Outstanding effort by pre-school impresses Ofsted

West Chiltington Montessori, in Mill Road, was visited by inspector Jill Steer on July 16 and her findings were published on August 8.

The high quality of teaching, coupled with the benefits of the frequent individual attention given to each child, prompted Ms Steer to give the pre-school Ofsted’s highest rating.

In her report, she stated: “The consistent, high quality teaching greatly inspires children to find things out and learn. This provides children with an excellent foundation for their move on to school.

“To complement this, children also prepare for going to school by having many opportunities for being independent and confidently doing things for themselves.

“They engage wholeheartedly in a fantastic range of activities that mostly stem from their own interests.’

The news was welcomed with delight by staff at West Chiltington, and manager Julia Kirk said: “We take enormous pride in caring for the children here. We are in the enviable position of really enjoying being with the children and seeing them develop so fantastically.”

Mrs Kirk said staff at the pre-school had no intention of relaxing – even though this was the second inspection in a row which saw West Chiltington receive top marks.

With the pressure on to keep standards flying high, she said: “We aim to continue to provide excellence in child care by focusing on each child as an individual – encouraging and supporting their development and learning in a fun, safe, stimulating and value driven environment.”

Her enthusiasm was shared by the parents, with one stating: “I was so pleased with the way my son settled, and how excited he was to go to nursery. Throughout his two years there, the staff really personalised his education, and help us complement his emotional development with strategies at home. Now he’s just started Reception and he was ready.”

Ms Steer raised only one issue was for further improvement – the need to strengthen children’s awareness of recognising risks indoors and outside to help them understand how to stay safe.

The nursery will be holding an open day on Saturday November 7, from 10am- 2pm.

Anyone wishing to learn more about West Chiltington Montessori can contact Mrs Kirk on 01798 813233 or 07816530135.

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