ABC Day Nursery

ABC Day Nursery A B C Day Nursery, 143 Exeter Road, EXMOUTH, Devon, EX8 3DX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/03/2014 28/08/2013

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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 premises are not secure to prevent unauthorised persons gaining entry; staff do not ensure medication is stored appropriately to maintain children's safety; and risk assessment procedures are weak, which means staff do not take prompt action to minimise risks to children.  Supervision and staff deployment arrangements are poor, which means that at times, staff are unaware of where children are, or what they are doing. In addition, staff lack confidence and skills to ensure they manage children's behaviour appropriately and consistently.  Activities frequently fail to reflect children's individual needs, interests and stage of development and do not motivate them to become fully involved. This means the progress they make in their development is limited.  Staff do not use effective systems to monitor children's progress and development to identify their next steps or any gaps in their learning, to help plan and provide

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This provision is inadequate

appropriate support.  Systems for self-evaluation are weak; therefore, management fail to identify or address priorities for improvement.

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It has the following strengths

 Parents are encouraged to be involved in their children's learning, and attend workshops and activity sessions within the nursery.

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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 in the playrooms and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation and held meetings at appropriate times with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documents, and a sample of documentation relating to children's welfare.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability and qualifications of those working with children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

ABC Day Nursery is a privately owned nursery, which registered in 2001. The nursery operates from three areas on the ground floor of a large, converted house in Exmouth, Devon. Children use two outdoor play areas, one of which is specifically for the younger children. The nursery is open every weekday from 7.30am to 6pm throughout the year, except for bank holidays and at Christmas. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are currently 75 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery supports children who learn English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery employs 19 staff. The nursery manager holds a level 4 qualification in childcare and the deputy is qualified

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Information about the setting

to level 5. All but one of the remaining staff hold childcare qualifications to level 2 or 3.

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enforcement action:

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to:

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enforcement action:

- ensure staff are deployed effectively to meet the needs of the children and ensure their safety at all times - improve supervision arrangements to ensure children are always within sight or hearing - take steps to ensure the premises are secure so that unauthorised persons are unable to gain entry - improve risk assessment procedures to help staff identify and minimise all risks to children, with particular regard to the garden and the storage of medication.

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must:

 ensure staff use appropriate and consistent strategies when dealing with behaviour management issues

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must:

 improve planning and assessment arrangements to make sure that children's individual needs, interests and stage of development are fully considered when planning activities, to ensure they are all provided with a challenging and enjoyable experience in all areas of their learning and development

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must:

 implement effective assessment systems which enable staff to monitor children's progress and identify any gaps in their learning, so that appropriate support can be provided

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must:

 foster a culture of continuous improvement, for example, by introducing a programme of self-evaluation, which enables effective monitoring of all aspects of the provision for children, includes the views of all staff, parents and children, and identifies key weaknesses and the effects of these on children's care, learning and development.

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who attend

Staff do not support children's learning and development well enough. When they interact with the children as they play, there is little focus or direction in their interactions to ensure they are supporting children's specific learning needs. Weak systems for assessment mean that the majority of staff do not have a clear understanding of children's individual stage of development or children's next steps. This means that activities are often inappropriate to the children's age or stage of development, resulting in children lacking interest and failing to benefit from what is on offer. For example, a card making activity for the youngest children includes the use of small tools and resources, which children struggle to use. This is not appropriate for their stage of development and does not enable them to be fully involved in the activity and build on their skills. Staff complete some observations that they include in children's 'celebration' development books.

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who attend

However, these observations are often limited to identifying what children have done, and fail to help staff pinpoint children's stages of development or their next steps. This means staff are not able to identify any gaps in children's learning or support children in making progress as they play. Staff plan some activities and provide accessible resources, which means that overall children have experiences in all areas of learning. Staff complete the progress check for two-year-old children and share this with their parents.

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who attend

Staff are sometimes involved in children's play and offer basic support to develop their communication and language skills. They sit and chat with children as they use the tubes and marble game, encouraging them to think about how they can make their system work. However, they do not make sure all those children who want to participate are able to. After a while, children lose interest and wander off, missing out on these opportunities to learn. Children are able to play outdoors. They independently mix the water and soil in the 'mud kitchen', considering number and quantity as they do so. They play team games, which encourage them to listen, count and follow rules. Younger children enjoy the attention of their key person, who chats to them as they play. However, there are limited resources available to support the younger children's physical development, such as standing, crawling and walking. This is because staff do not consider their individual needs

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who attend

when setting the room up. Staff identify that some children are interested in letter shapes and sounds. However, they do not provide mark making tools and resources in areas such as role play, to extend this interest and build on children's skills through their play. Overall, children are happy and generally move around the play areas confidently. However, their independence is not always fully encouraged. At snack time in the pre- school room, staff sit and chop up apple rather than encouraging children to have a go themselves. This does not support them in developing confidence, physical skills and independence, which are skills they will need in the next stage of their learning, such as going to school.

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who attend

Parents are encouraged to share information about their children's interests and needs when children first join the nursery. This helps staff to understand some of the children's interests so they can provide for these. Parents enjoy regular opportunities to see children's 'celebration' folders, which helps to keep them informed. Parents are invited to attend social events, workshops and activity sessions, such as 'song and rhyme time'. This gives them ideas of the types of activities they can do at home to further support children's learning. Parents state they feel well informed about how their children are getting on, and are happy to discuss any concerns with the staff or manager.

