Alphabet Nursery School

Inspection of Alphabet Nursery School Chatham Hall, 152 Northcote Road, Battersea SW11 6RD

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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The provision is outstanding

The inspirational manager and staff place children at the centre of everything they do. They uphold a shared vision to help children flourish into confident, independent, eloquent, kind and helpful individuals. The manager and staff team are passionate about providing high-quality, inclusive care and education to all. They strive to constantly enhance all areas of practice to the highest possible level, by embedding new initiatives to ensure children reach their fullest potential. Children develop strong bonds with the staff and show extremely positive attitudes and a thirst for learning. They settle in very well and thrive in this highly nurturing, caring and welcoming environment. Children are exceptionally confident and very keen learners. Staff provide an excellent variety of very inspiring activities, balanced by child-led play, which ensures that children are highly engaged in tasks. Staff are clear about what children need to learn in order to move them on in their

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The provision is outstanding

development. They use excellent observations to ensure that children are challenged successfully. All children make outstanding progress. Staff provide exceptional opportunities for children to develop a broad variety of physical skills, and support children to acquire excellent independence skills. Children behave extremely well and older children are remarkably good role models to the younger children.

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need to do better?

n The manager and staff work together seamlessly. Daily and weekly evaluations of practice and activities, purposeful appraisals and highly focused professional development are skilfully aimed at enriching staff's expert knowledge and practice. n The manager is highly focused on monitoring the staff and provides effective supervision and support. They attend ongoing, targeted training to help them improve their skills and practice. Staff bring knowledge and skills learned from training back to the nursery to cascade to the rest of the team and, whenever possible, to parents. For example, recent training attended for supporting positive behaviour was shared with parents to enhance strategies used at the nursery and at home. n The manager and staff team have very high expectations for all children. Staff closely monitor children's progress and follow their emerging interests, including what they have been doing at home. Staff use this information to deliver an

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need to do better?

exceptional curriculum and a learning environment in which children flourish. They plan for what each individual child needs to learn next and help them to make the best possible progress. Staff encourage children to be part of planning activities, for example when children keenly vote on future projects to learn about. n Staff place high importance on promoting children's communication skills.

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need to do better?

16 March 2020 Children are extremely articulate and confident. Older children confidently approach adults to explain the picture they have just drawn, and younger children explain the textures they feel on the sensory walk. Staff have introduced initiatives to help children develop their listening and attention skills even further. For instance, each day children follow an exercise regime. Staff comment how this has benefited the children to focus during group activities. n Staff maximise opportunities to develop children's mathematics skills and make learning thoroughly enjoyable. For example, children enthusiastically match the correct pom-poms to the corresponding number and count breaths during yoga exercises. n Staff teach children early literacy skills in innovative and highly effective ways. For instance, children immerse themselves in storytelling by using a broad range of props related to their favourite stories. They eagerly recap and predict what

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need to do better?

will happen next during story time. n Children handle their emotions and behaviour exceptionally well, including sharing and taking turns. Older children skilfully negotiate with others and develop an understanding of others' emotions and what is right and wrong. n Staff form strong and very nurturing bonds with children. They take great care to find out all they can about children's personalities, home, care routines and interests to ensure that children settle exceptionally well and thoroughly enjoy activities. For example, during an international singing session, children are keen to sing newly learned songs from their own culture and those of their friends. n Staff are highly effective in supporting children to understand about being healthy. Children enthusiastically enjoy developing their physical skills, riding scooters and learning new skills from the sports coach. Children manage personal hygiene very well, keenly learning about germs during an experiment

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need to do better?

to demonstrate the importance of handwashing. n Staff successfully work with parents. They provide excellent opportunities for parents to support their children's learning at home and at the setting. Staff keep parents closely informed about their children's progress.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have an excellent understanding of the signs and symptoms relating to concerns regarding a child's welfare. Staff have a full understanding of the procedures to follow to deal with any child protection concerns. They receive robust, regular training to update their skills and knowledge. The manager has established excellent systems to ensure all children and families that require help are identified and supported, where necessary. She carries out thorough background checks on all staff as part of the recruitment process to ensure their suitability.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 123053 Local authority Wandsworth Inspection number 10138240 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 26 Name of registered person McKenzie-Lewis, Allison Jane

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reference number

Telephone number 0207 924 2678 Date of previous inspection 9 October 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Alphabet Nursery School registered in 1990 and is situated in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The nursery is open during term time only from 9am to midday Monday to Friday and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm Monday to Thursday. The provider employs five staff, including the manager. Some staff hold qualified teacher status and relevant qualifications at level 6. The nursery receives funding for free early education for children aged three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n Ofsted is aware of the challenges that Covid-19 is currently posing to those we inspect. During this visit, the inspector took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken to slow the spread of Coronavirus by the nursery. This has included the effect these measures have had on the current attendance of the children and staffing arrangements. n The inspector and the manager completed a learning walk to discuss how the curriculum is organised. n The inspector and the manager carried out a joint observation of a group activity. n The inspector observed interactions between staff and children and spoke with children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The inspector spoke to parents and sampled written feedback to gain their views. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager to discuss staff suitability and recruitment processes.

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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

16 March 2020 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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