The Alphabet House Nursery Schools

Alphabet House Nursery The Stroud Pavillion, Savage Gardens, Beckton, E6 5NB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/04/2013 12/04/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff use observations and assessment well to plan for children's next steps in their learning, so they make good progress in relation to their starting points.  Children's good health and well-being is supported well by staff who provide children with healthy, balanced and nutritious food at snack and mealtimes.  Staff provide a good programme for children's physical development and children enjoy being outdoors.  A well-established key person system helps children to form secure attachments. This means that staff are able to address children's individual needs well and children are ready to learn.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children have a limited range of age appropriate books to enjoy. Furthermore, some of these are damaged and have pages missing which does not encourage children to develop a love of books.  There is constant music playing in the main room, which disturbs children's learning as it prevents them from fully hearing each other and the staff and from learning to concentrate.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 voluntary and compulsory parts 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 the play room and the outdoor learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled range of documentation including children's records, stipulated safeguarding procedures, evidence of staff qualification and policies.  The inspector spoke to the registered provider, the manager, staff and children.

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Information about the setting

Alphabet Day Nursery registered in 2002. It operates from part of the Stroud Pavilion in Beckton, within the London Borough of Newham. It is one of a chain of nurseries in London which are privately owned. There is a fully enclosed area for outdoor play. The nursery employs five members of childcare staff, four of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. It opens Monday to Friday all year round, sessions are from 8am until 6pm. There are currently 28 children attending in the early years age range. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who learn English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance the range and quality of books for children to read, share and enjoy, including factual and dual language books, in order to further improve their literacy skills

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

 use music for specific purposes during the day to develop children's ability to concentrate and to listen with purpose.

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who attend

Staff offer a broad range of activities which support all children well in their learning. Staff observe children playing to see what they can do, and record each child's progress in their 'learning journeys'. Staff use this information to assess each child, which means that they are able to plan appropriate next steps in children's learning and development. Therefore, all children make good progress in their learning and development through activities and experiences which provide appropriate challenges. Staff spend time with parents and their children when they first start. This enables staff to find out about children's routines at home and their current levels of learning and development and to settle children in easily so that they are ready to learn through play. Staff use their links with external professionals, such as special educational needs advisors, well to support children with identified additional needs. Therefore, children make good progress in relation to their

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who attend

starting points and are ready for the next stage in their learning or their move into school. Information sharing continues daily through verbal feedback, and written diary sheets for the youngest children. This ensures that parents are well-informed about their children's day and are aware of what they have eaten and any significant achievements in their learning and development. Staff have systems in place to assess children between the ages of two and three, which enables early identification of any concerns in a child's learning or development. This means that staff are able to seek support and advice from external professionals to ensure that all children have equal opportunities to make good progress in relation to their starting points. Key workers work closely together and share mealtimes, helping all children to be familiar with all of the staff and to move smoothly between age groups.

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who attend

Staff support children's communication and language well throughout all age groups. Good information sharing between key persons and parents enables staff to learn words in children's home language. Furthermore, dual language signs and posters all around the nursery help children to see familiar words in their own language and the English equivalent. This helps children who learn English as an additional language to become independent and find areas, such as the toilets, for themselves. Children in all rooms are well supported to develop good speaking skills as staff repeat back to them what they say correctly. This helps children to form sentences and to use a wider range of vocabulary. Staff's use of good questioning techniques encourages children to think their ideas through and make connections between different parts of their experiences as they play. For example, staff support children to work out how to arrange guttering to enable the

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who attend

flow of water. They use questions well to help children think through their ideas as to how to make the water flow from the top to the bottom. Children enjoy further challenges in the outdoor learning environment, which helps develop their physical skills as they climb, build, move and combine resources which cover all seven areas of learning well.

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who attend

Children enjoy listening to stories read to them by the key persons. However, the range of books and their state of repair means that children do not have many to choose from. This does not encourage children to go and sit in the book area to enjoy looking at books for pleasure or relaxation. Furthermore, staff have music playing in the background all morning, so that children are unable to fully hear each other when playing in the role-play area or sitting in the book area and this has a negative impact on their concentration levels.

