The Alphabet House Nursery Schools

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted warmly by staff from the room which they are based in. As children are signed in, parents share information to support staff with their child's care. Children happily greet familiar staff and children. They chat as they walk to their room. Children share news about their morning. They are excited as they talk about who they are going to see and what they will play with. Children enjoy a mix of self-selected and adult-led activities. Staff respond sensitively to children's questions and requests. They know the children well, which helps them to recognise when to offer support or when to wait to encourage children to have a go by themselves.

Staff enhance children's knowledge by linking children's current interests to real-life experiences available in the local community. Children enjoy regular planned outings, including trips to the local library to return and choose new books, a ride on a train or a trip on a 'big red bus'. Children spend time every day in the secure garden. Staff complete checks throughout the day to ensure that the area is clean and safe for children's use. Children and families who speak English as an additional language have access to staff who share their cultural heritage and speak an array of languages. Staff request and use key words in children's home languages, which they thread into conversations. As a result, children are well supported and make progress with their understanding and speaking English.

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

• Following the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders and managers have adapted the curriculum to meet the needs of children effectively. For example, they provide children with more time to settle when moving into the nursery. Staff focus on promoting children's communication, social and physical skills. As a result, children share ideas, work together on tasks and their behaviour is very good.
• Children develop secure relationships with staff. They show curiosity by confidently approaching adults. Young children sit together in small groups to join in singing their favourite songs. Children choose songs by selecting picture cards. Babies and toddlers join in with the actions, smiling proudly as staff clap and give them praise for their participation.
• Older children recall familiar stories in detail, such as 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'. They describe how the goats outsmart the troll to get to the 'luscious grass in the meadow'. Children choose props and become the characters as they recite the story with their peers. Children explain that the story is a fairy tale because it starts with 'once upon a time' and finishes with 'they lived happily ever after'.
• Children's current interests include construction, as there are several building sites in the local area. Children wear hard hats, safety glasses and high-visibility vests as they negotiate how to build a 'stable' structure. They discuss and agree that bricks are 'stronger' than wooden blocks. Children used trowels to add 'cement' to build their wall. Staff remain close by to support children. However, on occasions during discussions, staff do not consistently incorporate mathematical language, such as measurements and shape, to extend children's learning.
• Children develop their awareness of how to keep themselves safe. Staff respect children's personal space. For instance, they ask permission when offering physical comfort or contact. Staff actively support children to be independent and confident with their personal care. Children wash their hands, use the bathroom and dress with minimal prompting from staff.
• Staff record children's dietary requirements for meals and snacks on individual place mats. Younger children are encouraged to feed themselves. Staff sit with children to monitor what they eat. They give children encouragement and discuss children's favourite and less-liked foods.
• Parents happily comment how their children have made progress since attending this setting. They receive detailed information about their child's day. Staff use an online app to give parents daily general information about the setting. They share and upload observations, photos and information about children's development. Staff also hold regular parents' evenings.
• Staff implement strategies for early intervention to ensure that all children make good progress. They work with a range of professionals to make sure that children have the appropriate support and care plans, which are incorporated into their daily activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make better use of opportunities to develop and extend children's mathematical skills.