Kindred White Post

Alphabet House Day Nursery Mansfield Road, Farnsfield, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG22 8HL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/01/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are highly motivated and keen to take part in a wide range of activities that are skilfully planned by staff to engage them and make learning fun, whilst also challenging them to make good progress.  The rich, varied and stimulating environment promotes learning and challenge and provides a strong base for children to manage risks and understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy.  Staff are skilled and sensitive, helping children to form secure emotional attachments and confidence that they are valued for their individuality.  Staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The thorough implementation of robust policies successfully promotes children's safety and well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some opportunities to extend parents' involvement in their child's progress are not fully explored, in order to fully support children's continued learning at home.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the playrooms and the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the provider, deputy manager, manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the day.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the nursery manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's progress files, the setting's self-evaluation document and a selection of other records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the children and their parents throughout the inspection to gain their views.

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Information about the setting

Alphabet House Day Nursery was registered in 2011. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are three other nurseries in the chain. It operates from a converted farm building on the outskirts of Farnsfield in Nottinghamshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. In addition, the setting also offers before and after school care and holiday care. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The setting serves the local area and has links with the local schools. The setting is accessible to all children and there are two fully enclosed areas for outdoor play. There is also regular access to the adjacent farm park. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery currently employs 25 members of childcare staff. Two staff hold a childcare qualification at foundation degree level 5, one staff member holds a qualification at level 4, 16 staff have level 3 qualifications and there are two trainee staff members. The nursery also employs four ancillary staff, including a cook. In addition, the nursery provides a number of specialist sessions, such as French classes, run by qualified professionals.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 extend the opportunities for parents to contribute to their child's learning and development, including ways in which they can continue this learning at home, for example, through implementing the planned new diary system.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning and development because observation and assessment of their learning is used very effectively by staff to plan how they can support each individual child in moving forward. Children in all areas of the nursery are eager to learn and are engaged by motivating activities that reflect their interests. Babies benefit from a warm and caring environment; attentive staff support them well in their play and respond promptly to their needs. For example, staff recognise when babies are hungry and make sure that mealtimes are calm and well organised. This means each child has individual support and enjoys eating, trying new foods and benefits from encouragement to become independent. Staff support effective language development by talking to babies and giving them good eye contact. Resources, such as treasure baskets, enable babies and young children to explore their senses. Crawling babies move freely around the room

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who attend

and find their own play opportunities from the good range of accessible resources. Staff observe them carefully, and understand when to extend their learning. For example, a baby who shows an interest in trying to take their first steps has staff immediately at hand, enthusiastically supporting them. Toddlers enjoy many activities that stimulate the senses. Indoors they play with bubbles and learn to blow gently. Staff sit alongside them and encourage them to use their senses to explore, such as finding dinosaurs in the shaving foam. Outdoors, children have regular opportunities to visit the adjacent 'Farm Park' and they chatter excitedly about the chickens they have been to see. Children and parents have seen the chicks incubate and emerge from their eggs in the nursery and watched as they have grown, now they are next door in the farm. Children benefit from these highly effective first-hand experiences

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who attend

to develop their knowledge of the world.

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who attend

Pre-school children are fully supported in their progress towards school, such as when they help put chairs away at the end of lunch. They develop lively imaginations as they talk with staff about magic carpets and superpowers and how they would like to 'fly to nursery'. Children share books enthusiastically with staff and each other. They learn that print has meaning through the rich environment in which reading and writing materials are readily available. Children are encouraged to use technology, such as the computer, to make labels with their names for art work. They learn to look at features of themselves and others as they draw pictures of themselves and have fun talking to staff about what they see in the mirror.

