Alphabet Tree Childcare Limited

Alphabet Tree Childcare Limited Bernice Hyde Hall, Oxford Road, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 4LW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 2 October 2017 Not applicable

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Arrangements for supervision and training of staff are not fully effective to identify areas for development. This is also a breach of the Childcare Register.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Some staff do not respond promptly to children's emerging interest and interact effectively with them to support their individual learning needs.  Staff do not provide children with a wide range of purposeful learning experiences to help challenge them even further and make better progress.  Self-evaluation is not fully effective to help identify areas to improve and raise outcomes for children.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff work closely with parents to help provide continuity in children's care and learning. They speak to parents regularly about children's activities and how they can reinforce learning at home.  Children develop secure bonds with their key person and feel happy to play and learn in the pre-school. They make steady progress from their starting points.  The manager deploys staff well to supervise children's play and keep them safe. There are effective safety procedures and staff carry out regular checks to help children play safely in the learning environment.  Staff use observations and assessments well to help monitor the progress children make and identify any learning gaps.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and the Childcare Register the provider must:

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Due Date

 improve the arrangements for the supervision and training of all staff to identify and act upon areas of practice that need improvement to develop their personal effectiveness 02/11/2017

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Due Date

 ensure all staff respond promptly to children's emerging interest and interact effectively with them to support their individual learning needs. 02/11/2017

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Due Date

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

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Due Date

 provide a wide range of learning experiences to help develop children's curiosity and challenge their learning further  make greater use of self-evaluation to identify and address breaches of requirements and any other areas for improvement.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff interaction with children and the impact this has on their learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager and held discussions about children's learning.  The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including staff suitability and qualifications.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector spoke to members of staff at appropriate times throughout the day and held meetings with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a sound understanding of child protection requirements and know what action to take if they have any welfare concerns. There are effective systems to ensure staff working with children are appropriately vetted. However, the manager does not monitor staff practice effectively in order to provide relevant training to support their ongoing development. For example, cover staff do not have up-to-date knowledge of current practice to help them understand their roles and responsibilities effectively. In addition, the manager has not addressed the inconsistencies in staff's teaching. Overall, the manager tracks the progress of all children well and works closely with outside agencies, such as the local authority to provide support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The manager obtains the views of parents and staff to help evaluate the effectiveness of the provision. However, the current

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

system is not fully effective to identify areas where improvements can be made.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Some staff do not respond promptly to children's emerging interests and interact effectively with them to support their learning. They focus their attention on small groups of children and are not aware of what other children are doing. For example, when a group of children joined in a planned activity, staff did not acknowledge those children and left them to stand with nothing to do. Staff organise the daily routines well and encourage children who prefer to learn outside to spend a significant amount of time in the garden to extend their interest. They engage in conversations with children and ask them questions to help develop their communication and language skills. Staff support children to develop their pencil control. For example, they encourage older children to practise writing with stencils and younger ones to use different brushes to paint.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

The lack of effective interaction and extensive range of resources and activities do not ensure all children engage well in meaningful learning. Nonetheless, staff are quick to respond to negative behaviours and provide clear explanation to help children learn what is expected of them. They support children's independence. For example, they encourage older children to put their coats on independently and pour their drinks. They provide healthy snacks and use mealtimes to discuss the importance of healthy eating.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Most children develop basic skills they need for future learning. However, some groups of children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not making sufficient progress in their communication and language development. Children settle well and develop good physical skills. For example, they enjoy riding cars and bikes and learn to balance and negotiate curves.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY483247 Local authority Bexley Inspection number 1012321 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 16 Name of registered person Alphabet Tree Childcare Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07843 983 028

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reference number

Alphabet Tree Childcare registered in 2015 and is based in a community hall in Sidcup, Kent. The pre-school is open from 9am until 12pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and 12.15pm until 3.15pm on Wednesday, term time only. The pre-school employs seven members of staff, of these five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two-, three- and four-years-old.

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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

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

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