Little Rascals Day Nursery (Station Rd)

Little Rascals Day Nursery (Station Rd) Station Road, Wellgarth, CROSSGATES, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS15 7JY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/01/2014 02/10/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 3 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 are not adequately safeguarded in the setting because; the premises are not kept secure to prevent unauthorised people entering; registers of children's attendance are not adequately maintained; staff's knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding policies and procedures are not robust.  Staff do not effectively plan for children's individual needs, plan for the next steps in their learning or track their individual progress accurately. Consequently, children are not making sufficient progress from their starting points.  Staff do not have a sound knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop. As a result, the quality of teaching is weak.  Children are not always safeguarded from dangers in the setting because staff do not effectively risk assess the premises and take measures to minimise all risks.

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It has the following strengths

 Partnerships with parents are positive because staff communicate with them daily and understand the importance of sharing activities and events happening in the setting.  Children are adopting healthy lifestyles because staff ensure children access the outdoors daily and the cook provides nutritious meals.

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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 in the three main rooms and in the outdoor area.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the setting.  The inspector held discussions with the provider, manager, staff and three parents.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documents was inspected including observations, planning and tracking of children's progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability, training certificates, policies, procedures, registers, risk assessments and the setting's self-evaluation documents.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Little Rascals Day Nursery was opened in 1997 and is registered on the Early Years Register. It is situated in converted school premises in the Crossgates area of Leeds and is privately owned and managed. The setting serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The setting employs 22 members of childcare staff. Of these, 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including one with Early Years Professional Status and one with Qualified Teacher Status. The setting opens Monday to Friday all year round and sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 96 children attending who are in the early years age group. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs

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enforcement action:

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice with a completion date of 6 March 2014 requiring the provider to:

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enforcement action:

improve staff's knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding policies and procedures including how to identify signs and symptoms of possible abuse and neglect

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enforcement action:

ensure the premises are kept secure to prevent any unauthorised access

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enforcement action:

review risk assessments to ensure children are kept safe on the premises with specific regard to plants and equipment in the outdoor area

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enforcement action:

ensure an accurate daily record of all children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance is maintained.

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must:

 use next steps in children's learning to ensure planned activities match children's individual needs

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must:

 ensure assessment of children's learning is regularly reviewed to monitor their progress and effectively close any emerging gaps in their learning and development

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must:

 improve the quality of teaching by coaching and mentoring staff to have a clear understanding of how children learn and develop.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is weak in the setting. This is because staff have limited knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop and how to support individual children to make sufficient progress from their starting points. Staff obtain children's starting points on entry, regularly observe children and sometimes plan their next steps. However, next steps are not carried forward to ensure children's interests are built upon and their stage of development supported effectively. Planned activities do not take into account children's individual stages of development and therefore, not effectively matched to supporting their progress. Staff have devised a tracking system linked to the observations carried out on children. However, tracking is not effective and gaps in children's learning are not yet identified. For example, some children's personal, social and emotional development has not been observed or reviewed in the last ten months, while

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who attend

aspects of other children's communication and language development has not been reviewed since they started in the setting.

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who attend

Children are confident and are quick to welcome visitors in their rooms. They talk about the resources they play with and access these with ease. Some staff sit close to children and support their play. For example, children playing with wooden bricks are supported to make towers and count in sequence. Older children are beginning to learn phonics and staff are excited about supporting children's literacy. Children behave well and listen to simple instructions given by staff. These vital skills support children to prepare for their future transition to school.

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who attend

Staff liaise with parents daily about their child's day and what they have enjoyed taking part in. Information is displayed outside each room to detail the activities on offer and regular newsletters detail what is happening in the setting. In addition, parents attend regular parents evenings to discuss their child's time in the setting. Each child has a development file filled with photographs and observations. These files are accessible to parents and sent home as keepsakes of their child's journey through the setting. As a result, parents are involved in their child's learning and feel staff keep them up to date of what their child enjoys.

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

Children behave well because they are familiar with the rules and boundaries. They show positive levels of confidence and self-esteem. They confidently move around the setting and have created secure relationships with staff. However, they have a false sense of security because a large number of staff do not have a secure understanding of the safeguarding policies and procedures or how to identify possible signs of abuse. In addition, the outdoor area is not effectively risk assessed to ensure broken resources are discarded and fallen berries removed from children's reach. This means children's well- being is not effectively promoted.

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

Children have created secure attachments with staff because staff have developed a clear key person system. Children are settled into the setting gradually by visiting on several occasions before being left by their parents. Staff get to know children and their families and understand the importance of making good partnerships with parents in order to meet children's basic needs. All parents spoken to are clearly aware of who their child's key person is. This means any information about children's routines is shared between parents and the key person effectively.

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

Children have access to the outdoor area daily and enjoy playing with a range of equipment. They use their balancing skills as they climb on small apparatus and develop their physical skills as they ride on large toys. Some children enjoy junk modelling outdoors developing their creative skills in the fresh air. Further healthy practices are being adopted by children as they wash their hands prior to snack and mealtimes. The cook provides a wide range of healthy and nutritious meals and children display healthy appetites and a love for fresh fruit and vegetables. This supports children to embrace leading a healthy lifestyle.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward by Ofsted following concerns raised about safeguarding and health and safety. At inspection, staff demonstrated a weak understanding of the setting's safeguarding policy and procedures. For example, they were unable to discuss the course of action they would take if they were concerned about a child's welfare and many did not know how to identify the possible signs and symptoms of abuse. In addition, the premises are not kept secure and visitors are able to access the setting without being questioned. Furthermore, although staff to child ratios are maintained, registers are not accurately kept to record the number of children on the premises and their hours of attendance. This means children are not sufficiently safeguarded in the setting, especially in the event of an emergency. As a result of this inspection Ofsted are taking enforcement action and will monitor the progress the setting

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provision

makes in dealing with these significant weaknesses. All staff keep their mobile telephones in the staff room and understand that personal telephones and cameras are not allowed to be used near children, chemicals are kept locked away from children and contractors working on the premises are suitably supervised. The management update policies and procedures annually and all staff understand the smoking policy and the importance of keeping children free from smoke. All staff have been subject to a clear recruitment procedure and have all been vetted to ensure they are suitable to work with children.

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provision

The management team conduct regular appraisals with staff and set targets to improve their overall performance. However, the monitoring of teaching has not been embedded and therefore, improvement is not timely. The provider has Early Years Professional Status and a qualified teacher works within the setting, although having well-qualified staff has not yet brought about high quality teaching. The management team have started to work on the planning system and are aware of some of the weaknesses. However, they do not effectively monitor the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure children make good progress from their starting points.

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provision

Sound relationships have been created with other professionals and staff understand where to go to access support for individual children's needs. Other professionals, such as contractors are regularly brought into the setting to redecorate rooms and maintain the premises. These people are always supervised by staff to ensure children are kept safe. Parents are very complimentary of the setting and the staff. They appreciate the flexibility of the hours children can attend to fit with their families needs and working patterns. They comment staff are friendly and welcoming and are very happy with the care their children receive.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 319382 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 948675

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 96 Name of provider Kenneth and Angela Mountain Partnership Date of previous inspection 02/10/2013 Telephone number 0113 232 6757

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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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