Alpha Nursery (Canning Town)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy to attend the nursery. They happily separate from their parents and are excited to see staff and the other children.

Staff are friendly and welcome the children, showing them the activities that they can join in with. During children's play, staff encourage and praise them. They also remind children to take turns and share the resources.

Children are well behaved and interact positively with each other. Any minor disagreements are resolved quickly, with staff's support.Older children have fun experimenting with mixing colours and can confidently predict the new colours that they will make.

Y...ounger children show good interest as they explore play dough alongside staff, who are motivating and supportive. Staff talk to children about what the dough feels like and how they can pull it and stretch it.Babies enjoy books and songs with staff, who they are comfortable with.

Children communicate confidently and staff extend their vocabularies through songs, rhymes and general conversations. For example, children ask why a giraffe has a long neck and staff explain that a long neck helps the giraffe to 'nibble' at leaves on high branches. Children make their wants and needs known to staff, who are caring and respectful.

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

Children have strong relationships with their key persons, who know them well, which begin during the settling-in process. Parents complete an 'all about me' form so that staff can know about their children's interests and plan activities accordingly. This also helps to develop children's self-esteem and sense of belonging.

Staff are deployed effectively across the nursery and work well together as a team. For example, staff can be heard asking each other if they need any extra support or help. This results in a strong team that keeps children's needs at the heart of what they do.

Leaders and managers are ambitious for children's learning and the curriculum they offer. They are clear about what they want children to learn and how they encourage and support staff. For example, during staff meetings, staff are set targets, which are then reviewed and reflected on, to encourage them to remain focused.

Children are offered healthy meals and snacks that promote their well-being. Staff identify any allergies and parents' preferences, and communicate this effectively among the staff team. This ensures that children are kept safe.

Children have regular opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, they use the outdoor play space to run and ride bicycles. This helps to develop their strength, coordination and gross motor skills.

Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents value the effort staff make to communicate with a new online app that keeps them up to date with their children's learning and development. Parents recommend the nursery to their friends and family.

Children have some opportunities to develop their self-help skills and become independent. For example, managers, in particular, remind children to have a go while putting on dressing-up clothes. However, staff do not consistently give children the opportunity to try and help themselves.

At these times, children do not develop their self-help and independence skills.Staff receive regular supervision sessions and attend staff meetings. Leaders support staff in their professional development and ensure that staff can discuss any health and well-being issues of their own.

Staff value these opportunities and feel that they are well supported.Children who require additional support from other agencies are identified early. For example, staff regularly monitor and observe children with a speech and language delay and discuss them with the special educational needs coordinator.

Staff work closely with the local authority to seek advice on any referrals needed. This helps children to receive the additional support they require and close any gaps in their development.Children have many opportunities to hear and learn new words and link them to mathematical concepts.

For example, children learn about 'small', 'medium' and 'large', and visual prompts are available to children throughout the nursery. This builds on children's confidence about spatial awareness with real-life objects.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers and staff have a good understanding of child protection and can confidently explain the signs and symptoms that would cause concern. They know who to report their concerns to, whether it involves a child in their care or a colleague. Staff regularly update their training and knowledge of a range of safeguarding matters, such as female genital mutilation.

Staff and managers reflect on any accidents that occur to identify any risks and correct them. In order to keep children safe, staff check the outdoor and indoor play areas several times each day for any hazards.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to understand the importance of children using their self-help skills at every opportunity, to develop their independence.