Dawn To Dusk Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 12 Aug 2013

Dawn To Dusk Day Nursery Swanley School, St. Marys Road, Swanley, Kent, BR8 7TE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/08/2013 12/11/2012

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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

 Children's safety and well-being are compromised because management fail to ensure that staff understand and implement the nursery procedures for health and safety.  Indoor and outdoor areas are not kept clean, putting children's health at risk.  Too few staff members have current first aid qualifications to support children's health and welfare adequately.  The monitoring of children's learning does not ensure that all children's needs are met, particularly those learning English as an additional language.  Children's physical well-being is further compromised because they are not offered drinks regularly enough and the food menu is not well-considered.  Engagement with parents is poor. The management do not respond proactively to concerns parents raise.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff offer cuddles and warm care to babies to help build positive relationships.  Key staff know older children well and use this knowledge to help plan some aspects of children's individual learning.

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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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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities involving children and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector interviewed the area manager and looked at documentation relating to safety.  The inspector looked at children's assessments.  The inspector spoke to several parents to find out their views.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the area manager.

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Information about the setting

Dawn To Dusk Day Nursery opened in 1997. It is one of two settings in Kent owned by the same provider. The nursery operates from a purpose built single storey building in the grounds of Orchards Academy, which is part of the Kemnal Trust. The provision also offers an out of school club, opening before and after school hours. There are four main playrooms for pre-school children, toddlers and babies. There is an enclosed outside play area that leads to a large garden. The nursery opens five days a week for 50 weeks of the year. Nursery sessions are from 7am until 7pm. The provision also offers flexible care within these hours. The breakfast club opens from 7am to 9am and the after school club (Duskies) opens from 3.20pm to 7pm. There are currently 38 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children age three and four years. Staff support children who are learning

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Information about the setting

English as an additional language. There are 12 members of staff, which includes the household staff. The area manager has a degree in Early Years Childcare and has achieved Early Years Professional Status. One member of staff holds a level 4 qualification in childcare and four members of staff hold a level 3 qualification. Three members of staff hold a level 2 qualification in childcare and there are two apprentices. This provider is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting works in partnership with the local authority.

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enforcement action:

We will issue welfare requirements notice(s) to:

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enforcement action:

make sure the premises, including the outdoor area and equipment are clean and safe and hygienic for children to use

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enforcement action:

ensure that there is an effective health and safety policy and procedures and that you comply with requirements of health and safety legislation (including hygiene requirements)

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enforcement action:

implement a clear and well understood policy, and procedures for assessing any risks to children's safety. Ensure that daily checks and risk assessments are used to identify all aspects of the environment that need to be checked and how the risks will be removed or minimised.

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must:

 conduct monitoring of practice and provide training to ensure all practitioners have appropriate skills and knowledge and a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in order to foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement

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must:

 improve partnership working with parents, to involve them in their children's learning and actively respond to any parental concerns or ideas for improvement

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must:

 ensure that there is a sufficient number of staff qualified in first aid to enable a qualified member of staff to be present on the premises at all times and on outings

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must:

 make sure that fresh drinking water is available to children at all times

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must:

 provide opportunities for children whose home language is not English to use their language in play and learning.

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

 display the nappy changing procedure in all nappy changing areas to support good hygiene.

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

 develop further children's independence at mealtimes by providing appropriate cutlery and supporting older children to serve themselves  improve the quality of the menu to include a wider range of fresh and nutritious foods

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

 improve activity plans so that all staff are aware of what individual children are expected to learn from the activities.

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who attend

Children attending in the younger age range have opportunities for free play and to develop their own ideas. They enjoy making play dough, painting and drawing, as well as music and stories. Babies like to play with the bubbles and interactive toys that make sounds and respond to their actions. They have frequent cuddles with staff and enjoy close caring relationships and a clear routine for play and rest to help them feel secure. Staff do make some use of non-verbal sign language to communicate with children who are learning English. However, staff are not clear about the child's home language and therefore do not offer support for home languages in the nursery. Due to this, some children struggle to understand, communicate or interact positively with other children. This does not support the progress of all children attending.

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who attend

Children enjoy learning actively when playing in the garden. This supports their physical and social development. They balance on steps, help to paint tyres and water the plants. They enjoy games of tag and 'I spy', running and searching for colours and numbers. They help staff to water the plants and enjoy free drawing on the walls. This especially helps younger children enjoy early writing.

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who attend

Assessments used by key staff working with the older age range are based on observations and clearly identify children's capabilities in order to plan for their next steps. Staff show skill in teaching children writing and the sounds that letters make through stories and activities. As a result, many children make progress in their literacy and writing skills. However, plans for learning do not identify what individual children would gain from such experiences. This means that members of staff other than the room leaders do not have a focus to support children in their learning. This means that children are not always appropriately supported and challenged as they engage in activities.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents overall are weak. Staff talk with parents and some strategies to engage parents in their children's learning are implemented by the pre-school leader. She shares termly progress reports and 'My unique story' books to show parents what their child has achieved and share ideas from home. This serves to promote children's confidence and helps them to prepare for school. However parents report disappointment that they are not permitted to enter the playrooms, so do not have the opportunity to be actively involved in their children's learning.

