Tiny Tots Nursery

Tiny Tots Nursery 47 Braeside Road, London, SW16 5BG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/10/2013 20/08/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider shows a lack of understanding of their responsibilities, as they are in breach of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The provider fails to deploy staff to ensure that children are adequately supervised at all times. Insufficient action is taken to maintain a safe environment for children. This means children are not kept safe.  The key person system is ineffective for some children and does not support every child's emotional well-being. As a result, their individual needs are not being appropriately met when they first start at the nursery.  Hygiene procedures are not always effective in all rooms; this does not support all children's good health.  Staff's understanding of how children learn is not consistent among the staff team and opportunities for children to develop their early writing skills are not fully explored. This

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This provision is inadequate

affects the progress children make in their learning and development.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff have a suitable knowledge of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they have concerns about a child's well-being.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interaction.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with available staff and held discussions with the management team.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, including a representative sample of children's records, staff supervision and suitability records.  The inspector sought the views of parents.

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Information about the setting

Tiny Tots Nursery opened in 1996 and the present owner took over in 2003. It operates from four rooms in a house in Streatham Vale, London. The nursery serves children from the local area. It is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 27 children on roll and children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs six members of staff plus the manager, all of them hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 ensure that staff are adequately deployed in order to provide effective supervision while children are sleeping

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must:

 ensure that staff understand their responsibility towards keeping children safe by carrying out thorough risk assessments on a daily basis; this specifically relates to ensuring that all equipment is clean and that all hazardous items are stored out of children's reach

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must:

 improve the key person system to help children feel secure and settled when they first start, by gathering relevant information from parents and using this to build meaningful relationships with children.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 strengthen staff knowledge and understanding of how children learn so that children are always engaged and stimulated and do not disrupt the enjoyment of learning for older children

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 extend opportunities for children to develop their early writing skills during role play and other activities, for example, by making available a wider range of interesting writing materials.

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who attend

Staff provide children with opportunities to explore a suitable range of learning experiences, which help them to make sound progress across all seven areas of learning. Overall, they are actively engaged throughout their nursery day and enjoy guiding their own learning. As a result, all children are acquiring adequate skills and appropriate attitudes to prepare them for their next stage of learning, such as moving onto school. Staff generally support children's learning in a purposeful manner. They mostly capture their interests and provide variety to children's learning experience; however, this is not consistent across the staff team. For example, when toddlers and pre-school children join together for whole group story time, younger children become bored and therefore disrupt the enjoyment and learning of the pre-school children. This is because they want to explore the resources on offer and staff pitch the story at the ability level of older children.

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who attend

Staff do not adapt the activity and subsequently spend their time trying to control the behaviour of the children. This means active exploration and children's natural curiosity is not consistently promoted within the nursery. Nevertheless, all children develop an interest in books and stories and choose to sit together to browse through books with their friends at times during the day. Also, staff sit at the children's level to share a favourite story book, and use varying tones of voice to help bring the story to life. Children's communication and language skills are mostly supported well by staff as they move around the playrooms joining in with children's play. Staff talk to children clearly about their learning and use short narratives about what they are doing to spark conversations. Staff working with the very young children sing to them, echoing their attempts at speech and engaging with facial expressions. Staff provide children who are

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who attend

learning English as an additional language with some opportunities to use their home language and to develop their skills in English. Staff learn some words and phrases in the children's home language to aid communication but often rely on bi-lingual members of staff elsewhere in the nursery to help meet children's individual needs. Staff also make available symbols and pictures to aid communication of all children.

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who attend

Staff regularly observe children playing and use their observations to identify children's next steps in learning. Staff devise planning for each room, which is taken from key person's observations and enables them to tailor the activities to meet each child's individual needs with some success. Children's progress is recorded in their 'learning journeys', which are shared with parents through formal parent meetings. Parents comment that they receive good support from the staff with things like toilet training and they are pleased with the progress children make. Staff carry out assessments, such as the progress check for children aged two years, so that any need for additional support for a child is identified and acted upon promptly. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make sound progress at the nursery as staff liaise with parents and other professionals to ensure the children are properly supported in their development.

