The Alphabet House Nursery Schools

The Alphabet House Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY281129 Inspection date 26/01/2010 Inspector Vivienne Rose

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Setting address Canberra Road, London, E6 2RW

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Telephone number 020 8552 0078 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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 . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Alphabet House Nursery School (Canberra Road) is one of five nurseries that is privately owned and is part of a Children's Centre. It opened in March 2004. It operates from three rooms in a purpose built building shared with Early Start Vicarage. There is access to toilet and bathroom facilities a kitchen, office and a meeting room. It is situated in a residential area of East Ham, in the London borough of Newham. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is fully accessible.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 47 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 45 children aged from birth to under five years on roll some in part-time places. The nursery provides care for children who live within the local community and neighbouring boroughs, as some of their parents travel in to work in the area. The nursery currently supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 10 staff, including the manager, all hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

A well developed knowledge of each child's needs makes sure that staff successfully promote children's learning and welfare. Children are safe and secure and enjoy learning. The partnerships with parents and other agencies are significant in making sure that the needs of all the children are met, along with any additional support needs. Regular self-evaluation by the manager and staff is effective and makes sure that priorities for development are identified and acted upon. This has recently included the outdoor area. The setting has made great strides in meeting the requirements from the last inspection.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop further opportunities for children to access a wider range of toys and equipment to help children to develop their imagination through make believe play  continue to develop the consistency in the systems for planning for children and identifying their next steps across all six areas of learning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff are secure in their knowledge of safeguarding matters and implement these effectively and a safeguarding policy is in place which has recently been updated. Staff record any incidents or concerns they have about children to ensure children's well-being is given priority. All members of staff who work with children have appropriate checks, a visitor's book is maintained and there are security cameras at the entry to the setting making sure that children's welfare is protected. Staff carry out daily risk assessments of the premises and the garden area to ensure children are not exposed to hazards. Generally there is a good range of resources available to meet the needs of children. These are accessible and stored at low-level which enables children to develop independence and choice. The nursery's policies and procedures are regularly updated and underpin the good practice carried out. Good self-evaluation systems are in place and there

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the early years provision

Managers, staff and parents contribute towards the evaluation of the setting's practice. The current good practice and the enthusiasm of staff ensures that the nursery has a good capacity to improve in the future. Regular staff appraisals support staff development and identify training needs which are supported. Monthly staff meetings are held and weekly planning meetings ensure that children's individual needs are met.

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the early years provision

All of the recommendations from the previous inspection have been addressed to the benefit of the children for example, children now serve themselves and staff follow good hygiene procedures when serving food and changing nappies. The recent improvement to the outdoor area means that children have access to free- flow play for most of the day. A strong emphasis has been placed on developing the partnership with parents. This has been encouraged through providing open evenings to discuss their child's progress and the introduction of the children's 'Special Books' which can be taken home. Parental questionnaires have promoted this further and regular newsletters keep parents up to date with the setting's activities. Managers continue to look at ways to involve parents in record keeping and starting points for children.

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the early years provision

The nursery promotes inclusive practice and the uniqueness of each child. As a result boys, girls and children with educational needs and/or disabilities and English as an additional language make satisfactory progress. In addition, staff are able to provide first language support and they seek information from parents about their home language to help them feel included. There are plenty of resources and activities to stimulate children's curiosity about their backgrounds and the world around them, for example, the special table which contains the world globe, books and artefacts.

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the early years provision

Children are developing an understanding of the wider world when they celebrate festivals and cultural events for example, Chinese New Year. They learn about the world around them through trips to local shops, going to the library and theatre. Links are made with external agencies and specialist professionals to support This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children. The nursery welcomes and values the ongoing support from the borough advisor. The setting is aware that they need to develop links with providers should they care for any children that attend more than one setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children have beneficial links with a key person which gives them a sense of security. They know what is expected of them, become secure in their routines and feel valued. Emotional well-being is nurtured, the settling-in process is individual to each child so that they can separate happily from their parents/carers. Children are well behaved; they respond positively to praise and encouragement by staff and children show that they are active inquisitive learners. Children are developing an understanding of healthy lifestyles. They are offered healthy meals and drinks which are freshly prepared by the qualified cook. Most staff are inducted in the preparation of food and snacks. Good systems are in place to record medication, accidents and children's dietary needs. Several members of staff hold first aid qualifications to promote children's good health and welfare should an accident occur. Children show that they feel safe and have good relationships with staff, as

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and outcomes for children

they help to tidy away toys, practise fire drills and are reminded to use the outdoor space safely. The outdoor area is well used by the children giving them the opportunity to increase their physical skills as they crawl, climb and balance. Indoors, children join in parachute and musical games.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are well deployed to support the individual needs of children through a well balanced variety of activities. Staff observe and plan next steps for children. Staff have a flexible approach to children's learning. There are good opportunities for children to develop personal qualities that enable them to often take the lead in the practice. Children take responsibilities for small tasks and making decisions about what they want to do. They play well on their own and in small groups they are motivated and interested in a broad range of activities. All children are clearly making progress in their learning and development. However, there are some gaps in the planning for younger children to ensure that all areas of their learning are equally developed.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop independence skills as they help themselves to resources from low-level shelving and designated areas such as the mark making area. Their curiosity is stimulated by encouraging them to explore and experiment and to make choices. Children enjoy choosing and mixing paint colours to make purple and exploring with the mud with buckets and spades. They learn about insects and how things grow. Children listen attentively to stories and babies join in action rhymes and enjoy sensorial play with paper, sand and sound games. Older children are learning to recognise and write their names and to begin to put sounds to letters and to learn that words carry meaning. They develop their creativity through a variety of arts and crafts. However, the limited variety of home corner resources to promote their make believe play means that children do not spend enough time developing their imagination. Children are developing skills for the

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and outcomes for children

future when they find out how things work, for instance when using keyboards and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 magnets. They are beginning to solve problems when they make patterns with pegs, fit puzzles together and build with different types of bricks. Children's learning experiences are positive and they are happy in their surroundings. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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