Alphabet City Day Nursery

Inspection of Alphabet City Day Nursery Alphabet City Day Nursery Ltd, Highfield, Sherborne Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 5TG

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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 Good

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The provision is good

The nursery stands out for its warm, welcoming and homely environment. Staff know the children well, which helps them to support their individual needs. Staff create a safe and supportive space where children feel valued and respected. They ensure that all children, regardless of any additional needs or individual challenges, receive the necessary support.

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The provision is good

Staff set clear expectations of what children can achieve before they transition through the nursery. They promote positive attitudes by encouraging curiosity, resilience, independence and respect for others. For instance, staff actively find out children's individual celebrations and support these throughout the year. These actions help children to value their different life experiences, understand the wider world and learn about the similarities and differences of others. Children behave well and follow the structure and routines of the day.

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The provision is good

Overall, children enjoy a well-balanced curriculum that supports their interests and learning. Babies confidently explore the environment around them. They show delight as they move push-along toys around the outside space. This supports babies' physical development and spatial awareness as they negotiate obstacles in their learning environment. Toddlers and pre-school children use their imagination well and enjoy construction, drawing with a range of mediums and role play. Older children develop good attention and listening skills. Staff provide ongoing commentary, repeating words and phrases that children use. Sign language and pictorial images are used to further enhance communication skills. Children engage and remain intently focussed as staff lead story and singing activities. Children leave the nursery feeling confident, capable and ready for the next stage in their educational journey.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and staff are passionate about their roles and ways to continuously develop children's learning. They work well together and share the setting's ethos and vision. There is a strong focus on staff's well-being and recognising achievements. Staff feel well supported in their roles and morale is high. n Staff use close links with members of the community to enhance children's experiences, knowledge and skills. For instance, children learn about the wider community by visiting a local church and a fruit and vegetable stall to buy produce for snack time. Furthermore, there are good initiatives for fundraising, such as for the fire fighters' charity, supporting the local food bank and helping the 'toy drive' for a local hospital. n Staff ensure that children receive daily opportunities to be outside, where they develop many skills. Children take a keen interest in nature and the world

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need to do better?

12 May 2025 around them. When they find minibeasts, staff quickly help them to identify which bug they have found. They use magnifying glasses to take a closer look. Children show skills in carefully pouring sand and water from one container to another. Staff support children to use language such as 'more' and learn new vocabulary, such as 'squidgy' and 'shake'. n Leaders support staff in planning for the children's next stages in learning and effectively build on their experiences across the ambitious curriculum. Staff work with enthusiasm and take pride in the care and learning they provide. Communication and language development is a key priority in the nursery. However, on occasion, staff do not always consistently challenge less-confident learners and offer children enough time for deeper thinking opportunities to extend problem-solving skills. n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make

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need to do better?

good progress. Leaders are good role models and support staff to plan and implement effective intervention activities, which target children's individual needs. Staff work effectively in partnership with external agencies and professionals, which helps children get the support they need to thrive. n Staff encourage children to be independent from a young age, such as feeding and dressing themselves. They are encouraged to taste new foods they may not have tried before from the freshly-cooked nutritious menu. They have discussions about 'what is on my plate' to support children's understanding of a variety of foods and where they come from. n Leaders and staff have formed strong relationships with parents. They encourage families to be actively involved in children's development, such as by providing parent packs. This encourages parents to support children's learning at home. Staff use a variety of communication methods to keep parents informed

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need to do better?

about their children's care and learning. Parents speak highly of the staff and the effective communication they receive. n Leaders ensure that staff access a varied professional development programme that builds on their existing knowledge. They receive effective supervision sessions and feedback to continually improve their practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n enhance staff's modelling of language and questioning techniques, to further extend children's thinking and problem-solving skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY350884 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10392320 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 69 Name of registered person Alphabet City Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01256 322 090 Date of previous inspection 15 August 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Alphabet City Day Nursery registered in 2007 and is located in Basingstoke, Hampshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. There are 23 staff who work at the nursery. Of these, 16 staff have relevant early years qualifications from level 2 to level 5. The nursery provides government-funded early education to eligible children between the ages of nine months and four years.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk across all areas of the nursery to understand how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n The inspector observed activities in the four main base rooms and garden. She talked to staff about the progress individual children are making and what they want the children to learn. n A joint observation was carried out by the inspector and the deputy manager. The inspector observed interactions between staff and the children and the impact these have on children's learning. n The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children. n The inspector reviewed relevant documentation, including the arrangements for paediatric first-aid training. The inspector had a discussion with leaders about the evaluation of the setting and plans for improvement. n The inspector spoke to parents and children during the inspection and took

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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

12 May 2025 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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