Alpha Bears Day Care Nursery

Alpha Bears Day Care Nursery 1 The Causeway, POTTERS BAR, Hertfordshire, EN6 5BQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 August 2016 Not applicable

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children have superb opportunities to have rich, varied and imaginative learning experiences. Enthusiastic staff help to enhance children's well-being to high levels.  The well-qualified and highly ambitious staff team provides children with an exceptional range of equipment and materials, inside and outdoors. Children are highly motivated and eager to learn and explore their environment.  The capacity for continuous improvement is exceptional due to the dynamic training and supervision to develop the expertise of staff to high levels. Teaching is highly effective and ensures that children make excellent progress.  An exceptional observation and planning system helps to identify those children who may be slow to develop key skills. Equally, children who may be high achievers are guided and challenged to develop even further.  Children are extremely safe in the setting and the careful use of technology enables

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This provision is outstanding

managers to screen visitors and monitor activities in the rooms and outdoors.  The manager works exceptionally well with her team to create an extremely positive and welcoming atmosphere within the nursery. She continually reflects on the practice and considers the views of parents, children and staff most effectively, to sharply focus on priorities for development.  Children develop excellent independence and practical life skills. They manage tasks and self-care skills extremely well for themselves in preparation for school.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 evaluate the impact of the tracking and monitoring systems on how swiftly any gaps in achievement are narrowing for those children considered to be at risk of not achieving as well as their peers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children taking part in a range of activities, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke to staff and observed their teaching.  The inspector spoke to parents to take account of their views.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at a wide range of documentation, including staff suitability checks, children's development records and attendance registers.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The highly committed management team ensures staff follow thorough policies, which they regularly review to reflect changes to legislation, to protect children from harm. The management team and staff are extremely vigilant and their understanding of child protection procedures is very strong. The manager is a very good role model and monitors children's progress closely. Information held about children is used effectively by staff to plan and enhance outcomes for them. For example, staff adapted the outside area after identifying the need for some children to be more physically active. The manager is keen to further exploit the electronic recording of the progress made by different groups of children, to ensure that all children continue to make substantial and sustained progress.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Assessment is highly effective and involves parents in order to support their children to meet set targets at home. Highly effective partnerships with external agencies also help staff address the individual care of children who need extra support. Children of all ages are highly engaged and take part in a variety of well-planned activities, indoors and outdoors. For example, babies explore story sacks filled with instruments and materials. They excitedly listen to the sounds they make, learn to name them and explore their texture. Children's speaking and listening skills are excellent and consistent routines support their learning very well. For example, a welcome song, including mathematical language and rhymes is sung by all children and staff. Toddlers learn the names of shapes and identify numbers, letters and colours. Young children can name shapes, such as pentagon, hexagon, diamond and oval, and discuss three-dimensional shapes with

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

The extremely caring and attentive staff form very strong bonds with children and get to know them exceptionally well. They are excellent role models, listening carefully to children, respecting their views and valuing their opinions. Children's behaviour is exemplary. Children learn about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and take part in daily routines with excitement. Children benefit from a wide range of freshly prepared healthy snacks and nutritious food. The inspiring and well-organised environment provides exciting opportunities for children to develop independence and experience physical challenge. For example, when playing outdoors, children confidently enjoy riding cars, climbing, balancing and digging.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are remarkably motivated and absorbed in their learning. They develop excellent early literacy during various daily activities and routines. For example, they learn to write for a variety of different purposes, forming their letters and sounding out words. Children make exceptional progress in their communication and language skills, including those who do not speak English as their first language. Children rapidly gain essential skills for starting school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY489596 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1022079 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 36 Name of registered person Alpha Bears Day Care Nursery Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07903717935

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reference number

Alpha Bears Day Care Nursery was registered in 2015. The nursery employs six members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The manager also holds a level 6 qualification. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round, with the exception of bank holidays, one week in August and one week over the Christmas period. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The setting receives funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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reference number

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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reference number

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

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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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

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