Maytime Montessori Nursery

Maytime Montessori Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2802995 Address: 341 Cranbrook Road, Ilford, IG1 4UF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 25/09/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Maytime Montessori Nursery 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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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning, typically make steady progress from their starting points. However, some inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum mean that children do not always receive support to fully develop their knowledge across all areas of learning. Nevertheless, children build the skills for future learning, achieve well and are generally well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children have opportunities to practise and develop new skills. They make their own choices and grow in confidence as they play alongside each other. Children benefit from a variety of different activities and experiences. Babies enjoy exploring water infused with mint leaves. Toddlers successfully complete jigsaw puzzles by placing pieces in the correct spaces. Older children enjoy creating pictures using different shapes. Children receive encouragement to keep trying when they find something trickier. This supports their independence, confidence and perseverance.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders create a positive environment where children behave well and learn to cooperate. Staff use praise and clear expectations to encourage sharing and turn-taking. Children of all ages learn to tidy up after activities, which promotes responsibility and care for their surroundings. For example, they work together to return equipment to the right place, showing teamwork and respect for the environment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff are typically attentive to children's age and developmental stage when setting expectations. Daily routines, such as mealtimes, are organised and calm. Babies watch staff demonstrate how to use spoons, helping them learn new skills. Older children enjoy serving themselves food, which promotes their independence. These routines help children to develop confidence and self-care skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Nurturing relationships with staff help babies feel safe and confident to explore. For example, babies smile with delight as they crawl towards a familiar member of staff. As children move through the nursery, they develop respectful friendships and learn to be kind and manage their feelings. Warm and trusting relationships help children to feel secure and ready to learn. This supports children's development of self-control and positive attitudes towards their learning. Leaders promote children's punctuality and attendance in preparation for school. If children are absent, staff check on them with a phone call to ensure their wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff support children's welfare and wellbeing well. Staff respond promptly when children need comfort or reassurance. They check on children's safety and wellbeing during play. Babies benefit from warm and sensitive care. This includes gentle settling and prompt attention to meet their physical needs. Leaders and staff ensure that children develop a clear understanding of how to recognise and regulate their emotions. When minor disagreements occur, staff generally respond and children receive sensitive support to resolve them.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff typically encourage children to take small responsibilities, such as helping to tidy resources and collecting extra resources to add to their activities. Children are beginning to learn the importance of making healthy choices, including practising positive self-care routines. For example, they wash their hands after using the toilet to prevent the spread of germs. Babies receive sensitive support to find their comfort items when they need reassurance.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff promote healthy eating during mealtimes and encourage children to try new foods. Leaders monitor care practices. They ensure that routines, such as toileting, sleep and transitions, are managed safely and respectfully. For example, staff remain with children while they are sleeping and monitor their wellbeing. Leaders and staff make sure that children have access to daily outdoor play.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders design a thoughtful and inclusive curriculum. Staff use a mixture of adult-directed activities and open-ended play to support learning. They assess children's progress and share information with parents and carers to support learning at home. Planning is typically informed by what children need to learn next. However, staff do not consistently use their knowledge of children's next steps precisely enough to plan for every child to make the best possible progress.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff generally use effective strategies, such as open-ended questions and narration, to support children's language development. Staff introduce children to new vocabulary, with small-group sessions helping them to hear and use new words in conversation. However, at times, they ask too many questions or narrate continuously without allowing children sufficient time to think and respond. As a result, staff do not always gather information that is precise enough to identify what children need to learn next.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff weave mathematics throughout the curriculum, helping children to build skills for their future learning. Babies develop spatial awareness as they roll balls, toddlers explore measurement through water play and older children count and identify numerals.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff get to know children and parents and carers well from the start. They find out what children already know and can do, both at the nursery and at home. Typically, staff observe children regularly in their play so that they identify any gaps in learning. Overall, leaders and staff use a range of strategies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing other barriers to their learning and wellbeing. For example, they work closely in partnership with outside agencies as needed. Leaders seek advice and guidance from other professionals about actions to take to support individual children at the nursery. Parents are fully involved in discussions with staff. They are encouraged to contribute their own ongoing observations of children at home. Leaders use additional funding effectively to promote children's interests and help to engage them in learning opportunities. For example, they have identified that those children who

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Inclusion Expected standard

prefer to learn outside would benefit from enhanced provision. As a result, they are planning to make enhancements to the outdoor area. Staff adapt activities to support children's wellbeing. For instance, they focus on ensuring that transitions between routines are as smooth as possible, including when children move in to a new room.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are passionate about their roles. They are committed to making a positive difference to the children and families they serve. Leaders place a high priority on building effective partnerships with parents and carers. Staff develop warm and trusting relationships with families. They maintain regular communication through daily discussions and written feedback. This helps to ensure that information is shared consistently and that children's individual needs are well understood. Parents and carers speak positively about the support their children receive. They comment that their children are happy and settled at the nursery.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders evaluate the quality of the provision and identify areas for further development. They recognise that there are some inconsistencies in staff's teaching and understand the need for a sharper focus on professional development to raise the quality of practice more consistently. For example, although staff receive guidance and supervision sessions, leaders do not always identify precisely when some staff would benefit from additional coaching to strengthen their teaching skills.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff feel valued and enjoy working at the setting. They appreciate the support and guidance provided by leaders. Leaders promote staff wellbeing and take appropriate steps to ensure that workloads remain manageable.

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

Children benefit from calm and well-organised routines in this homely nursery. They separate confidently from parents and carers and eagerly greet staff. Children feel safe approaching staff for comfort, conversation, play or support. Staff respond sensitively to children's needs. This nurturing environment helps children to thrive and prepares them well for transitions. For example, they visit new rooms and become familiar with routines before moving.

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Inspector:

Joanna Wilkinson Children enjoy the curriculum and typically make progress from their starting points. They show focus as they develop their physical skills. Babies pull themselves up on soft-play equipment, toddlers balance across stepping stones and older children confidently climb into their library area. These experiences build children's coordination, balance and physical confidence. Children behave well. Staff model kindness and help them to manage minor disagreements, supporting their inclusion and social confidence.

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Inspector:

Children who need additional help, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, receive effective support. Staff adapt their approach sensitively to ensure that all children can participate fully. This contributes to the setting's effective culture of inclusion.

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Inspector:

Children become confident communicators. Staff provide lots of opportunities for children to hear new vocabulary and how to use this in context. For example, babies hear repetitive language, such as 'splash, splash', as they explore sensory resources. Toddlers enjoy listening to stories, and older children use words, such as 'carnivore' and 'herbivore' as they describe dinosaurs' eating preferences during an activity. Children's early literacy skills and communication and language skills are supported well.

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Next steps

Leaders should support staff to implement the curriculum, to ensure that it is consistently targeted to support the age and stage of development of every child. Leaders should ensure that staff understand when to intervene, comment, narrate on play and when to step back, to develop a clear understanding of what children are able to do independently. Leaders should sharpen their approach to professional development and ensure that they identify precisely when individual staff require additional coaching and support to strengthen their teaching practice.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and parents and carers 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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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Maytime Montessori Nursery Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:15 - 18:30

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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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