Halfmoon Montessori Nursery

Halfmoon Montessori Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): EY251250 Address: Methodist Church Hall, 155 Half Moon Lane, London, SE24 9HU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 24/03/2003 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Meehan, Aisling Marion

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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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Achievement Strong standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), demonstrate high levels of engagement and make strong progress from their individual starting points. They are curious, resilient learners who communicate confidently using expressive language to share ideas during both structured and imaginative play.

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Achievement Strong standard

Due to a highly responsive curriculum and staff who make in-the-moment environmental adjustments, children develop the independence and social and emotional security needed for successful transitions. For example, rather than just being present, children with SEND actively participate in small-group activities. Progress is seen in their ability to take turns or respond to a peer's initiation of play, facilitated by the swift adjustments made to the environment.

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Achievement Strong standard

Leaders and staff support children to behave with kindness and remain deeply focused. They consistently acquire the foundational skills required for the next stage of their education.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children arrive at the nursery with notable confidence, separating from parents with increasing independence to settle into purposeful play. This seamless transition is bolstered by the positive promotion of attendance and punctuality, which equips children with a robust foundation for success as they transition to school and future learning. These high levels of engagement are rooted in warm, nurturing relationships with staff, allowing children to feel secure, seek comfort appropriately and sustain a deep focus in their chosen activities.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders and staff maintain clear expectations that help all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to establish secure routines quickly. This further supports children's wellbeing and active participation. Because staff explicitly model social language for sharing and expressing emotions, routines are so well embedded that children require almost no reminders. For example, children take the initiative to tidy resources when they have finished playing with them, before getting a new activity out.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children consistently demonstrate good attitudes to learning, characterised by deep curiosity and resilience. Rather than just following instructions, they independently navigate challenges, such as persisting with a difficult puzzle for extended periods without giving up or encouraging a peer to try again when a block tower falls. Their enthusiastic engagement in sports and outdoor play provides vital opportunities to practise active listening and collaborate effectively with others. This high level social interaction demonstrates a sophisticated ability to negotiate and problem-solve during group games, showing a maturity beyond their years.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children form secure, responsive relationships with staff, which directly foster their emotional security and a profound sense of belonging. This supportive atmosphere is reflected in the feedback from parents and carers, who are exceptionally positive about the provision. They consistently highlight their children's happiness, wellbeing and the rapid progress they observe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

In daily routines, children display high levels of independence and self-assurance. They independently and confidently manage their personal belongings, master thorough handwashing techniques, and complete everyday tasks without needing much adult intervention. Where children require additional support to reach these milestones, staff provide precise, targeted guidance and reassurance, ensuring that every child can participate fully and successfully.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Physical development is a core strength of the curriculum, with children engaging in daily, high-energy challenges. Beyond structured ball games, children refine their gross motor skills by navigating trikes and scooters with increasing coordination. These outdoor experiences are matched by a sophisticated understanding of personal safety and healthy living. For example, children are taught to assess risks while using equipment and understand why physical activity is vital for their bodies.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The nursery's approach to nutrition is both practical and educational. During snack and lunchtimes, children make thoughtful, healthy choices, often discussing the benefits of the nutritious food they bring from home. This learning is brought to life in the nursery's vegetable patch, where children use child-safe trowels and watering cans to grow and harvest produce. By preparing home-grown fruit and vegetables for snack time, children make tangible connections between the environment and their own health.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Ultimately, children thrive in this inclusive, well-organised environment. Their emotional wellbeing is nurtured, allowing them to flourish as independent, confident learners, equipped with lifelong healthy habits and robust physical skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders and staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of child development, which informs a curriculum built directly around children's evolving interests and fascinations. This child- centred approach ensures that children are consistently engaged and motivated. For example, when children show a keen interest in Lego, staff purposefully integrate mathematical language, such as 'small, tall, balance and steady' into the play. By effectively identifying starting points through settling observations and transition discussions, staff adapt their teaching responsively to meet specific developmental needs. This is particularly impactful for children who speak English as an additional language. Staff use sensory resources and visual cues to ensure that these children can navigate the curriculum with the same confidence as their peers.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The quality of interaction between staff and children is a particular strength of the setting. Staff engage purposefully with children, responding to their ideas and extending learning through sustained, shared thinking. Children are encouraged to explore, solve problems and develop their understanding, receiving the right level of challenge to support their progress. For instance, when children are role playing being builders in the outdoor area, staff introduce new vocabulary and encourage meaningful turn-taking, ensuring that communication is woven into every interaction. This expert modelling helps children to bridge the gap between their current abilities and their potential.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

