Tenderlinks Day Nursery

Tenderlinks Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Tenderlinks Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number EY313089 Inspection date 07 September 2006 Inspector Cheryl Walker

p.1

Tenderlinks Day Nursery

Setting Address 38 Mitcham Lane, London, SW16 6NP

p.1

E-mail

Registered person Lampard Investments Ltd Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Full day care

p.1

E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.1

ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

p.2

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are inadequate - enforcement action. The registered person does not meet the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Tenderlinks Day Nursery registered in 2005. It operates from a building in Streatham within the borough of Lambeth. A maximum of 38 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The setting is open each weekday from 08:00 to 18:00 all year round. Children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 30 children aged from three months to under five years on roll. Children come from the local community. The nursery supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and also supports a number of children who speak

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 English as an additional language. The nursery employs seven staff. Including the manager, four of the staff hold an appropriate early years qualification. The setting receives support from the local authority.

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is inadequate. Staff do not observe good hygiene practices. Although a clear nappy changing policy is in place and is displayed in the children's bathrooms, not all of the staff follow this. For example, not all staff consistently wear disposable gloves when changing nappies. Soiled nappies are left in open bags on top of the changing mat and nappy bins are not changed regularly enough. Changing equipment in the bathroom is in poor condition, making it difficult to keep clean and hygienic. The kitchen cupboards are grubby around the handles and there is no soap available for hand washing in the kitchen. This leaves children open to risks of cross infection. Although daily routines are in place, children learn limited skills that help them to look after their own personal hygiene. Children wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet. However, staff administer children's soap, which does not enable

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

them to become independent. Inappropriate hand drying equipment such as toilet paper, is used by staff to dry children's hands in one of the rooms. One shared hand-towel hangs in the children's bathroom, which children use to dry their hands, exposing them to risks of cross contamination. An insufficient supply of toilet paper in the bathroom hinders children's opportunities for attending to their personal needs and does not encourage good hygiene practice. Accident records are appropriately maintained. Two members of staff are currently undergoing first aid training to enable them to deal effectively with children's accidents. However, the first aid boxes are not checked regularly to ensure the contents are in date. A medication book is in place, however, the records kept do not give an accurate account of medicine administration. Children's meals are cooked on the premises, however no menus were available at

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

the time of inspection. The meals offered to the children are well presented, but on the day of inspection, did not offer balance and variety. Young children that are being weaned are offered pureed fruit, which provides them with more of a balanced diet, however this is stored uncovered in the fridge, which could lead to cross contamination of foods. Children do not have opportunities to serve themselves to enable them to learn about quantity and portion size. Some children do not have regular access to drinks, even on very warm days and have to wait until they have finished their lunch before being offered a drink at mealtimes, which means that they may remain thirsty. Children's opportunities for fresh air and exercise vary according to their age. Older

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 children have regular times for outdoor play, where they can climb the slide or ride tricycles. Children under two years have far fewer chances to enjoy the outdoors, which does not promote their physical well being.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. The premise is appropriately maintained and rooms organised suitably to create space for children to play, however, the environment is not clean because some surfaces are dusty and some floors are dirty. Resources are stored at mainly low level, which makes them accessible to children, but some toys and equipment are in poor condition. For example, the slide in the under two's room has split. Although staff have taken action to tape the damaged area, the tape is coming loose and presents a hazard to the children. Staff do not fully ensure children's safety because risk assessments do not take place regularly. For example, the outdoor area was not thoroughly checked before children were able to play, resulting in children finding polystyrene beads on the floor and attempting to put these into their mouths. This presents a choking hazard to children. Written risk assessments are still not up to date. Children were able to pull

p.4

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

stacked mattresses down onto themselves because they had not been stored in a safe manner. Clear fire evacuation procedures are in place, but not all staff are aware of these and not all have practised a fire drill. These issues compromise children's safety. Staff show a satisfactory understanding of the setting's updated child protection procedures, enabling them to recognise and report any concerns they have concerning children's welfare.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is inadequate. Children are broadly content and settled within the setting, however, the inadequate ratio of staff to children has an significant impact on the amount of attention the children receive. For example, a young child was placed in a baby walker whilst staff attended to settling children, feeding and changing. He remained quiet and watchful in the baby walker for a significant period of time, without any interaction or eye contact from staff, and without any further toys being offered to him. This does not meet children's individual needs or promote their learning and development. Children enjoy looking at their reflection in the low level mirror and watching themselves jump up and down, but because staff are rushed, there is no opportunity for them to extend children's learning further. Resources for the younger age group are suitable for their age and stage of development, but the environment is not

