Newtown Buttercups Ltd

Newtown Buttercups 318 Summer Lane, BIRMINGHAM, B19 3RH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/04/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 and manager do not have enough experience and knowledge to ensure that the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. Consequently, children's welfare and progress are compromised.  Children are at risk of harm because the nursery is unsafe. Staff lack vigilance with regards to safety and the provider fails to ensure the suitability of all adults working on the premises. Also, the nursery's written policies and procedures include inaccurate information and all required documentation is not available for inspection.  Self-evaluation is not robust enough to monitor and review all aspects of the provision and successfully target areas for improvement.  Children's learning and well-being potential are impeded. This is because staff do not regularly observe and assess children's progress or obtain enough information from parents about what they know about their children's likes, needs and interests.

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This provision is inadequate

 A wide range of suitably challenging and stimulating resources and experiences are not readily available to children to support their independence, play, learning and enjoyment.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are settled and at ease in the nursery environment because staff are kind and caring towards them.

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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 inspectors had a tour of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors spoke with the provider, manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspectors interacted with children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed activities throughout the nursery in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors looked at a selection of documentation including children's records, learning and development information, staff records and some policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 An inspector checked the evidence available in respect of the suitability of all adults working on the premises.  The inspectors asked the manager and provider about self-evaluation methods.  The inspectors sought the views of parents during the inspection.  An inspector participated in a joint observation with the provider.

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Information about the setting

Newtown Buttercups was registered in 2013 and is run by Newtown Buttercups Limited. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from the ground floor of a business premises in Newtown Birmingham. The nursery serves the local area. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm, term-time only. There are currently 30 children on roll in the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery supports children for whom English is an additional language. The nursery employs 12 members of staff who work directly with the children. Of these, two members of staff have early years qualifications at level 3 and three members of staff have a qualification at level 2. The manager has a foundation degree in Early Years. The nursery employs two receptionists

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Information about the setting

and receives support from the local authority.

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enforcement action:

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

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enforcement action:

ensure that all staff and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children are suitable to do so by ensuring recruitment practices are robust

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enforcement action:

ensure that staff who have not had suitability checks are not left unsupervised with the children being cared for

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enforcement action:

ensure that the premises, indoors and outside are fit for purpose; this specifically refers to ensuring that spaces, furniture, equipment and toys are safe for children to use, the premises are secure and children are unable to access hazardous items or unsafe areas

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enforcement action:

ensure that there are clear and well-understood policies and procedures for assessing and minimising risks to children's safety; in particular ensure thorough risk assessments are conducted and action is promptly and effectively undertaken to minimise risks

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enforcement action:

ensure all staff have appropriate training, skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles and responsibilities; this specifically refers to making sure that there are effective supervision and monitoring arrangements to accurately assess and identify the training and development needs of all staff, and ensure effective support and guidance is provided where necessary.

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must:

 ensure the safe and efficient management of the setting; this specifically refers to ensuring the nursery's written policies and procedures reflect the practice and procedures of the nursery, include the correct contact details for Ofsted and that all necessary information and records are available for inspection

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must:

 improve the planning of challenging and enjoyable learning experiences for each child in all of the areas of learning and development by taking into account the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child, so that they make good progress

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must:

 ensure there is a sharp focus on accurately assessing children's learning and their progress is monitored effectively, including assessment on entry and ongoing assessment

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must:

 improve children's independence and the quality of teaching across the areas of learning by; making sure that children have easy access to a wide range of stimulating resources, which are relevant to their needs and interests, and effectively support their play.

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who attend

The management and the staff of the nursery have a poor understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They fail to implement the learning and development requirements adequately, which affects children's learning and development. In addition, observations and assessments are not used purposefully to show how children are progressing and to identify their next steps in learning. Staff do not obtain enough information from parents or observe children sufficiently to gather information about children's starting points, needs and interests. Staff have started to create individual progress records for each of the children. Some of these records contain examples of children's work and a few notes about what staff have seen or heard during children's play. However, the majority are empty or contain very little useful information. Consequently, staff are unable to plan children's experiences appropriately or accurately

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who attend

assess any areas where additional support or challenge is needed.

