Little Diggers Montessori Bosham

Little Diggers Montessori Bosham
Unique reference number (URN): 2857713
Address: 1-3 Broadbridge Business Centre, Delling Lane, Bosham, Chichester, PO18 8NF
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 02/09/2025
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Little Diggers Montessori Bosham Ltd
Inspection report: 28 August 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
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.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
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.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Children generally make steady progress through the curriculum from their individual
starting points. They securely build their communication and language skills. For example,
younger children look at picture books and copy the colour names that staff label. They
practise focusing their attention, listening carefully and following daily instructions. This
helps children to share their thoughts with staff and their friends during group activities.
However, minor inconsistencies in teaching mean children occasionally do not consistently
achieve even more.
Children who face barriers to learning or with special educational needs and/or disabilities
typically achieve well. For instance, children who find transitions difficult learn to manage
room changes smoothly. They benefit from staff breaking these changes down into small
and familiar steps to build their confidence. Children learn to participate happily in group
games and share space and resources well.
Furthermore, children are suitably prepared for the next stage of their education. They
generally build early literacy skills by listening to songs and stories frequently. Older children
count objects and explore mathematical ideas during daily play. They successfully learn the
routines required to be ready for school. For example, children practise wearing their
uniforms and enjoy back-and-forth conversations about their interests.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders establish a positive environment, with commonly understood expectations for
behaviour. Children build warm and trusting relationships with their key persons and interact
confidently with staff. Staff support children to develop positive social skills, encouraging
them to treat others with kindness, care and respect. For example, staff actively sit with
children during table activities to model and support positive interactions. They teach
children how to talk through disagreements and understand their emotions. Younger children
learn to play collaboratively and share equipment happily within the outdoor spaces.
Leaders promote regular attendance and punctuality by keeping a close record of
attendance patterns. They work closely with parents and carers to identify and overcome
any specific challenges families face. Staff carefully consider children's individual needs,
family circumstances and developmental stages when supporting them. This sensitive and
targeted approach helps children to establish healthy daily routines and settle into nursery
life smoothly.
Staff use positive behaviour management strategies. For example, they use gentle and calm
reminders to redirect children safely if they get distracted. Staff use explicit praise to
reinforce positive choices. For instance, they give warm encouragement when children sit
nicely. Leaders are actively working on staff being fully consistent with behaviour
management. All staff have completed positive behaviour training to ensure these
supportive methods are used across the nursery.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Staff typically establish secure and responsive attachments with babies and children from a
young age. Key persons are generally sensitive to individual needs, helping children build
positive emotional security. Leaders provide calming areas with things, such as soft
cushions and books. Staff use these spaces to help children manage their feelings during
daily play. This nurturing care enables children to settle smoothly and develop a secure
sense of emotional wellbeing.
Staff generally plan daily routines well to support children's individual personal needs. This
practical support ensures that children who face barriers to learning feel a sense of
belonging. For instance, staff work closely with parents and carers to follow familiar patterns
for children's sleep times and feeding routines. Leaders also provide healthy and balanced
meals for all children. A dedicated catering team makes all of the healthy snacks on site in
their café-style room. However, leaders have not consistently monitored staff's
understanding of training, to make sure these effective practices are consistent throughout
the team.
Children learn to look after their bodies and understand how to keep themselves safe. Staff
generally support children well to manage their personal hygiene, including washing their
hands independently. They also teach children about personal safety during daily outings.
For example, staff use regular community trips to teach children about road safety. Children
learn to follow instructions when crossing roads and exploring the neighbourhood safely.
This positive guidance helps children learn to look after themselves.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders maintain an accurate understanding of the quality of curriculum and teaching
across the nursery. They design a curriculum that covers all learning and development
requirements of the early years foundation stage. Leaders use assessments to check what
children know to plan activities for their different starting points and needs. For example,
staff use regular check-ups to see how each child is doing and to pick their next learning
steps.
Staff prioritise children's physical, personal, social and emotional development across all
age groups. They introduce mathematical concepts and vocabulary purposefully during daily
play. For example, staff model descriptive words during routines. Furthermore, staff use
clear interactions to support children's language and communication skills. Overall, leaders
make sure that the curriculum is typically taught well. However, at times, there is a degree of
inconsistency between the delivery of the intended learning. For example, while staff are
typically successful at identifying what children enjoy doing, they occasionally focus more on
documenting the activity, rather than on interacting with children to extend their learning.
Leaders successfully structure learning areas to help prepare older children for school. They
carefully adapt these learning goals so that younger children can also join in at their own
pace. Staff provide targeted help and make secure adaptations to ensure that the curriculum
is inclusive for all children. For instance, staff use visual aids and specific learning tools to
make activities accessible to everyone. Leaders combine a variety of different teaching
methods across the curriculum, such as forest school, beach school and a Montessori

