waving window' to say goodbye, helping them to feel reassured, calm and ready to start their day.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Staff consistently promote children's independence from the moment they start. They encourage children to put on their own shoes and to manage their personal care, such as wiping their noses. Children take pride in setting up their play areas and tidying them away when finished. As a result, children grow in confidence, perseverance and self-awareness.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Leaders and staff prioritise children's communication and language development. Daily story times provide regular opportunities to join in and listen. Babies learn new words and gestures through repetition, while older children develop clear pronunciation and conversational skills through purposeful modelling. Children become confident communicators who express their needs, ideas and interests effectively.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Address:

The Old Grammar School Burneston BEDALE North Yorkshire DL8 2HX

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Seedlings Montessori Childcare Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, parents and the special educational needs coordinator during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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