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who attend

Parents' involvement in their children's development is actively encouraged. Information is exchanged daily through feedback sheets and through talking to their child's key person. Staff find out about children's families and their interests and abilities at home. This information is used well to establish children's starting points and plan for their progress. Parents have regular access to their child's learning journey folders and receive formal summaries of their progress and how staff will support their child next steps. Some opportunities are missed to more actively engage parents in continuing their child's learning at home. This has been identified by the setting and a new diary system is due to be introduced to support this continuity of learning.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children clearly understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy in the stimulating and safe environment. Staff teach children about health and safety as they discuss the importance of washing their hands after they have been to the farm. Children learn to manage their own risks because staff encourage them to become independent, confident learners. For example, toddlers are encouraged to safely climb the stairs holding the hand rail, with staff immediately on hand to steady them if needed. Key persons are highly skilled and sensitive fully supporting children to form strong, secure, emotional attachments, which provide a solid foundation for their personal, social and emotional development. For example, children are encouraged to be independent as they select their own resources from the vast range of activities and resources on offer. Children are, as a consequence, well prepared to make smooth transitions to other settings such as school.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children enjoy a wealth of nutritious snacks and meals which are prepared by a qualified cook. Individual dietary needs are known by all staff and robust procedures are in place to ensure that children are provided with meals containing appropriate ingredients that meet their individual requirements. Children learn about the need for healthy food and fresh air. They also learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies as they participate in physical play sessions led by a qualified instructor. Each playroom has a cosy area where children can rest and babies and toddlers have access to sleep provision in their room or in a covered area outside. Children develop independence and social skills as they help each other with tasks. For example, the 'helper of the day' chooses two friends and then helps the cook set the tables ready for lunch. Mealtimes are social occasions when children chat with friends and staff about their home and family and what they're going to do at the

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

weekend. Staff are extremely skilled in using these opportunities to extend children's confidence of talking in groups.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children learn about expected levels of behaviour from the positive role modelling of staff and from each other. Children's behaviour is extremely good because staff provide clear boundaries and implement the behaviour management policy consistently throughout the setting. Staff follow excellent hygiene and health routines, including nappy changing, sterilising of baby equipment and dealing with children who are unwell. This ensures that children are cared for in a very clean environment and the risk of cross infection is minimised.

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provision

The management team have worked well to implement the revised Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Advice from the local authority is actively sought and followed in order to bring about continual improvements. Evaluation of the nursery is robust, resulting in a detailed and well-defined action plan which is shared with the staff team as a whole. Targets set are realistic and progressive. For example, the setting have identified additional ways in which to support children's communication and are in the process of implementing the 'Every Child a Talker' programme to further enhance children's communication skills. The views of staff are sought through regular staff meetings which ensures that they are well informed and part of the evaluation and improvement process. The views of parents are keenly sought through conversations, regular questionnaires, parents' evenings and comment cards. Parents spoken to at

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provision

inspection are very happy with the setting and two parents made the same comment about how 'fantastic' the setting is.

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provision

Recruitment procedures ensure that all staff have checks when they first start at the nursery to establish their suitability to care for children. Staff appraisals are used very effectively to identify training needs and to set targets the personal development of knowledge and skills that will enhance learning for the children. Recently some staff have attended specific training for babies that has stimulated and motivated them to look at new ways of helping young children make progress. The management puts a strong emphasis on developing highly qualified staff, resulting in a committed staff team that wants to do their best for the children they care for. Children's welfare is safeguarded because staff have a secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities with regard to child protection concerns.

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provision

Children who speak English as an additional language or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported. The nursery works closely with the area inclusion team and other professionals. These partnerships are very successful in identify and planning the children's individual needs to ensure that they make good progress. The nursery works very closely in partnership with local schools; they have regular visits from the head teachers. These links are well-established and valued by all parties, ensuring children are cared for consistently and fully supported as they move on to school. During their time at the nursery children develop a good attitude to learning and gain skills that will support them well when they make the move to school. They are independent, competent and are proud of their own achievements.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY437582 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 778118

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 120 Number of children on roll 109 Name of provider Alphabet House Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01623 883114

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration. Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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