Alphabet Day Nursery

Alphabet Day Nursery Camphill Centre, Hunsbury Hill Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN4 9UW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13 November 2017 9 October 2013

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Staff make good use of children's interest to provide activities they know will engage children well. For example, babies enjoy exploring the effect their actions have as they play with battery-powered toys and older children enjoy counting as they play. Overall, children make good progress relative to their starting points.  The staff focus keenly on supporting children's active play and physical development skills. For example, children enjoy their dance and football sessions with visiting professionals. The recently developed outdoor area supports children who prefer to learn outdoors well and provides good challenge for children's movement skills.  Staff establish effective partnerships with parents. They encourage parents to contribute to the assessment of children's skills when they start and throughout the year. Staff provide regular updates on children's progress, such as at a termly parents'

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This provision is good

evening. Parents are able to borrow books to share with their children at home.  Children are very happy, confident and settled. The staff sensitively nurture their emotional well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The manager has not fully developed her monitoring of children's outcomes, such as for literacy and for different groups of learners, to precisely target improvements to help raise children's achievements to the highest levels.  Staff do not always fully focus their planning and teaching on helping children to build on what they already know and can do to help them make the best progress possible.

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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

 target the planning of activities and teaching, more specifically around individual children's identified next steps in their learning, to help them achieve the best progress possible  strengthen the monitoring of progress for different groups of children to enhance aspects of the provision and practice for different groups of learners.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including staff suitability checks, children's observation, assessment and planning records, and documentation linked to managing children's progress.  The inspector spoke with members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection and held meetings with the managers and leadership team.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of staff practice and discussed monitoring and professional development.  The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection and from written feedback.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and her staff are aware of child protection issues and the reporting procedures to follow in the event of any such concerns. The management team makes effective use of their recruitment, induction and performance management to ensure suitable staff have a good understanding of their roles and meet their responsibilities. The management team ensures they meet requirements around staff ratios in all rooms. They provide a safe and secure environment, and outings for children to play, learn and explore. The management use their knowledge and experience to monitor and improve staff practice, such as through observations in rooms and supervision meetings. Staff also observe the practice of colleagues to share ideas about effective teaching. Overall, parents express that they are very pleased with the care and learning offered and say their children build strong bonds with the caring staff.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff are skilled at helping children to make links in their learning. For example, pre-school children who were cooking, learn about healthy foods and develop their hand-muscle control as they use a rubbing-in method to mix foods. The manager and staff check individual children's progress to identify and address any areas where children need additional support. Babies, toddlers and younger children receive effective support to help them gain the key skills needed to support success in future learning. Staff encourage babies understanding as they supplement their words with gestures and repeat words. Younger children receive good encouragement to share and join other children in activities. Staff working with older children are focusing well on preparing them for school. Pre-school children have opportunities to explore the mathematics area of the room each day. They learn to listen to each other in their morning group time. Staff help children to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

count and learn the names of different shapes, such as during art activities.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff provide a stimulating environment where children are mainly able to help themselves to the many toys and resources on offer. Healthy balanced meals vary over a three-week period. Toddlers receive encouragement to feed themselves finger foods under the watchful eyes of staff. Staff are good role models and give children clear expectations of behaviour. They promptly respond to children's changing physical needs, such as when children need a nappy change. They teach children to value differences and help children to learn about people who help us, such as police officers and doctors.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop good physical, communication and social skills. They explore the local environment when they go on walks with staff. Children learn to use their imaginations in many ways. They learn to follow rules, such as tidying away toys. They complete simple tasks to develop their independence, such as washing their hands. Children prepare well for their next stages in learning and eventual move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY283423 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 1117380 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 11 - 4 Total number of places 77 Number of children on roll 39 Name of registered person Angela Evans

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 9 October 2013 Telephone number 01604 771166

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reference number

Alphabet Day Nursery registered in 2004. The nursery operates from the Camp Hill area of Northampton. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.45am to 6pm, all year round, except bank holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. There are 13 members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. This includes one member of staff who holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 6.

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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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