The Alphabet House Nursery Schools

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy attending this welcoming and inclusive nursery. Staff work hard to ensure that children feel safe and secure. Children quickly establish warm and trusting relationships with staff. They are independent and keen to do things for themselves. Children confidently put away their belongings and self-register as they arrive. They find their own coats and attempt their fastenings. Older babies spread their own butter on crackers at snack time. Staff gather detailed information when children first start. This helps children to transition well to nursery life.

Leaders insightfully consider what it is that they want children to learn. They have high expectations for children's independence, language and communication skills. Older children freely share their news and stories, which are listened to by the attentive staff team. This supports children's emotional well-being, as they know their opinions are valued and considered. Children remain focused and motivated in their chosen activities. Babies actively engage in sensory play with sand, water and different textures of bright fabric. Staff encourage children to spend time exploring what they can see, feel and hear.

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

• Children behave well at the nursery. They enjoy talking about their favourite activities as they play with each other. Children listen to staff and follow their instructions. Staff are good roles models for children. They communicate high standards of behaviour. Children handle the toys carefully and know they must use their 'walking feet' when moving around the nursery.
• Staff working with babies have a good understanding of younger children's need for free exploration. They extend children's ideas as they develop. For example, babies spontaneously decide to fill rubber gloves with water. Staff make good use of opportunities such as this to promote children's physical development. Children build strong hand-muscle control as staff encourage them to squeeze the water out of gloves.
• Children enjoy eating a range of healthy meal options. Children sit happily together with staff at mealtimes. Staff engage children in discussions about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. Children develop healthy appetites. They confidently say, 'Vegetables make us strong.'
• Staff expertly promote children's language development. They repeat and emphasise key words for children to master. Staff provide an ongoing commentary of children's actions as they play with them. Babies quickly move from saying single words to speaking in two-word phrases. Older children confidently recall past events using the correct sentence structure.
• Children learn about other religions and festivals. For example, they enjoy activities linked to Holi, Easter, Mother's Day and Chinese New Year. Children learn about important people in the community and how to care for their teeth, such as from dentists visiting the nursery.
• Older children excitedly participate in science experiments. They learn to predict what might happen as they observe change. For example, children say, 'It's going to burst' as they watch balloons slowly inflate with air from their baking soda mixtures.
• Overall, parents speak positively about the nursery. They say that their children learn good self-help skills. Parents describe staff as friendly caring persons, who promote children's developing language well.
• The nursery's special educational needs coordinator ensures that children have clearly devised individual support plans. She follows advice from external professionals closely. Staff generally use interventions well to interact with children. Nevertheless, not all staff employ the strategies to support children's understanding of transitions in the routine effectively. Therefore, not all children develop the understanding of which they are capable.
• Leaders are committed to continually improving staff's practice and the overall quality and effectiveness of the nursery. They have participated in a successful regional communication project. This has upskilled staff and led to recognisable improvements in the quality of interactions between staff and children. Despite this, leaders occasionally have unrealistic expectations of some staff and their responsibilities. They do not always ensure less-experienced key persons' workloads are manageable enough.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• revisit coaching for staff regarding the use of support strategies, so all children develop the understanding of transitions in the routines
• review the responsibilities of less-experienced key persons, so that their workloads are manageable.