Alphabets Nursery

Inspection of Alphabets Nursery 2 Hillary Road, Penenden Heath, Maidstone, Kent ME14 2JP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children enjoy their time at nursery and are actively engaged in purposeful play and learning. They settle quickly and enjoy secure attachments to staff, who understand their needs well. There are good plans in place to help children move from the baby room to the main nursery. This successfully supports children's well- being.

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The provision is good

Staff engage children in good conversations to help them solve problems. They carefully use questions to help them think about what they would like to achieve. For example, staff support children to consider what they want to make and what they might need to help glitter and paper shapes stick to the card. As a result, children are proud of their achievements. Children behave and play very well with each other. They enjoy being independent and making choices for themselves. Staff help them learn how to support each other, such as when passing around items at the lunch table.

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The provision is good

The management team and staff have high expectations of all children who attend. They value children's ideas and respect their contributions to the setting. For instance, children are confident to ask for special pens to mark make as they play and staff work with them to build their ideas. Older children have a secure knowledge of how to keep themselves safe. They skilfully use scissors to cut paper and explain that they need to be careful as the scissors are sharp.

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need to do better?

n The management team is passionate and has a strong drive to continue to support the new staff team in their roles. The team has a secure knowledge of the staff's strengths and areas that they could improve on. Staff have very good access to training and comment that they feel supported. Staff have individual, targeted development plans to help them extend their knowledge and sustain consistently good practice in the setting. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive excellent support to make good progress in their development. The management team and staff communicate well with each other and specialist professionals to help children have equal opportunities to succeed. n Sometimes, routine changes through the day limit children's opportunities to extend their knowledge. For example, staff read stories but this time is disconnected as children come and go getting ready for lunch.

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need to do better?

n Staff work well with parents to support children's learning. They gain good information about what children can do when they first start, to support their learning effectively. Staff look to help children gain a range of learning experiences to build on what children already know and also help extend their

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need to do better?

6 December 2019 knowledge in new areas. This shows that they provide a well-considered and balanced curriculum. However, they have not considered how they can share more in-depth information about children's learning with staff at other settings that children attend. n Children are confident communicators and staff support them well. For example, babies pick up toys to show staff, who talk to them about what they have and what they could do with it. Toddlers and older children are articulate and eagerly engage in singing. They share stories from home and talk to staff about their observations of the weather. For instance, children notice that the leaves are spinning round and round in the breeze and predict what might happen with the weather. n Staff successfully support children to gain knowledge of other people different from themselves. Children learn about people through relatable stories being shared with them. For instance, they know about people who do not have

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need to do better?

enough food or somewhere to live and comment how those people may feel now the weather is colder. n Children are at ease in a calm, yet productive environment. They explore the good range of toys with interest and easily engage in play. Staff know children well and have a secure knowledge of their development and progress over time. There is a clear focus to help children develop their skills. Children make good progress and are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The management team is committed to ensuring that staff have a secure knowledge of their role to safeguard children. The designated lead and staff receive regular training and updates and know the appropriate procedures to follow if they need to take action. This includes knowledge of wider safeguarding concerns, such as female genital mutilation and the 'Prevent' duty. The team has robust recruitment procedures to check that staff are suitably vetted to work with children. Staff deployment is managed well and supports children's safety effectively.

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should:

n maximise the opportunities for children's learning at key routine changes throughout the day n develop the relationships with staff at other settings that children attend to create better continuity for children in their learning to help them make even better progress.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY263151 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10128581 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 to 4 Total number of places 38 Number of children on roll 57 Name of registered person Alphabets Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01622 762045 Date of previous inspection 27 July 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Alphabets Nursery is one of two nurseries under the same ownership. It registered in 2003 and is located in Penenden Heath, Maidstone, Kent. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round from 8am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are 12 members of staff, 10 of whom work with children. Nine of these hold early years qualifications and the manager holds early years professional status. The nursery is in receipt of funding for early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n Parents shared their views about the setting in writing and verbally, and these were taken into consideration. n The inspector completed a learning walk with the manager and deputy manager to learn about the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector jointly observed children's play with the deputy manager and discussed children's learning. n The inspector spoke to staff and children during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

6 December 2019 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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