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who attend

Babies explore a variety of resources that encourage them to learn and investigate through their senses. They show delight as attentive staff demonstrate how to press the buttons and turn handles in order to operate simple mechanical toys. Babies have crawling space and low-level storage which allow them to explore the toys and equipment easily. Some natural materials provide a contrast to the manufactured toys and primary colours which predominate. Staff encourage children's mathematical skills as they display numbers around the nursery and use number rhymes and songs. They teach children to count for a purpose, adding meaning to their learning. Children respond well and take pride in their achievement, for instance, when correctly counting how many girls are in the room. Staff use physical and sensory activities such as manipulating play dough and swirling their fingers in 'gloop' to enable children to develop their hand control. The environment is rich

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who attend

in print, with labels on toy boxes, so that the children begin to recognise print. However, there are very few interesting writing materials readily available for children to use to practise their emergent writing skills. Children play outside on a daily basis and the outdoor area promotes children's developing physical skills and confidence. Children choose from a range of physical play equipment as they learn to confidently climb on the frame, use the slide and ride toy vehicles.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Young children's safety is compromised. During staff lunch time breaks, sleeping infants are left on their own upstairs without any adult present in the room. They sleep on bed mats placed on the floor and most of these children are mobile, so they can walk or crawl around the room if they wake up. No other members of staff are on duty on the same floor during this time, other than the cook in the kitchen, who is behind a closed door. The only means for staff to monitor the well-being of these children is a baby monitor placed with staff working with pre-school children downstairs. There is no system in place for staff to regularly check on the safety of these children, other than an unsystematic method, whereby staff off duty during their lunch break, may peer through the baby room window to see if they are still asleep. However, no member of staff goes in the room and these visual observations are not recorded. This means young children can be left without

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

a check for over an hour. Furthermore, on the day of inspection, staff had not carried out a risk assessment to identify and remove the possible risks to children if they wake up during this period. A pile of plastic aprons staff use when they change nappies where found on the floor in reach of unsupervised children and these pose a risk of suffocation.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are allocated a key person when they first start to attend, to help them to settle and feel secure. However, this does not always work well in practice because often children's individual care needs are being met by other staff. This hinders them in developing an attachment with their key person and does not support children's emotional well-being successfully. Furthermore, the key person does not always seek to establish a good relationship with parents in order to gather as much information as possible about children's likes, interests and close family members. This means children, who are relatively new to the nursery, do not always settle easily.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The snacks and meals provided to children are varied and promote their health. They are encouraged to try and feed themselves from an early age, older children pour their own drinks and serve their own food and promoting their independence Staff sit with children, which helps to make mealtimes a sociable occasion where children learn table behaviour and good manners. Children who have allergies and food intolerances are catered for by the cook, and staff in the rooms know which foods are suitable for individual children. Children are developing their understanding of personal hygiene routines as they wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. While general cleaning of the rooms and sterilising of toys and equipment is part of routines, some areas have been neglected and pose a health risk to children as dirt and grime is allowed to collect. For example, a nappy change unit shared by several children is wiped down after each use but not

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

cleaned sufficiently well so that it removes all dirt and debris.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff give older children clear explanations about the rules of the setting during discussions at circle time. For example, to use 'walking feet' inside, to share resources and to use sand timers, which helps older children to learn about waiting for their turn. Staff make sound links with the schools children will attend in the local area. Staff support children appropriately with their move to school. For example, children are taken for visits and teaching staff are invited into the setting to meet with children.

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provision

The inspection took place as the result of concerns regarding the supervision of sleeping children. The inspection found the provider is in breach of a number of welfare requirements which have a significant impact on the safety and well-being of children. Namely, not recognising or identifying the risks involved in leaving sleeping infants, with no adult supervision, for a considerable amount of time. Staff are not deployed appropriately to ensure children are adequately supervised through the day. Staff report that they have raised their concerns with the provider about the lack of supervision during children's sleep time; however no changes have been made. Furthermore, management have failed to ensure staff carry out thorough daily risk assessments in order to identify and reduce potential hazards to children. In other respects, staff have a sound understanding of child protection procedures and attend training to update their

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provision

knowledge. They know their responsibilities to report any concerns about a child or a colleague. There are good vetting and recruitment procedures to help ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. New staff say they feel well supported by management and they undergo a thorough induction process. Staff have a suitable understanding of supporting children in the event of any minor accidents as they record accidents accordingly and most staff are first aid trained.

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provision

Staff appraisals are completed on a regular basis and staff practice is monitored and appropriate support and coaching is provided to develop the knowledge and skills of staff. Staff are encouraged to undertake training, so they gain appropriate early years qualifications to help develop practice within the nursery. The manager monitors the educational programme by having a system of sampling the planning and children's progress records in all rooms. This helps to highlight some areas for improvement but fails to identify all weaknesses in the provision for children's learning and development. The weaknesses in the key person system have also not been identified. The established staff team work cooperatively together to support each other. Regular team meetings or discussions take place to reflect on practice and plan future activities. The nursery has formed sound working relationships with parents. Adequate information about the setting

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provision

is provided to parents and the nursery's range of policies is freely available for parents to read. Parents have opportunities to share information with their child's key persons and other staff members each day. Partnership working with others, who share care of the children is sound, the manager communicates with the schools children move on to and shares information about each child's progress. The nursery works closely with parents and other agencies in situations where children need additional support.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY268480 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 937105 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 27 Name of provider Cooperhay Ltd Date of previous inspection 20/08/2013 Telephone number 020 8679 8954

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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