Alphabets@Hollymoor

Alphabets@Hollymoor Hollymoor Centre,, 8 Manor Park Grove, Birmingham, West Midlands, B31 5ER

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/11/2013 17/01/2013

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff interact positively and engage all children during activities, for example, to blow bubbles, which they enjoy.  Children form strong relationships because the key person arrangement is effective in supporting their time in the nursery. Their understanding of acceptable behaviour is developing as they learn to play with others.  The manager and staff are clearly informed about their responsibilities to protect children in their care.

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It is not yet good because

 The provider has not notified Ofsted of any changes to the individuals who are directors of the company providing the childcare or the manager.  Learning experiences, at times, lack stimulation and staff do not always make good use of resources and skilful questioning to support children's learning.  Children's independence skills are not always promoted through routine activities.  Some parents do not receive clear information about activities in the nursery and how they can support their children's learning at home.  The self-evaluation is not sufficiently rigorous as it does not take account of the monitoring of practice to ensure the quality of teaching is consistently good.

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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 held discussions with the manager and the finance manager of the organisation.  The inspector spoke with staff and children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector observed activities in three care rooms and outside.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documentation, including children's assessments and staffs' records.

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Information about the setting

Alphabets@Hollymoor nursery opened in 1995 and is one of six provisions run by Longbridge Childcare Strategy Group. It operates from five rooms in the Hollymoor Centre in Northfield, Birmingham. The nursery serves the immediate locality and surrounding areas. The nursery opens five days a week, from 7.30am until 6pm, all year round, except on bank holidays and for two weeks at Christmas. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children have access to an enclosed outside play area.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 33 children attending, who are in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free education for two-, three- and four-year -old children. It supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

There are currently nine staff working directly with children, all of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification from level 2 and above. The nursery receives support from the local authority. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Information about the setting

The nursery offers a Stay and Play facility weekly, from 11.30am to 2.30pm. A holiday play scheme runs during all school holidays apart from Christmas. The opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.

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must:

 ensure high quality learning experiences for all children by ensuring all activities are stimulating and use resources and questioning effectively to improve the quality of learning

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must:

 develop further the two-way flow of information with parents to ensure they are fully involved and enhance children's learning at home and improve the sharing of information about activities delivered in the nursery.

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

 develop further children's independence skills, for example, by providing consistent opportunities for them to pour their own drinks at dinnertime

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

 improve the self-evaluation of the nursery to include rigorous monitoring of practice, so that weaknesses are quickly identified and action taken to address these.

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who attend

Assessments of children's development on entry to the nursery are appropriate. This is due to the discussions held between staff and parents to gain an understanding of children's preferences. During the settling-in phase staff carry out informal observations to note the resources children choose for play. They use the information to plan suitable learning experiences, for example, messy play that involves children's liking for cars. Staff appropriately promote the prime areas of learning for very young children, for example, through planned activities that raise their self-awareness. However, some aspects of learning are less well-planned for because staff do not include sufficient stimulation and resources are not always used appropriately. For instance, mirrors identified as important in planning, are not included to help children gain a clear self-image. Staff provide enjoyable activities, such as blowing bubbles to support children's speaking skills. They

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who attend

deliver these activities indoors and in the outside play space. As staff add liquid to water on a hard surface outside, they encourage children to jump in the large puddles. Children do so vigorously and staff encourage them to explore the liquid with their hands, while explaining it is cold. However, staff do not make links with the bubbles during play indoors and those seen on the surface outside. They talk constantly to children, but do not use skilful questions that develop critical thinking and help children to express their ideas. This means that children make satisfactory rather than good progress.

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who attend

The 'progress check at age two' is completed and shared with parents and regular assessments show what children can do. For instance, staff identify where children are in their development and set targets for the next step in learning. This means that children have opportunities to draw lines and circles that develop their co-ordination skills. Staff monitor children's achievement and share the information with parents. However, some parents do not receive clear guidance to continue with children's learning in the home. Consequently, children do not receive sufficient support to ensure learning between the home and the nursery is always maintained effectively.

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who attend

Staff are competent at promoting the learning of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They continue with programmes started by external professionals and use various methods, including signing and cards to promote children's behaviour. As a result, these children receive proper support to make steady progress in their development. The manager holds regular workshops to promote children's literacy and numeracy skills. As staff read stories supplied by local schools, children gain an awareness of what to expect. These arrangements prepare children positively for future learning.

