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Early years · Report card

Little Orchard Montessori Nursery - Woodlands

Inspected 21 Jul 2026 · URN EY484026

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Sarah Madge

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

  • Achievement verified

    Expected standard

  • Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified

    Expected standard

  • Children's welfare and wellbeing verified

    Expected standard

  • Curriculum and teaching verified

    Expected standard

  • Inclusion verified

    Expected standard

  • Leadership and governance verified

    Expected standard

  • Framework verified

    Report card

  • Group verified

    Little Orchard Montessori Nurseries Limited

  • Inspection datesingle source

    21 Jul 2026

  • Inspectors verified

    Sarah Madge

  • Postcode verified

    PL21 9TF

  • Name on report verified

    Little Orchard Montessori Nursery - Woodlands

  • Safeguarding verified

    Met

  • URN verified

    EY484026

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

  • AchievementExpected
  • Behaviour, attitudes and routinesExpected
  • Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected
  • Curriculum and teachingExpected
  • InclusionExpected
  • Leadership and governanceExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+74Very positivemore positive than 52% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praiseenjoyeffectivelyeffectivepositiveconfidentlysecurepositivelycaring
Criticismweaknessesconcernsnot alwayslimitednot clearnot effectively

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings1356w+78
  • Leadership173w+54
  • Safeguarding51w−11
  • What needs to improve133w+43

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
9
Words of findings
1,712
about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 45, typical 43
Average sentence
18 words
Next steps
5
typical 3
Hedged sentences
4%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 60%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 6%About the inspection 25%

Full report text

Little Orchard Montessori Nursery - Woodlands

Unique reference number (URN): EY484026 Address: The Nursery, Abbot Road, Ivybridge, PL21 9TF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 23/12/2014 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Little Orchard Montessori Nurseries Limited

p.1

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 Expected standard

Children enjoy their time at the setting and engage confidently and curiously in a range of activities. Babies and toddlers enjoy observing the effect of using chalks on different surfaces in the garden, which supports their physical skills and their early understanding of writing. Older children sit at tables with their friends and chat together amiably while they draw pictures, making controlled marks with the colouring pencils. When leading singing with older children, staff pause briefly mid-song and the children continue to sing happily without the staff, leading the activity confidently by themselves. Children build secure relationships with staff, which supports their emotional security overall. They begin to develop independence, for example by pouring their own drinks from small jugs with little spillage. children gain the key skills and knowledge to prepare them well for later learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff develop positive relationships with children. Overall, they use these well to encourage children to take part in activities and develop children's can-do attitudes. Children enthusiastically join in with a singing activity and are keen to choose a musical instrument so they can play along. Staff teach children to be kind and to respect each other. For example, staff suggest they might like to ask to cuddle their friends to celebrate their birthday and they all hurry eagerly at once to do this as a group hug. Children grin broadly when they happily accept the cuddles from their friends, showing their strong sense of belonging. Overall, children behave well. They listen to and follow staff's instructions and learn to share and take turns with gentle reminders from staff. Staff explain the reasons for the rules, to help children understand the potential consequences of their words and actions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders establish clear routines that help children feel secure and understand expectations. However, staff do not always organise the transitions between routines effectively, which does not help children to settle quickly and transition smoothly between activities. For example, staff do not consider how to engage children and extend their learning while they wait for food to be served. At other times, staff direct all the children to a small area to get ready to go outdoors at the same time. In these instances, the children spend too long waiting without anything to do and become unfocused.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders promote regular attendance and punctuality, which helps to ensure children benefit fully from the daily routines and to prepare them for later learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. Throughout most of the daily routine, they create a nurturing, calm and welcoming environment. Staff support children to understand and manage their personal safety. For example, when staff light a candle to celebrate children's birthdays, the children remember why it is important that they should not touch lighters, reminding each other that they might get burned. Leaders and staff provide children with nutritious food and drink. They are clear about children's individual dietary needs and any adaptations they need to make to promote children's health. Parents comment positively on the support that leaders and staff have given to broaden children's diets and to encourage them to try new foods and to drink water. Children enjoy being active during daily outdoor play, where staff encourage and support them to develop their strength, balance and coordination, such as during regular yoga

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

activities. Staff model and implement hygienic procedures, such as teaching toddlers to wash their hands after they have used the potty. Children take part in daily tooth-brushing routines, which supports their understanding of hygiene and the importance of establishing healthy habits from an early age.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and barriers to learning are supported through individual care routines and responsive interactions from staff. This helps them to feel secure, regulate their emotions and access daily experiences alongside their friends.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders plan a broad and balanced curriculum that supports all children's development across all areas of learning. Leaders share their expectations for children's learning with staff, to enable the team to have the same high ambitions for all children. Staff assess children accurately, identify what they need to learn next and plan how to build on what the children know and can do. Generally, staff use their playfulness and creativity to develop children's confidence. For example, staff deliberately recite number names in the wrong order or name colours incorrectly, which encourages the children to correct their mistakes while giggling happily. Children engage well with the activities available to them and demonstrate curiosity to explore the play areas. For example, they develop their physical skills when they learn to roll play dough into a ball between their hands. However, at times, staff are not clear about what they want children to learn from adult-led activities, to help