A robust commitment to inclusion ensures that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported. Staff work with urgency to identify any emerging delays in development, implementing well-researched teaching strategies that provide immediate, effective intervention. This support is seamlessly integrated into the daily routine. For example, if a child struggles with transitions or social boundaries, staff use bespoke pictures to maintain the child's engagement. By tailoring activities to individual developmental stages, leaders ensure that all children—regardless of their starting point— make continuous progress and develop the curiosity and skills necessary to thrive both socially and academically.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff demonstrate a deep knowledge of each child's unique requirements, identifying emerging needs promptly to ensure that any barriers to learning or wellbeing are addressed quickly. This is particularly evident in the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, where staff make purposeful adaptations to the environment and daily routines. For example, the consistent use of visual timetables allows children to navigate their day with confidence. By tailoring activities to individual starting points, such as adapting resources for specific children when taking part in a sports session, leaders ensure that all children can fully access the curriculum and make continuous progress.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders prioritise professional development, providing staff with regular, high-quality training that directly informs their daily practice. The impact of this training is visible in the confident and sensitive way that staff interact with children. For instance, after recent speech and language training, staff now effectively model correct sentence structure to better support communication. This expertise is further bolstered by close collaboration with external professionals and agencies. These partnerships ensure that interventions are both timely and effective, broadening the learning opportunities available and ensuring that children receive the specialised support they need to thrive.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The setting maintains a proactive partnership with families, consistently consulting with parents and carers to share observations and offer guidance for home learning. Parents speak highly of these relationships, noting that their children are happy, safe and receive highly attentive care. They describe how tailored support, such as helping children to identify emotions and practise coping strategies, helps their children to flourish both socially and academically. Furthermore, while no children currently access early years pupil premium funding, leaders have clear, effective plans for its future use to ensure equitable access and close any potential gaps for disadvantaged children.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders provide clear day-to-day oversight, translating an understanding of the early years foundation stage into a highly effective, well-organised curriculum. Rather than simply maintaining oversight, leaders have made strategic decisions to restructure the daily routine, ensuring that transitions are seamless and learning time is maximised. This has resulted in children being calm, purposeful and deeply engaged in their play.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

By fostering an environment of high expectations, leaders have cultivated a culture where positive behaviour is the norm. Furthermore, the setting actively collaborates with external agencies—including speech and language therapists and local authority advisers—to ensure that specialised advice is integrated directly into the children's learning plans.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The nursery's inclusive ethos ensures that all children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, flourish. Leaders have prioritised targeted training, such as recent speech and language training, which has equipped staff with the specific tools needed to support children's communication. This has led to a measurable increase in child-led interactions and a reduction in frustration for children with additional needs. To maintain this high standard, staff wellbeing is central to the nursery's operations. Through regular one-to-one supervision and a responsive, approachable leadership style, staff feel empowered and highly valued. This investment in the workforce directly improves the quality of teaching, as practitioners feel confident to innovate and refine their safeguarding and behavioural management practices.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Partnerships with parents and carers are a cornerstone of the setting. Leaders work closely with families to navigate external challenges, offering both emotional reassurance and practical guidance on home learning. Parents express significant confidence in the setting, frequently describing their children as thriving and fully immersed in the nursery's diverse activities. This level of trust is a direct result of the nursery's transparent communication and its commitment to an inclusive environment where every child's progress is tracked and celebrated. The impact of this rigorous leadership is evident in the children's happiness and their rapid development across all areas of the curriculum.

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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 arrive at this welcoming and inclusive nursery with evident enthusiasm. They are greeted warmly by staff who know them well and take time to tune into each child's emotional state, interests and individual needs. Children feel safe, secure and ready to learn, which is reflected in their confidence, engagement and positive behaviour.

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

Children show a genuine enjoyment of learning. They become deeply engaged in activities and sustain concentration for extended periods. Staff build learning around children's interests. For example, they grow beans in the vegetable patch after discussions about where food comes from, giving children meaningful, real-life experiences.

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

Children make substantial progress from their individual starting points. Staff understand each child's prior experiences and plan carefully sequenced next steps so that children build securely on what they already know and can do. By the time they leave, children are independent, confident and well prepared for school.

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

Relationships are a particular strength. Key persons form secure, empathetic connections, and children readily seek them out for reassurance or to share achievements, demonstrating a clear sense of belonging. Inclusion is central to practice and all children, including those who face barriers to learning, are fully involved in nursery life.

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

Interactions are consistently high quality. Staff engage children in sustained conversations, extending their thinking and language. During show-and-tell sessions, for example, children confidently share special items from home while their peers ask thoughtful questions, developing curiosity and expressive language skills.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported through adapted teaching and close partnership with professionals. Consequently, a rigorous emphasis on communication and physical

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Address:

Methodist Church Hall 155 Half Moon Lane London SE24 9HU

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registration date: 24/03/2003 development ensures that children develop the core skills, resilience and teamwork needed for future learning.

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Address:

Children's uniqueness is recognised and celebrated; staff adapt the provision thoughtfully so that every child can flourish. Children reach high levels of attainment, feel that they belong, and thrive in a calm, nurturing and ambitious learning environment.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and parents 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. Registered person: Meehan, Aisling Marion

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:35 - 15:00

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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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