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

The organisation of the cleaning routine, space and resources impacts on children's safety and well-being. Staff do not always follow their own policies for safety, which presents risks to children. Daily check lists for cleaning and safety are used to record issues and have the potential to reduce risks. However, these are not used effectively and this means that some areas of the premises are not cleaned properly and as a result, several hygiene hazards to children remain, indoors and outside. In addition, the procedure for the removal of broken toys and equipment is not followed and unsafe items stored in the garden have not been made inaccessible to children. During the inspection, children were seen playing on an unsafe garden swing that had been discarded. The frayed ropes of the swing present a risk of breaking and children falling. As a result of the weaknesses in the cleanliness of the premises and equipment and of the weaknesses in the safety of the

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

environment, children's well-being cannot be assured.

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

Nonetheless, meals provided for children are cooked and prepared in the nursery kitchen, which is clean and has a very good hygiene rating. Menus include a cooked main meal, yoghurt and fruit, along with some other foods, such as ravioli and pizza rolls. Parents express some concern about the use of processed foods. Most children enjoy free access to drinks of water although a toddler did ask repeatedly for a drink during the inspection, before she was given one. There was no water jug in the room at the time, in addition, a parent commented that her child comes home thirsty. This demonstrates children do not have access to fresh drinking water at all times, as required. Dietary requirements are recorded and observed when staff serve meals but older children are not encouraged to serve their own foods or pour their own drinks. Younger children struggle with the plastic forks they are given to feed themselves. This does not promote children's independence

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

sufficiently and parents comment that their child's clothes get dirty with food stains.

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

Risk assessments are not used well to identify hazards that could easily be removed. For example, there are roller blind cords hanging down in the group rooms. Older children climb on furniture up to this level, which presents a serious hazard and compromises children's safety. Minor accidents are recorded in accident books, but the information is not reviewed to decide how accidents could be prevented in future. This means that the health and safety representative and the nursery procedures fail to protect children.

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provision

Leadership and management is not effective because managers have not ensured that the premises, including the outdoor space are clean and safe for children's use. This compromises children's safety. The inspection took place because concerns were raised about the cleanliness of the nursery. The inspector found that the provider does not ensure the premises and equipment are clean and they fail to comply with health and safety legislation, including hygiene requirements. Evidence gathered at inspection found that the children's bathrooms smell strongly of urine and the outdoor area is dirty, especially the small houses and decking used for children's play. Staff fail to notice that outdoor sand trays have been left uncovered all weekend and allow children to play in these. In addition, the indoor water trays which are left over the weekend are unhygienic due to standing water. Furthermore, staff have identified that an area in the garden is

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provision

infested with biting insects, but have not made this area inaccessible to children. Therefore, children are at risk from insect bites when playing in the climbing frame area. As a result of the inspection findings, the provider is required to take further action. This is because they are breaching the legal requirements relating to the cleanliness and safety of the premises and equipment, as required by the Early Years Foundation Stage and the associated requirements of the Childcare Register. Ofsted will issue Welfare Requirement Notices in relation to these aspects to which the provider must adhere.

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provision

Furthermore, the provider is failing to meet further safeguarding and welfare requirements relating to safeguarding children, monitoring staff hygiene practices and self-evaluation. Although the nursery has worked with the local authority to complete a safeguarding paperwork audit, this has limited effect in practice. For example, they have failed to implement their own policy for health and safety when dealing with faulty equipment. The risk assessments do not identify all hazards, which means that hazards for children remain. The monitoring of staff practice is not robust and means that staff do not understand how to use the daily checks for safety or hygiene. Only three out of 12 staff hold current first aid certificates. This limits the amount of first aid trained staff available at the setting and on outings who have up-to-date knowledge to care for children's minor accidents. As a result there is not always a trained first aider on site or on outings. This

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provision

compromises children's health and safety. There are few opportunities for adults to develop professionally and few staff have had recent training in safeguarding. This means that management have not ensured that staff have appropriate knowledge and skills to keep children safe.

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provision

Self-evaluation is ineffective. Although identified weaknesses from past inspections had been improved at the time of the last inspection, these improvements have not been sustained and standards have since declined. This shows that the plans to improve outcomes for children lack ambition. Paperwork is chaotic because staff struggle on occasions to find the appropriate documentation needed for the efficient monitoring of the setting. Partnerships with other professionals are in place due to links with the local authority. However, some parents report a decline in standards recently. They also say that their concerns are not actively responded to, resulting in poor communication between management and parents. This means that partnerships with parents are not good enough to fully support children's care and learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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t)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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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 EY332938 Local authority Kent Inspection number 927807

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 78 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Dawn To Dusk Nursery Swanley Ltd Date of previous inspection 12/11/2012 Telephone number 01322 660330

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Type of provision

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

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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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