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

them target the support they provide to each child. Although children enjoy taking part in these activities and they concentrate and practise and develop their skills, staff do not extend the children's learning as effectively as they could.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff provide a wide range of experiences that reflect children's interests. For example, when the children begin to jump with excitement, staff encourage them to see how far they can jump along a number line on the floor. Children challenge themselves to jump further as they become more confident and determined, until they successfully land on the intended number. However, staff working with babies and toddlers do not identify and use these teachable moments as effectively as the staff working with the older children.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff's interactions with children supports the children's communication and language development effectively. Staff model sounds and language clearly, introduce new vocabulary and sing well-known nursery rhymes to children throughout the day. For example, staff working with the toddlers talk about 'cold', 'wet' and 'melt' while they explore blocks of ice and paints.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff know each child and their family well and fully understand children's needs and backgrounds. They work with parents to identify any barriers to learning and provide effective and timely support to promote children's progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff who are responsible for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities understand their roles clearly. They attend relevant training and work closely with other professionals to help them understand and implement effective and targeted strategies to meet children's individual needs. Leaders also recognise the benefit of applying for, and using, additional funding to enhance the support that children receive in their care and education.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff guide parents with strategies to help promote their children's learning and development at home. For example, staff support parents to understand the benefit of using visual aids to build on children's communication and language. Parents comment positively that their children make positive progress in their development. Staff assess children's learning accurately and track their progress. This enables them to identify emerging needs promptly and provide timely interventions that support children's development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff respond sensitively when children are settling. For example, they offer a gradual, flexible settling-in period that meets each child's individual needs. Staff recognise the importance of giving children time to feel comfortable and secure. They ensure children's transitions to the older age-group within the setting are managed sensitively. However, transitions during the daily routine are not organised as effectively and staff do not use these moments to engage children in educational experiences and extend their learning further.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a commitment to providing quality care and education. They have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and weaknesses. For example, after conducting observations of staff's practice, leaders have recently recognised that some improvements can be made to the transitions during daily routine in the older children's room.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff feel they are valued and supported in their work. Leaders identify appropriate training needs to support staff to enhance and build upon their professional knowledge and skills, to reduce any barriers children may have to their learning. Consequently, staff are supported to offer an inclusive and caring environment. Overall, the quality of teaching and the delivery of the curriculum is effective and meets the needs of children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents give positive feedback about their children's enjoyment when attending the setting, their close bonds with the friendly staff team and the identification of additional help when required. Parents receive regular feedback about their children's experiences and progress. This enables parents to work in partnership with staff to provide continuity in children's care and 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 enter the setting and settle in quickly. They enjoy the time they spend with their friends and the caring staff team. Staff know the children well. They have a clear understanding of all children's starting points, which they use to plan an effective and stimulating curriculum. Staff work closely with children in small groups or on an individual basis. They introduce new ideas and concepts and encourage children to express their ideas. For example, staff ask children which nursery rhyme they would like to sing next. Children learn to count and to recognise numbers, such as when supported by staff to select

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About this setting

a certain amount of each food at snack time. Children develop the key skills and knowledge needed to prepare them for later learning, including school.

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About this setting

Children are supported effectively to manage their behaviour. Staff remind them of the rules, such as if they throw the toys, the toys might break and they could hurt their friends. Children are encouraged to express their feelings and to share and take turns. For example, when children become sad that they cannot join in because their friends have all the play dough, staff encourage the children to think about how this might make their friends feel. The children then share the play dough and play happily alongside each other.

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About this setting

Leaders and staff work well with parents and other professionals to ensure children who might benefit from extra help receive the support they need. Children's individual developmental needs are known to staff, who adapt the curriculum to meet children's specific needs. Staff use additional funding effectively to enhance children's experiences and help to close any gaps in their learning and development.

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Next steps

Leaders should support staff to be clearer about what they want each child to learn during adult-led activities, to target their learning needs more precisely. Leaders should develop the transitions in the daily routine to engage children and enhance their educational experiences. Leaders should monitor and coach the staff working with babies and toddlers to make best use of teachable moments and build on each child's next steps in learning more consistently.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents/carers and children 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. Unique reference number (URN): EY484026

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Address:

The Nursery Abbot Road Ivybridge PL21 9TF

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Little Orchard Montessori Nurseries Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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