Alphabet Nursery

Alphabet Nursery 14 Herbert Road, Westbourne, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH4 8HD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/01/2015 12/08/2009

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Children in the pre-school room choose when they play outdoors where they enjoy an exciting range of activities to promote their learning and health.  Staff promote children's communication and language skills well. They use many visual prompts to help children of all ages understand and express themselves.  Staff encourage children to lead their own play and exploration well. As a result, children are interested and motivated to learn.  Staff support children effectively in developing good independence. This builds children's self-confidence and prepares them well for their move to school.  Management and staff demonstrate a good commitment to driving continuous improvements in the quality of children's care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children do not consistently maintain attention in some group activities in the smaller pre-school playroom due to the distraction of others enjoying physical play.  Staff do not successfully engage all parents in contributing information about their child's on-going progress at home to further promote children's learning.

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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 and the quality of teaching in the play rooms and outdoor play area.  The inspector sampled children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the registered person and manager to assess the suitability and qualifications of staff and management's knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Alphabet Day Nursery registered in 2006. It is privately owned and operates from a large converted house in Westbourne, between Bournemouth and Poole, in Dorset. There is an enclosed area for outside play. The nursery is open weekdays from 7am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. It is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and the voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The provider receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children learning English as an additional language. There are currently 61 children on roll in the early years age group. The provider employs 14 members of staff, all of whom hold or are working towards early years qualifications.

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

 develop the organisation of activities in the smaller pre-school room to help children maintain attention more effectively

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

 extend partnerships with parents further by finding ways to engage all parents in contributing information about their child's on-going development at home.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan and assess children's learning successfully from the start. Parents complete information sheets and superstar surveys to provide good details of their child's needs, interest, routines and development. Staff use this information, and their own observations efficiently, to then plan children's next steps for learning according to each child's needs. As a result, children make good progress in relation to their starting points. Staff keep parents fully involved in their child's learning. They provide parents with summaries of their child's learning and the required progress check for two-year-old children. Several parents provide information about what their child is doing at home. However, staff do not successfully engage all parents in contributing as effectively once children are settled to further promote children's learning.

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who attend

Staff interact with interest and enthusiasm in children's play. They move around the play areas to ensure all children are happy, engaged and interested. They step in to help children get involved and to support their ideas and choices. For example, during the inspection, children chose from the many creative resources to paint and prepared their own materials with support from staff. Others created their own cake-making activity in the sand pit where they found containers to fill. They commented how they had made 'an oval cake which tastes like strawberry and vanilla ice cream', 'a chocolate cake' and explained they were putting in everything they like. As a result of this positive planning and interaction, children engage well in their chosen activities.

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who attend

Staff skilfully provide children with challenge to help them progress. For example, staff helped children to plant onion sets in a container of soil during the inspection. They asked children what they thought the onion sets needed to grow and introduced new words, such as 'damp', when describing the soil. Children found worms which they discussed and counted together. Staff then encouraged the children to recall what they knew about the lifecycle of the caterpillar. These experiences help children to actively explore natural life, numbers and to extend their communication and language skills. Staff promote younger children's language by repeating back their early sounds and words and talking through their actions in play. Staff use picture cards as prompts on time lines and choosing boards to help children of all ages communicate and express themselves well.

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

Staff provide a consistent team of key persons who know the children well. They work closely with parents to meet children's needs and care routines consistently from the start. As a result, children form warm and trusting relationships with staff which supports them well in the move between their home and the nursery. Staff support children strongly in developing good self-confidence and independence. As a result, babies move between the play rooms with confidence and cuddle into staff for reassurance. As children progress, staff extend the tasks for them to complete for themselves. For example, pre-school children prepare their own snacks, serve their own lunches, wash up their own plates and help with jobs when asked. These skills help to prepare children well for their next stage of learning and move to school.

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

Staff provide a safe and secure environment with a good range of toys, and supervise children closely as they move around. This allows children to choose where they play and as a result, children remain active, interested and excited. However, on occasions, the smaller pre-school playroom becomes noisy when children play excitedly on physical play equipment. This distracts those involved in more focused activities and some children lose concentration. Staff model good behaviour to help children to develop positive attitudes. Staff explain the golden rules and refer to the laminated cards to illustrate to children what is expected of them and how others might feel. Consequently, children listen and play well together.

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

Staff promote children's health effectively. They provide babies with lots of indoor and outdoor physical play activities to develop their balance and early mobility in a safe environment. Older children benefit from choosing when they play outside to use the physical play equipment, play games and to run freely. This promotes their physical development well. Staff help children to learn about keeping safe in their day-to-day activities, such as using knives safely to chop food and managing steps carefully. Children benefit from healthy meals which they sit to eat together at sociable meal times. Older children choose the food options for themselves. For example, during the inspection, staff explained the vegetable choices and children dug in with enthusiasm, telling staff which their favourite vegetables were. This helps children to develop a positive attitude to healthy eating.

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provision

Management and staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have a secure knowledge of the correct procedures to follow if they have a concern about the welfare of a child. They are clear about their responsibility to safeguard children's welfare. Management implements secure vetting procedures to help to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Staff implement daily checks, risk assessments, policies and procedures to keep children safe and secure. Management monitors staff deployment effectively to meet children's needs. This ensures the correct adult-to-child ratios are maintained and children of all ages are supervised well.

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provision

Management and staff demonstrate a good commitment to drive improvements in the quality of children's care and learning. They all contribute to the reflective accounts each month and the self-evaluation form to identify areas for improvement. As a result, staff have successfully made many improvements. For example, they have provided many more activities to promote children's mathematical development and exciting sensory and creative activities in a new dark den. Staff are currently developing the outdoor play area to provide more opportunities for children to learn about natural life. Management completes staff supervision and appraisal sessions throughout the year. As a result, management successfully monitors staff's knowledge and understanding of how children learn. They also support on-going training opportunities for all staff, such as training in first aid and achieving childcare qualifications. Consequently, children make good progress

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provision

Staff establish successful partnerships with parents, who they provide with clear information about all aspects of the provision. They keep parents informed through daily communication, newsletters, displays and home link books. Parents contribute their views of the nursery through meetings and questionnaires. They state staff value each child as an individual which is why children feel special and make good progress. Also, staff prepare children well for school. Staff exchange information with the other early years settings some children also attend. This helps to further promote children's needs consistently and well.

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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 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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 EY338944 Local authority Bournemouth Inspection number 834908 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 61 Name of provider Alphabet Nursery Partnership Date of previous inspection 12/08/2009 Telephone number 01202 766 937

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Setting details

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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