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

Transition into the nursery is well-managed because staff discuss with parents how they can best meet children's needs. They follow routines for babies as agreed with parents, for example, with regard to sleeping arrangements. As children interact with staff they feel emotionally secure and form strong relationships with key persons, who take special responsibility for them. Consequently, children are confident in their interaction with staff and peers. They approach staff when they need assistance, for example, to select more resources for play. Children in the baby room often join older children for activities in the pre-school room. Owing to the free movement between rooms during the day, children have opportunities to mix with other staff and peers. Therefore, transition within the nursery is stress-free for all children.

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

Staff clearly explain to children why certain types of behaviour are not acceptable. They promote good behaviour through praise and constant supervision and encourage sharing during activities. Therefore, children learn about the boundaries and their behaviour is improving consistently. Children learn about the benefits of healthy eating as they are served balanced meals daily. They have opportunities to play outside when they develop skills in riding bikes and improve their balance during these activities. Children's independence is developing through routine activities. For example, pre-school children are learning to pour their water at the snack table and all children are encouraged to collect their plated food at dinnertime. However, staff do not always encourage children to pour their drinks at dinnertime. This means that children's independence skills are not fully extended.

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

All rooms are cheerful with lots of colour and displays of children's work, for example, marks on paper, painting and drawing. Children in pre-school room access role play equipment as they pretend to cook a number of items in the microwave oven. They enjoy play on their own or with others as they sit on the floor with programmable toys, pressing buttons and pretending to talk on the telephone. Children learn to keep safe due to monthly evacuation drills. A corner of the outside space is used as a nature area, which is covered in logs, branches and twigs children have collected when they are away from the nursery. Staff have taken account of any aspects that might pose a potential hazard to children. They ensure that only a few children play in this area at any one time under close supervision. Consequently, children's safety and well-being are competently promoted.

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provision

The arrangements for safeguarding children in the nursery are satisfactory. The provider has not followed the correct procedures for notifying Ofsted about changes to persons associated with the nursery. The persons include directors, who do not work directly with children and a manager, who has previously had a suitability clearance with Ofsted for another setting. Although, this is a breach in requirements there is no adverse impact on children in the nursery. It is also a breach of the Childcare Register. The management team and staff are clear about the procedures to be followed if they have concerns regarding children in their care. Rigorous recruiting and induction programmes ensure staff are suitable to work with children and ongoing suitability is checked regularly. These procedures contribute positively to the safeguarding of children.

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provision

Staff appraisals are carried out annually to identify training needs and to set targets for professional development. Staff fill special roles, including co-ordinating special educational needs and/or disabilities and behaviour management. They work jointly with another member of staff to ensure there is always one person to meet the needs of children. Staff supervision is established with regular discussions relating to their roles. This means that staff have opportunities to enhance their skills to support children's learning and care effectively. The impact of staff qualifications on the quality of the teaching and learning experiences for children is generally positive. Most staff have a reasonable understanding of promoting children's learning appropriately, but the quality of teaching is variable across the nursery. The impact of staffs' training and development on the provision is positive. Staff's skills are developed to fill specialist roles, such as co-

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provision

ordinators for special educational needs and/or disabilities and behaviour management. This means children are appropriately supported.

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provision

Monitoring is supportive so that staff have an understanding where improvements can be made. However, it is not sufficiently rigorous to ensure staff promote children's learning effectively at all times. Weekly staff meetings allow staff to contribute to the self- evaluation of the nursery. Suggestions for improvement, for example, the use of a behaviour board are some of the recent changes that have been made. Targets for improvement include an early years short breaks service to allow parents to have a short break. However, the self-evaluation is not sufficiently rigorous as it does not take account of the monitoring to ensure consistently high standards in the quality of teaching.

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provision

The management team provide a wide range of information for parents. The parents' board is covered with printed material about safeguarding information and explanations about the roles of staff. A selection of booklets provide information on activities to promote children's language skills. However, some parents do not receive sufficient information about their children's learning. There are established working relationships with other professionals. These liaisons support children's learning and development appropriately. Currently, children do not receive care from other early years providers. The manager is aware of the importance of sharing information to promote children's individual development if they attend.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure Ofsted is informed of the appointment of new managers (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  inform Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and telephone number of any partner, director, senior officer or other member of the governing body (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure Ofsted is informed of the appointment of new managers (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 257171 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 938940

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 33 Name of provider Longbridge Childcare Strategy Group Date of previous inspection 17/01/2013 Telephone number 0121 683 1838

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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