Alphabets Private Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily separate from their parents at the door and enter the friendly and welcoming nursery. They are eagerly invited with smiles and hugs from their key person or familiar staff. This helps support children's emotional needs and they demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.

Children are very familiar with the routines and respond well to instructions and guidance given to them. This is because staff are consistent in providing children with clear instructions and boundaries throughout the day. For example, younger children are reminded not to throw sand. Older children listen to stories that highlight the importance of sharing and taking turns. Staff are good role models and have a calming and respectful attitude towards children. In turn, children's behaviour is good.

A wide range of exciting and stimulating activities that cover all the areas of learning are available to children. Babies explore with multiple sensory activities. They watch intensely as sand trickles off their hands and use their fingers to make marks in foam, paint and talcum power. Toddlers and older children manipulate dough as they stretch, knead and pull it into the desired shape. This extends children's concentration and strengthens their hand and finger muscles in support for their early writing skills.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The well-structured and dedicated management team are very clear in their roles and responsibilities. Managers work together and have an accurate account of what they are doing well and areas for future improvements. This great teamwork helps to ensure that they are providing high-quality care and learning opportunities to children.
• Staff say that they feel supported by the managers and describe their team as 'one big family'. Their emotional well-being is closely monitored. Regular supervision meetings and observations of staff practice are carried out and any training needs are identified. As a result, staff turnover at the nursery is very low. Staff display a dedicated and positive attitude towards supporting children in achieving the best outcomes.
• The curriculum is well sequenced and ambitious. Staff get to know the children well and plan a range of exciting activities that supports their next steps in learning and current interests. As a result, children show a great desire to learn more and are making good progress.
• Overall, children's communication and language are well supported. For instance, they sing songs and rhymes and access a wide variety of books. Staff provide younger children with a narration of what they are doing and introduce new words, such as 'swish and snip'. This supports children's growing vocabulary and their understanding of words and sounds. Yet, occasionally, some staff do not give children the time to think through questions that are asked and are too quick to solve problems for them when they occur. This prevents children from building on their critical thinking skills.
• Good hygiene procedures are in place. For example, staff wipe children's noses and remind them to wash their hands. Furthermore, children are offered a well-balanced menu with nutritious meals and snacks. However, staff do not promote children's understanding of why good hygiene, regular drinking and healthy eating are important for their bodies. This prevents children from having a greater awareness of the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle.
• Communication with parents is good. Staff provide daily information of how their child's day has been. Parents are well informed about their children's development and ideas are given of how they can further support this at home. They speak highly of the staff and thank them for helping their children 'blossom' and providing them with the best educational start to life.
• Staff promote children's independence well. For example, children choose what they want to play with, serve themselves food and learn to use tricky utensils, such as tongs to pick up spaghetti. These skills help support them in readiness for school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consistently develop children's critical thinking skills by allowing them the time to answer questions that are asked and think through problems for themselves
• strengthen children's understanding of why good hygiene practices are used and the effects that healthy foods and drink has on their bodies, in order to teach children the importance of leading healthy lifestyles.