The Alphabet House Nursery School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Staff typically know children and their individual needs well. They know what children's interests are. Staff use the information they have gathered about children's learning to help create individual learning plans. This helps to meet the needs of children and reduce any barriers to learning that children face.

Despite the inconsistencies, such as outdoor learning activities that lack purposefulness and are not always age and/or stage appropriate, children do benefit from the additional support provided. Children who are disadvantaged, with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are known to children's social care or face barriers to learning and wellbeing make steady progress in their learning and development.

Leaders identify children who require additional support in a timely manner. They work closely with the parents and carers and key persons together. Leaders identify that they need to continue to support parents in their role as educators and to educate them about the importance of making referrals to professionals when children need support.

Leaders support parents to access any appropriate funding available to them. Additionally, they seek their views on how funding for eligible children is spent. For example, leaders use funding for extra resources or other professionals coming into support. This has a positive impact on children's wellbeing and personal achievements at the setting.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

The curriculum is not consistently implemented. This is due to the variation of the quality of teaching across the provision, especially for the older children and during outdoor play. Leaders acknowledge that staff's practice varies and they need further support to implement the curriculum with confidence.

Babies develop their communication and language well. Staff make clear ongoing narrations and name objects and actions as they play with them. Babies quickly progress from echoing words to using speech intentionally in 2-word phrases. Staff promote babies' early mathematical understanding effectively. Babies learn to count and develop their ability to use simple language associated with size.

Staff who work with older children do not typically use their teaching skills to consistently guide and support children's learning. For instance, children enjoy exploring water play. Staff sit with them and observe what they do. However, they do not use their interactions to extend on what children need to learn next to develop their knowledge and skills. For example, staff do not teach children about the associated risks when they engage in behaviour and actions that compromise their positive health. As a result, children do not consistently build their knowledge and skills progressively over time.

Support plans for children with barriers to their learning are implemented effectively. Staff are aware of how to use these plans to ensure that all children can access activities, and adaptations are put into place for those who need them.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children do not achieve as well as they could because there are weaknesses in staff's knowledge and understanding of the curriculum. Although staff can recognise when and where children are learning, they do not consistently adapt their approaches to meet children's individual needs. This affects children's overall progress through the curriculum.

Children do spend some time exploring and using the resources on offer, but they do not maintain their interest in them. They do not receive consistent support to remain interested and engaged in their learning. This means children become bored and do not consistently build on skills they already have.

Overall, children typically develop some aspects of their school readiness and form the foundations for future learning. Children develop positive social skills. They learn to share, play together and take turns. Children hold books correctly, turn pages and join in with familiar stories and rhymes. Children develop their personal skills, such as eating independently, using age-appropriate cutlery, handwashing routines and using the toilet independently.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Some staff do not demonstrate high expectations for children's behaviour. They do not use consistent approaches to help children understand what is expected of them and why. For example, when children run indoors or drop resources while walking, staff do not address this in a timely and effective manner.

Overall, leaders have high expectations for children's behaviour and children have positive attitudes towards their learning. They sit and focus well during adult-led activities. Leaders have identified that children's behaviour is a focus in the toddler room. Therefore, they have created programmes to support all children's understanding of what is expected of them. However, these are still in the early stages and are not embedded across staff's practice.

Staff help parents and carers to understand the importance of regular attendance. This ensures children have familiar routines that help them to feel safe. Leaders ensure children have clear daily routines. Children know when it is time to eat, rest and play.

Leaders support staff to implement effective strategies to enable all children to express their wishes and needs. This includes those who are disadvantaged, with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are known to children's social care or face barriers to learning and wellbeing. For example, children receive encouragement to take staff's hand and lead them to what it is they would like to do. Children learn the vocabulary to explore and express their emotions further.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Leaders and staff do not promote children's welfare to a consistently high standard across the setting. They devise policies and procedures for identifying hazards, such as faulty equipment in the environment. However, they do not ensure staff understand their responsibility to check areas and activities so all risks to children's safety and welfare are minimised. While these inconsistencies present a weakness in staff practice, these do not have a significant impact on children's safety and welfare overall. Staff remain present and are able to supervise children as they run through different areas of the setting during transitions. Similarly, staff continue to follow basic hygiene procedures during nappy changing. They clean the changing mat between use, which minimises the risk of cross-contamination. However, they fail to identify that the changing mat needs replacement due to being worn down.

Despite this, babies and children enjoy sociable mealtimes alongside attentive staff who interact well with them during these times. Staff monitor children's safety during mealtimes and support their understanding of healthy eating. Staff are knowledgeable about children with allergies and ensure that they are safe at eating times. Overall, children build positive relationships with staff and enjoy their time at the nursery.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

The quality of teaching varies across the setting, and staff do not always have the skills and knowledge they need to embed children's learning. Leaders do not use staff's skills appropriately to ensure that all children have access to high-quality teaching. Although staff embark on professional development training, leaders do not ensure this is targeted to help staff build on their current professional knowledge and skills precisely.

However, leaders are highly motivated, committed and show that they have capacity to improve. They have created programmes and procedures to improve the overall quality of the setting; these are still in their infancy and the impact cannot be seen. They have already made several improvements in various areas. They have clear processes and training in place to support the ongoing improvement in staff practice.

Regular one-to-one sessions support staff's wellbeing. Staff comment positively on how they feel well supported by leaders. They report on the changes that have taken place in recent times and the improvements they have seen. Parents and carers describe secure partnerships with leaders and staff. They value the daily conversations they have. Leaders and staff also share useful information about the local community and signpost families to additional support when needed.