Alphabets @ Cofton

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education children receive requires improvement to ensure all children benefit from a consistently high standard of teaching and learning. This is because some staff plan activities based solely on children's interests, rather than on children's learning needs and/or next steps.

This does not support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good enough progress in their development. In addition, staff are not clear enough about the expectations for children during transitions. Consequently, some children lose focus and do not know what to do.

Despite t...hese weaknesses, children are happy and content at this pre-school. They receive warm welcomes from staff as they arrive and are well supported to settle into their day. Staff take time to get to know children and their families.

Consequently, all children, including those who have recently started to attend, form good bonds with staff. Staff demonstrate high expectations for children's behaviour. They talk to children and offer guidance to support children to learn how to play safely.

Children play cooperatively alongside one another in the home corner and as they explore using their senses in a water tray filled with lemons, limes and herbs. They pour, fill and empty the water into different containers. This supports children to develop their hand-eye coordination.

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

Leaders have failed to notify Ofsted of a concern about children's safety and welfare, but they acknowledge this was an oversight. Ultimately, they do understand how to manage concerns about staff's practice appropriately. This includes liaison with the local authority designated officer.

Although leaders do not keep the most accurate records of these concerns there is minimal impact on the children.Staff know the overall priorities for children to achieve before they leave the pre-school, this informs their curriculum. They give some consideration to children's communication and language development.

Staff include children interests when planning activities. However, some staff do not think well enough about children's next steps. As a result, some children, including those with SEND, are not supported to continually build on their skills.

Staff generally meet the needs of children with SEND well. They make timely referrals and create individual plans with targets and strategies. This helps to ensure children receive the specialist help they require from other professionals.

Staff report that they feel listened to by leaders. For example, they share interests and training needs with leaders at termly supervisions, which leaders act on. Since the last inspection, leaders have prioritised increasing mathematical experiences for children to access and so staff have attended relevant training.

However, leaders' oversight of the overall teaching and learning children receive is not yet fully developed. As a result, some staff do not receive the targeted guidance or support they require from leaders to improve their teaching practice further.All staff work hard to build positive relationships with individual families, offering individualised support and guidance where needed.

Home visits are used to begin building effective partnerships with families and to learn about children's needs and cultural backgrounds. Staff continue to invite parents to nursery events, such as play-and-stay sessions. They share information with parents about children's interests and stages of development.

Parents comment positively about the pre-school.Children follow familiar routines, such as tidying up, sitting in circle time and coming inside for lunch. However, transitions are sometimes confusing for children as staff are not clear with their instructions.

Children show emerging independence. They manage their personal hygiene, such as going to the toilet and washing their hands. Staff support children to make their own breakfast and serve themselves lunch from a sharing platter.

Leaders and staff promote children's good health. They provide nutritionally balanced meals and access to water. Staff use the outside area well to help promote children's physical skills.

Children ride bikes and climb large apparatus in the garden, helping them practise balance and coordination. Leaders use a range of methods to support parents in providing healthy and balanced meals for their children at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date keep and maintain accurate records for all safeguarding matters 30/11/2025 ensure learning experiences and/or activities take into consideration children's learning needs and their next steps.30/11/2025 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the organisation of routines, particularly during transitions, to ensure that all children have a clear understanding of what is expected of them strengthen the methods used to monitor staff practice with an aim to provide staff with the targeted support they require and to improve their teaching practice further.

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