Larkrise Primary School

Alphabet Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 123053 Inspection date 21/09/2011 Inspector Rebecca Hurst

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Setting address Chatham Hall, 152 Northcote Road, Battersea, SW11 6RD

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Telephone number 02079242678 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 assesses 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.

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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

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 Nursery School registered in October 1990. The group operates from a hall with an additional room and toilet facilities. There is an enclosed area for outdoor play. It is situated in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, close to local shops and public transport links. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register only to care for a maximum of 40 children may attend the nursery school at any one time. It opens term times for morning sessions from 9am to 12pm, Monday to Friday and afternoon sessions from 1.15pm to 3.45pm, Monday to Thursday. The nursery receives funding for early education. The nursery currently has no children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. They support a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery school employs five members of staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery school uses traditional and Montessori teaching methods.

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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

Children benefit from a safe and secure environment in which they learn and develop at a good pace. Staff's skill and knowledge helps to provide children with a good range of activities which encourages them to become clear and critical thinkers and to extend their learning. Policies and procedures are well written and staff have a good working knowledge of these to enable them to support and protect children. This works towards meeting the individual needs of children. The provider understands the importance of evaluating the provision to improve the services it provides to the children and parents.

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further?

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

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further?

 consider ways to fully enhance the development of children's independence skills during snack time, in particular the preparation of the fruit  provide learning opportunities which are original for the children by reducing the number of worksheets that are used within the sessions

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the early years provision

The staff have a good understanding of child protection and how to safeguard the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children in their care. Effective procedures are in place for fire drills. Risk assessments are in place to enable the children to play in a safe environment. The registered person has implemented clear procedures for recruiting, and managing the continuing suitability of staff. Regular appraisals, training and strong vetting procedures help to develop the motivated and secure workforce. This promotes the safety of all children in the setting.

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the early years provision

Resources are very well laid out to allow the children to enhance their independence through self selection. Equality and diversity is taught well to all children. Staff take into account the children's own backgrounds and use these to plan meaningful activities to teach them about the different festivals and celebrations from around the world. Parents play an active role in coming in to teach the children about different countries, cooking food and reading stories in different languages to the children. The staff attend regular training sessions which enable them to keep up-to-date with any changes to legislation and plans to observe the children.

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the early years provision

The nursery works closely with the schools the children will be moving onto. Teachers come into the nursery to observe the children and the staff visit the children in some of the schools when they have settled in. This provides continuity of care for the children and allows them to settle well into their new school environment. There are good communication links between the parents and the nursery. Parents have regular newsletters to keep them up-dated with what's happening within the nursery. Parents also attend meetings where they discuss with the staff the progress their children are making. Parents are also involved in the self-evaluation process by completing questionnaires which informs the changes being made to the provision. The nursery is able to indentify their key strengths and the areas they wish to improve upon. Consequently, the nursery is responsive to its users.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled at the nursery. They receive plenty of attention from the staff, where they are at hand to offer cuddles of support and guidance. This builds the children's self esteem and their self confidence levels. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. They are supported by a well informed staff team who have a secure understanding of how children in the early years age group develop and learn.

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and outcomes for children

Staff plans activities that cover all of the six areas of learning and comprehensively support children's understanding in a range of challenging ideas. Planning for the children is a good mix of focus activities and resources laid out for the children to explore. Observations and tracking sheets are used to guide how well the children are progressing with learning. There is a heavy emphasis on worksheets to aid the children's learning and development, however this does not also allow for the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children's work to be original.

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and outcomes for children

There are clear boundaries set with the children and they are fully aware of what behaviour is expected of them whilst they attend the nursery. All staff are consistent in their approach to behaviour and given the children's ages and stages of development they are well behaved. Staff have a good use of open ended questions to make the children think about what they are doing and are skilled in adapting the activities to meet the differing needs of the children that are accessing them. This enables the children to develop good skills for the future. Staff warmly praises all efforts which helps children to develop the confidence to express their own ideas and to try new challenges.

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and outcomes for children

Children have fresh fruit and water at snack times. Children hand out the plates and cups for each other. Older children pour their own water and the younger children are guided by the staff to pour their own drinks. There are missed opportunities to fully enhance the children's independence skills as currently the staff prepare the fruit for the children. Children are fully aware of the reasons as to why they need to wash their hands and eagerly wash them to participate in an activity to decorate biscuits they have baked. This helps the children to be protected from cross infection and contamination. Children are skilled in using stencils to draw around and can explain what shapes they have drawn. This enhances their creative and mathematical development. 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 1 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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