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who attend

Children generally enjoy the experiences available to them and gain some of the skills they will need for future life and the move to school. However, at times, activities are too adult- directed and children do not have enough opportunities to explore and experiment independently. For example, during a planned painting activity, children are given a small piece of paper and a brush. Staff squeeze out small amounts of different coloured paint into sections of a paint palette and direct children to use one colour at a time. Children are not given choices about the paint colours or the materials they would like to use and this stifles their creativity and independence. As a result, children do not have the opportunity to learn about what happens when the colours are mixed or to experiment with a variety of different media and materials. Although some staff work and communicate satisfactorily with the children, the quality of teaching is not consistent or sufficient to meet the needs

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who attend

of all the children attending. Resources and the environment are not used to best effect and staff do not always recognise or sufficiently use the learning opportunities that arise during children's play. For example, children playing outdoors are discouraged from playing with sand in a tray on the floor. A member of staff notices several children investigating the contents of the tray and says, 'Come away, not today, maybe tomorrow'. When asked by the inspector why this is the case, the member of staff explains that this is because water and seeds from a nearby tree have fallen into the tray. The member of staff fails to recognise that this situation could be used to encourage children to explore the texture of the sand and to think about where the water and seeds may have come from. Overall, resources available to children outdoors are very limited and do not sufficiently promote their all-round learning and development. For instance, children have

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who attend

access to some wheeled toys and a small slide and develop some physical skills. However, this equipment is inappropriate for the older children and does not offer enough challenge. There are many resources within the nursery but they are not utilised effectively to enhance children's experiences or to help them develop and progress. All the children attending the nursery, speak English as an additional language and staff suitably support their language and communication skills. The full range of children's home languages are represented in those either spoken or understood by various members of the staff team. Consequently, there are staff members available who can communicate with children and their families and help other staff understand parental wishes and children's communications. Furthermore, staff use body language, gestures and facial expressions to enhance and support communication and understanding. In

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who attend

some respects, parental involvement in children's learning is encouraged by the nursery. Staff talk to parents about activities that their children have enjoyed at nursery and suggest some that they and their children can undertake together at home. Furthermore, some parents attended an end of term party and staff used this event to promote and model some learning activities. For example, staff encouraged parents and their children to plant salad seeds together and to create an Easter collage. However, some staff do not demonstrate a good enough knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop and this restricts their ability to model and share best practice.

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

Children show by their words and actions that they feel adequately safe and secure. They go to staff members for comfort, reassurance and support and show a developing sense of belonging. However, they are not safe and their welfare is not protected. This is because staff are not vigilant enough with regards to the safety of the environment and children are not always cared for by adults who are suitably vetted. Furthermore, children do not learn to manage risk because the nursery environment is not safe and staff do not always provide them with enough challenge in their play. Children generally behave well and display manners. Staff talk to children about what is acceptable behaviour and ask them not to climb on furniture and to be caring and share resources. However, they do not always check that children do as they ask. Also, staff fail to notice that, on occasions, children are not purposefully engaged in activities; they either run around aimlessly or sit

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

gazing into space. This is because activities and resources are not appropriately matched to their needs, interest and abilities. Consequently, children's well-being and safety are not sufficiently promoted.

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

Some attention is afforded by staff to children's health. For example, hygienic procedures are followed, in relation to nappy changing and toileting, older children know that they need to wash their hands before eating food. Parents provide food for mealtimes and snacks provided by the nursery, include plenty of fresh fruit. Drinks are readily available and these prevent children from becoming dehydrated. Furthermore, children of all ages benefit from daily outdoor play and through this they gain fresh air and some opportunities to learn about nature and the effects of exercise on their bodies.