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

Management and staff do not give sufficient consideration to safety in the nursery to keep children safe at all times. Although there are sufficient staff present, poor staff deployment means that they do not meet children's needs. For example, children playing with the lentils in the tray do not receive interaction from staff to support their language development or understanding. This is because several staff are involved in daily routines, rather than focusing on supporting children's play and learning. Children are frequently in areas of the nursery where staff are unable to supervise them, which compromises their safety. For example, in the hallway, a child finds some medication without the knowledge of the staff. Only when the child re-enters the playroom with the medication does a member of staff notice. Staff are unsure of where the medication has come from, or to whom it belongs. This demonstrates ineffective arrangements for safety, inappropriate

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

storage of medicinal products and inadequate supervision of children, all of which compromise children's welfare and well-being.

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

Furthermore, management and staff fail to consider the security of the premises, which compromises children's safety. Low-level gates in the garden, easily accessible bolts and unsecured external doors mean that unauthorised persons are able to gain entry to the premises without staff knowledge. Although basic risk assessments are completed, these are not sufficiently rigorous to ensure that management and staff take prompt action to identify and address safety issues. Management and staff are reactive in their approach to safety and do not take action to address safety issues highlighted through their risk assessments or incidents. For example, they have identified damage to the fence as a potential safety issue, and are waiting for a new fence to be fitted in the summer. However, they do not put any measures in place to minimise the risk to children in the meantime, to keep children safe. Their reasoning for this is that a child has not been hurt

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

Overall, children settle due to having a familiar key person who is aware of their basic routines. There are some photographs of children displayed on the walls of the nursery, which helps them develop a sense of belonging. Children fail to learn appropriate boundaries and expectations concerning their behaviour. This is because staff lack confidence in managing children's sometimes challenging behaviour, and are often inconsistent in their approach. On occasions, staff deliberately ignore children when they are unkind to others, as they are unsure of how to react to this behaviour. This means that children are not learning what is acceptable, which limits their ability to form good relationships with others. Children have access to an adequate range of toys and resources. Some resources in the nursery encourage children to develop a respectful awareness of diversity. Staff are building a collection of dual language books to value and

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

reflect the backgrounds of children attending.

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

Children are learning about how to keep healthy. They benefit from healthy snacks and home-cooked meals during the day and have access to drinking water at all times. They participate in positive hygiene routines, learning how this will help to stop germs from spreading. Children sometimes take part in practising the evacuation procedures, gaining an awareness of how they can keep themselves safe in the event of an emergency. Staff do not support children well enough to help them develop skills they need for their future learning. This means they are not sufficiently prepared for future transitions, for example, their move to school.

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provision

This inspection was prompted due to concerns raised about a number of issues relating to safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. These issues particularly related to safeguarding practice, children's safety and the security of the premises, children's medicines, risk assessments, behaviour management, staff deployment and supervision of children. The inspection found that the provider is failing to meet some of the requirements set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Poor safety arrangements compromise children's safety. The premises are not secure, meaning that unauthorised visitors are able to access the premises unchallenged and unnoticed. Risk assessments are not effective to help identify and address safety issues, and poor staff deployment means that children are not sufficiently supported and supervised at all times. Although staff have a suitable awareness of child protection

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provision

procedures to help safeguard children, their safety procedures are not effective, particularly in relation to the storage of medication. Staff do not manage children's behaviour appropriately or consistently, to help children learn right from wrong. As a result of the inspection findings, the provider is in breach of several of the legal requirements set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, and fails to meet the associated requirements of the Childcare Register. Ofsted intends taking enforcement action.

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provision

Staff attend safeguarding training, and the nursery safeguarding policy forms part of their induction. This helps them to recognise their individual roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. Staff recruitment and vetting procedures are adequate. Documentation is available to evidence checks on staff suitability. The staff induction programme includes reviewing the setting's policies and procedures. Staff participate in staff meetings, and attend workshops and training courses to develop their skills. However, staff do not receive the guidance and support from management to help ensure they meet the children's needs appropriately, such as when managing their behaviour.

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provision

Staff do not support children's learning and development well due to weak planning and assessment systems. They do not monitor children's progress appropriately to identify any gaps in children's learning or their next steps. This means that children are not making good enough progress. Management do not use appropriate methods to monitor the effectiveness of their staff and the setting overall. Self-evaluation is weak and has little impact on the provision for children as it fails to identify and address all areas for improvement. Senior managers do not monitor the provision or staff performance well enough to make sure they support the children's needs and meet legal requirements. When they do identify weaknesses through evaluations, such as the risk assessments, they fail to take prompt action to bring about positive improvements.

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provision

The nursery forges appropriate links with parents and other professionals working with the children. This encourages regular information sharing to offer children consistency in their care routines. Parents receive information about the nursery and policies, providing them with an understanding of procedures staff follow when caring for their children. Newsletters and notice boards help to keep parents informed about events, changes and the activities children take part in.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure the premises are secure and that children are unable to leave the premises unsupervised (Voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that no one can enter the premises without the knowledge of a person who is caring for children (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  endertake a risk assessment to help ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (Voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  make sure children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure the premises are secure and that children are unable to leave the premises unsupervised (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that no one can enter the premises without the knowledge of a person who is caring for children (Voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment to help ensure that all necessary measures are taken

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

to minimise any identified risks (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  make sure children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (Voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 EY353064 Local authority Devon Inspection number 965603

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 56 Number of children on roll 75 Name of provider SPL Education Ltd Date of previous inspection 28/08/2013 Telephone number 01395 222 808

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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

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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