classroom. They use these to provide more well-rounded learning opportunities, such as to
help children build independence and learn to stay safe.
Inclusion Expected standard
Staff generally ensure that children who require extra help receive effective support through
tailored and typically high-quality care that promotes their development. For example, staff
collaborate closely with portage workers and occupational therapists to manage care for
children with identified developmental needs. They successfully implement specialist advice
to help children to develop small-muscle control. This includes practising handling open
cups securely during daily routines. Staff often receive additional training and support to
implement these inclusive approaches across the nursery. This joint work ensures that
individual care plans remain responsive to each child's circumstances.
Leaders maintain a secure understanding of children's individual needs and their ongoing
progress. They use appropriate evidence to inform their decisions about targeted funding,
ensuring all families access equal learning opportunities. Staff share targets during regular
review meetings with parents and carers to build a shared approach to home learning.
Typically, leaders identify children's needs quickly and accurately, including any emerging or
changing developmental difficulties. Staff maintain high expectations for all children. They
provide regular help to make learning accessible and support children's wellbeing.
Leaders work closely with outside professionals and children's social care services. They
ask for and use advice from specialist teams whenever it is needed to support children and
their families. For instance, leaders take part in joint planning meetings with speech
therapists, health visitors and family support workers. This regular collaboration ensures that
targeted help is organised quickly for children who need extra support with their learning and
wellbeing.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders promote a supportive and inclusive work environment across the nursery. They
implement an open-door policy to protect staff wellbeing and carefully manage workloads.
Leaders remain approachable and involved on the ground daily. To help staff connect
outside of work, leaders have developed inclusive sports clubs. They use thorough safer
recruitment practices and digital tracking software to manage all staff background checks
effectively and efficiently.
Leaders provide regular, relevant and appropriate training to all staff members. However,
they have not checked that staff's understanding of all of the training is consistent. This
leads to some minor inconsistencies in staff practice and children's day-to-day experiences.
Leaders have taken action to review their procedures for outings, particularly during
transitional times. This ensures all children remain accounted for and are always effectively
supervised. Furthermore, leaders have ensured all staff, including those with lead roles for
safeguarding, have sufficient knowledge and understanding of their responsibilities. This
supports an open culture of safeguarding where children's safety and welfare are promoted
as a priority.

Leaders demonstrate a secure understanding of the nursery's unique community context.
They understand the varied background characteristics of the families who attend. Leaders
listen carefully to parent feedback and collaborate effectively with external professionals to
review service choices. They establish supportive links with nearby services, including
neighbourhood libraries and local businesses, to create real-life learning opportunities for
children. Parents feel valued because leaders are responsive, accessible and share helpful
updates about daily nursery routines consistently.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children experience a welcoming, calm and nurturing environment, where staff know them
well and support their individual needs. Most children separate confidently from their parents
and carers at drop-off times and settle quickly, supported by secure bonds with staff. For
children who struggle with separation, staff provide close emotional comfort. They use tools,
such as family photo books, successfully to provide reassurance and establish a sense of
belonging at the start of the day. Children move around the environment with confidence,
independently accessing resources. They take part in regular outdoor play and forest and
beach school activities. Children benefit from minibus trips to explore local parks and
neighbourhood spaces. For example, they take walks in the community to a local quay.
Children typically demonstrate positive behaviour and a clear awareness of the nursery's
rules. They treat each other with kindness and practise turn-taking. Children manage their
self-care and hygiene routines well, independently washing their hands before eating.

Inspector:
Rich LeRoy
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2857713
During mealtimes, children show positive levels of independence. At snack time, they serve
themselves using spoons and pour water from open glass jugs into cups. Children clear
away their dirty bowls onto a trolley when finished.
Children participate well in activities tailored to their individual needs. Babies and toddlers
explore sensory resources and materials with curiosity. They take part in creative
imaginative play. For example, children pretend to fly to the moon while wearing colanders
as space helmets. Children expand their literacy and mathematical language. They use
terms such as 'full' and 'empty' during water play and use toy diggers to scoop soil in the
mud kitchen. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve typical
progress from their starting points. They benefit from targeted communication strategies,
such as the use of sign language, and an adapted outdoor layout that supports their
accessibility.
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen the support for staff to address minor inconsistencies in their
practice.
Leaders should review their monitoring arrangements to better assess staff's
understanding and comprehension of training.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and carers, and engaged with children
during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered
person must ensure that the provision complies with the statutory framework for children's
learning, development, and care, known as the early years foundation stage.
We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we
received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information
about this.

Address:
1-3 Broadbridge Business Centre
Delling Lane, Bosham
Chichester
PO18 8NF
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 02/09/2025
Registered person: Little Diggers Montessori Bosham Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: West Sussex
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 28 August 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
85
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
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.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
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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