Rainbow Montessori School: Queens Park

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff are kind, caring and interact enthusiastically with children during their activities.

Children form close bonds with their key-person, which promotes their sense of well-being and security. Staff plan a varied and challenging curriculum that enables children to explore a wide range of natural and everyday resources and objects. This promotes children's investigation and sense of exploration of different materials and textures.

For instance, they enthusiastically explore coloured pasta and enjoy mark making with pearly paints. Staff have high expectations of children. They reward good behaviour and achievements wi...th consistent and good levels of praise and encouragement.

This motivates children to succeed, and promotes their self-esteem. Staff provide children opportunities to identify and sort shapes and numbers. During singing, they encourage children to name and count the animals and objects.

Children engage well and show their desire to learn.Staff introduce children to new words and concepts as they play and explore. For example, they use story props and pictures to strengthen the children's understanding of the words and phrases they are using.

Staff teach children about differences and similarities among people in various ways. For example, children participate in activities inspired by a variety of religious festivals throughout the year and access plenty of resources that reflect positive images of diversity. Children gain the skills they need to help them develop good social and personal skills, to support the next stage in their learning.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff use their observations to identify children's next steps in learning. They plan a wide range of opportunities to help children build on their existing knowledge and abilities. Children make good levels of progress in their learning, including children those in receipt of additional funding.

Staff develop children's interest in books and reading wonderfully. Children access books independently and enjoy looking through a range of books with staff. Overall, staff effectively promote children's listening, attention and communication skills.

They ask children questions about their play and model the correct use of words. However, sometimes, staff do not give children enough time to think through their ideas and answer the questions.Overall, staff engage children in purposeful play for extended periods.

They skillfully challenge and incorporate children's interests into play, such as building with wooden blocks of various colours, shapes and sizes. Staff encourage children to identify colours and shapes, and to count the blocks. They enhance children's ideas using props, but at times, staff fail to notice when some children start to lose concentration during free play.

They do not always intervene effectively to help children regain focus and engagement in their learning.Children enjoy being active and using the garden. They move their bodies well, such as when they demonstrate how to balance and walk across an obstacle course to each other.

Staff make good use of various resources during play. For example, they encourage children to use technology by explaining how to use a toy camera and facilitating conversations while playing with telephones.Staff are skilled at promoting children's independence and encourage them to manage simple tasks for themselves, praising their achievements.

For instance, staff encourage children to use a mirror to observe their reflection and to learn how to clean their nose with a tissue. Additionally, children pour water from a jug into a bowl to wash their hands before meals independently.Leaders and staff work well in partnership with parents.

For example, regular informal discussions and termly reports help to support good continuity of learning and development for all children. Parents know how to support their children's learning at home. These collaborative partnerships further support children's learning and development.

The management team is dedicated and committed to ensuring that all children receive good quality activities and experiences. They have a clear vision for continuous improvement. They consult with staff, parents, the local authority advisor and children, to plan for the future development of Montessori provision and services.

Leaders and managers provide strong support for staff and regularly monitor their practice to ensure the quality of teaching and children's progress. Leaders provide effective supervision sessions for staff, maximising their skills and deploying them effectively. Staff are proactive and show a drive to continually improve their knowledge and understanding of how children learn.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interest's first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: give children more time to think and respond to questions, developing their communication and language and skills even further strengthen teaching so that staff promptly respond and regain children's engagement when they become less focused during free play.

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