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

Children are happy and settled in the setting, as their well-being is nurtured through effective provision for their personal, social and emotional development. The key person system helps children to develop feelings of security and provides a special person to give support when needed. Parents comment on how quickly their children settle in through the settling-in process. Parents comment positively about being able to stay with their children to support them as they settle into their new surroundings, which means that children of all ages separate from their parents happily. Babies enjoy warm, consistent care from their special person, which supports their emotional well-being. They enjoy playing within the security of their familiar adult.

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

Children behave well in the setting. They respond to staff politely as staff model the use of good manners when interacting with the children and each other. This enables children to communicate positively and share with one another. Staff support children's interests, providing additional resources and activities as required. For example, staff provide a range of messy play experiences to develop an exploratory interest shown by one of the younger children. This enables them to use some of their senses to explore paint, water and shaving foam and compare different textures. Older children enjoy using magnifying glasses to look closely at the growth of their cress seeds. Staff further enhance this as they talk about what conditions plants need to grow and provide paper and pencils to enable children to draw what they have seen through the magnifying glasses.

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

Children learn how to protect themselves in the event of an emergency, as they practise regular drills. Children develop a good understanding of the importance of leading healthy lifestyles as they enjoy freshly cooked, balanced and nutritious meals and snacks. Staff ensure that they are fully aware of all children's dietary needs, as they are written on the individualised place mats for each child. This information is checked regularly to ensure that staff have the most current information on each child. Effective hygiene routines enable children to learn about the importance of washing their hands before eating and after personal hygiene routines. Children enjoy daily access to the enclosed garden area which helps children to develop a good understanding of the importance of physical exercise and fresh air.

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

Staff have links with the local schools which enable children's move into school to be smooth. Teachers are able to come into the nursery and meet the children prior to them starting. The staff have developed links with local authority advisors and other professionals, such as special educational needs advisors, which enables staff to seek support and advice for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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provision

There has been a change of manager since the last inspection. The new manager ensures that the safeguarding and welfare requirements are implemented well. There is a clear understanding of her responsibilities in ensuring that safeguarding policies are fully implemented and that staff know the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child. Recruitment procedures for new staff are robust, which ensures that all staff undergo the necessary checks to ensure their suitability to be working with children. Staff are well qualified and understand their individual roles and responsibilities. There is a secure entry buzzer system which acts as an effective security measure and ensures that only adults known to the nursery are able to gain access.

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provision

Clear risk assessment and daily checks are in place to ensure that the nursery is safe for the children who attend. All required documentation is in place and managed well to support children's well-being and maintain confidentiality. All recommendations and actions set at the last inspection have been addressed.

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provision

The manager understands her responsibilities for implementing the learning and development requirements. Children receive good support and enjoy their learning through the wide range of experiences and activities which staff provide daily. Staff have regular appraisals and team meetings so that additional training needs can be identified to maintain continuous improvement. Self-evaluation is an on-going process, enabling the staff team to identify areas for future development. For example, staff have plans to create a vegetable patch to support children to gain an understanding of where their food comes from.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are positive and support children's learning and development well overall. Parents receive a good range of information about the nursery and their children's learning. Staff share information regularly through verbal conversations, newsletters, nursery notice board and daily communication sheets. The nursery regularly seeks the views of the parents through a suggestion box and questionnaires. The manager feeds back to the parents' views raised through the questionnaires, and where appropriate makes changes to address suggestions or views raised. Wider partnerships work well to support children's learning and development. All children are able to make good progress towards the early learning goals which supports the next stage in their learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary 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 action. 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 EY233765 Local authority Newham Inspection number 909733

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 28 Name of provider The Alphabet House Nursery Schools Limited Date of previous inspection 12/04/2011 Telephone number 0207 476 0222

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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.

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Type of provision

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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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