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

Staff are warm and approachable and the nursery key person system provides some support for children's emotional well-being. For example, children are assigned to key persons according to their age groups and the key person talks to their parents about home routines and any individual requirements. All 'new' children are offered a gradual settling-in period to help them to get used to the nursery environment and routines. Furthermore, home visits are offered, so staff, parents and children can get to know each other outside the nursery environment. Consequently, some information is exchanged to help new children settle into the nursery and to support their ongoing needs.

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provision

The provider and staff team have a poor understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and they are ineffective in fulfilling their duties. A number of legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register are not met. Consequently, children's safety and well-being are compromised and the provider and staff team fail to provide an effective educational programme that helps all children progress. Furthermore, the provider has failed to notify Ofsted of changes to the registered person, within the required timescales. This is a breach of legal requirements within the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register.

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provision

Children are inadequately safeguarded. This is because the provider does not have effective arrangements in place to ensure that all people looking after children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their roles. Rigorous checks are not made, in relation to the suitability of all staff and children are left unsupervised in the care of adults who have not been suitably vetted. Documentation to confirm the suitability of all staff and provide evidence of such, for inspection, is not readily available. The manager and provider have attended safeguarding training and their knowledge of this has been cascaded to staff via a recent staff meeting. As a result, staff have a suitable understanding of child protection procedures and their responsibilities in this respect. However, risk assessment procedures are ineffective and do not protect children's safety. For example, staff fail to spot and remove an animal bone and dirty tissues in an outside area easily accessible to children.

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provision

Doors to store cupboards and rooms containing hazardous items are not secured and gates leading to unsafe areas outside can be easily opened. Consequently, there is potential for children to access these areas unsupervised. This lack of vigilance, safety precautions and safety awareness places children at serious risk of harm or injury.

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provision

Self-evaluation is not sufficiently rigorous. The provider does not have a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery. Management are not sufficiently monitoring the quality of children's progress records, the learning environment and the experiences planned and provided for children. Also, priorities for improvement are not successfully identified and little is done to gather and utilise the views of parents. The provider and manager are keen to deliver a good service but lack the knowledge and experience to do so. They have received considerable support from the local authority and are working to address issues outlined in an action plan they have drawn up together. For example, the manager explains how she and the provider have created some paperwork to record information gained from parents and staff observations. However, this paperwork is still to be used. This means limited information is available to ensure that children's needs are

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provision

suitably known and met. Staff supervision has only recently been introduced and is not yet effective in identifying and addressing staff training and development needs. The provider does not have documentary evidence to show that qualification and training requirements are met and acknowledges that staff have not had any training in respect of managing children's behaviour. This illustrates the provider's lack of understanding of requirements and inability to meet the needs of children.

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provision

Friendly relationships exist between staff and parents. Staff provide daily verbal feedback about children's routines and experiences, including their diet and behaviour. The nursery does not currently care for any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who also attend other early years provision. However, the manager demonstrates a general awareness of local support mechanisms and understands the importance of liaising with other professionals to ensure there is continuity in children's learning and care at all times.

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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 that the registered person, the manager of the later years provision and any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children has the skills and experience suitable for work (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the suitability of any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children; this specifically refers to ensuring robust recruitment and employment practices are followed (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks; this specifically refers to conducting thorough risk assessments and taking appropriate action to appropriately identify and promptly minimise risks to children's safety (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  make information available to parents about Ofsted's address; this specifically refers to ensuring that Ofsted address details shared with parents are correct

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

(compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that the registered person, the manager of the later years provision and any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children has the skills and experience suitable for work (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the suitability of any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children; this specifically refers to ensuring robust recruitment and employment practices are followed (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks; this specifically refers to conducting thorough risk assessments and taking appropriate action to appropriately identify and promptly minimise risks to children's safety (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  make information available to parents about Ofsted's address; this specifically refers to ensuring that Ofsted address details shared with parents are correct

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

(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 EY466301 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 940139 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 53 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider NEWTOWN BUTTERCUPS LTD Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07985249646

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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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