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

stimulating to the children and activities are repetitive and uninteresting. For example, few changes are made to the toys and equipment available to the children throughout the day, resulting in limited choices and a lack of stimulation. This prevents children

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 from being able to reach their full potential. Some children are able to work cooperatively when they play with the sand, pouring sand through funnels into cups. Few attempts are made to extend children's interests and natural curiosity. For example, one child tries on a pair of shoes belonging to an adult that had entered the baby room. The child was asked to remove the shoes, but was not guided towards the dressing up area to continue this type of play and satisfy her curiosity. Children have few opportunities to gain independence skills. They have little involvement in setting the tables for lunch, or in serving themselves or their peers, because staff do this for them. Minimal use of planning and observation of children's achievements means that staff are unable to plan for children's next steps in their play, learning and development.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Some planning takes place which links to the Birth to three matters framework, but the plans are not reflected in the activities and play opportunities offered to the children.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is inadequate. Children's individual needs are not adequately met because staff do not plan activities and observe children to enable them to make progress in their development. Children learn about difference through some topic work, for example, pictures of flags from around the world are displayed around the nursery, but a limited range of toys and equipment that reflect all sections of society prevent children from seeing positive images of themselves in their play resources. Currently, there are no children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities attending. Some staff have attended training in this area and demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of the issues involved. Children generally behave well and are aware of the boundaries in place. Some staff offer explanation to children when dealing with unwanted behaviour, which enable children to think about the reasons why their behaviour is being discouraged.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents receive limited up to date information via the parent's notice board. For instance, the notice informing them of which staff are first aid trained is out of date and there are no menus available for parents to view. Staff do not ensure that all complaints are recorded, nor are parents provided with sufficient information about the complaints procedure. This breaches regulations and does not meet the requirements of the National Standards. Staff in the under two's room complete daily sheets that inform parents of their child's feeding, sleep and nappy changes. Staff caring for the older children tend to give verbal feedback on a daily basis.

p.5

Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. The systems for recruitment do not allow for the provider to see references for new

p.5

Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 staff, as these are taken up by an agency. Although staff that have not yet provided proof of clear checks are not left unsupervised with the children, the provider has not taken steps to initiate new checks to ensure continued suitability. There continue to be significant weaknesses in the way the setting is managed. Despite there being continued failures with regard to maintaining staffing ratios, the setting have increased the number of children on roll since the last inspection. Suitable arrangements are not in place to ensure sufficient staffing when staff attend training courses. This results in staff being inappropriately deployed and children receiving insufficient positive attention and supervision. Little has been done to ensure staff's understanding of young children's development and promote positive

p.5

Organisation

outcomes for young children. This continues to hinder children's progress. Although the policies and procedures have been updated, staff are not secure in their knowledge of these documents, which results in failures in following guidelines and maintaining records. The registration system is poorly recorded and does not clearly show staff, children and visitor's times of attendance. As a result, in the event of an emergency evacuation of the building, staff may not be able to ensure every child is accounted for and protected. Overall, the setting does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

p.6

Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, the care was judged as inadequate. The provider was asked to make improvements to the activities available to the children, the number of staff qualified to administer first aid, to improve staff understanding of child protection and to review their policies and procedures. They were also asked to implement systems to ensure that staff ratios are maintained and to ensure that staff that have not been appropriately vetted are not left unsupervised with children. The setting has updated their policies and procedures to ensure they are relevant to the nursery. The child protection policy has been updated. The staff team have read the policy and have met together to discuss procedures in the event that they have concerns. They show a greater understanding of the issues involved. This helps towards protecting children's welfare. On the first day of the inspection, there were still no staff qualified to administer first

p.6

Improvements since the last inspection

aid. However, two members of staff were attending a first aid course during the second day of inspection. This ensures staff are able to deal with any children's accidents appropriately. The quality and range of activities available to the children remains poor and the setting continues to exceed staffing ratios, which means that children are not well supervised. The provider has still not had sight of one staff member's criminal records bureau check. Although the setting now ensures that unvetted staff are not left unsupervised, new checks have not been initiated. This does not fully protect children. These issues continue to be of concern and have been raised for action at

p.6

Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 this inspection.

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are inadequate - enforcement action. The registered person does not meet the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.7

The quality and standards of the care

Ofsted is taking enforcement action to safeguard the welfare of children.

p.7

The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.7

The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.7