Fig Tree Day Nursery

Fig Tree Day Nursery 12 - 14 Mowbray Close, Frankley, Birmingham, B45 0ES

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/02/2014 20/09/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Self-evaluation is not robust enough to effectively monitor staff practice and nursery procedures, or to successfully target areas for improvement and meet children's needs.  Children are insufficiently safeguarded because procedures to ensure the suitability of staff are inadequate. Training and supervision arrangements are not good enough to ensure that staff are equipped to effectively carry out their roles and responsibilities.  Children's welfare, and their learning and development are compromised because communication between the nursery, parents and other professionals is not good enough. Also, some documentation required for the safe and efficient management of the nursery is not well maintained.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent and this impedes children's learning and enjoyment. Some resources are not presented or used effectively to promote children's learning in all areas and successfully foster their independence and freedom of choice.

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This provision is inadequate

 Children's health and enjoyment is compromised because they do not have access to daily outdoor play.

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It has the following strengths

 Parents interviewed during the inspection praise the friendliness of the staff team and describe how happy their children are to attend the nursery.  Children are provided with healthy and nutritious food choices at snack and meal times. Consequently, in this respect, children's good health is supported.

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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 compulsory part 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 had a tour of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the owners and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection and asked the manager about self-evaluation methods and took into account the views of parents interviewed during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children participate in a variety of activities within the nursery and interacted with children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of adults working with children and viewed a selection of written policies and staff training records.

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Information about the setting

Fig Tree Day Nursery was registered in 2011 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery is situated in purpose-built premises in Frankley, Birmingham. There is an enclosed outdoor area. The nursery serves the local area. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 6am to 7pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 40 children on roll who are within the early years age range. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff, 15 of whom have qualifications to at least level 3. One member of staff has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Studies. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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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 practitioners, and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children, are suitable; in particular, apply for a new suitability check as soon as possible when allowing a person to start work using an existing check, and carry out robust identity checks and vetting processes

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enforcement action:

ensure that information is recorded about the vetting processes that have been completed for staff; this specifically refers to recording details of each member of staff's criminal records disclosure, reference number, the date a disclosure was obtained and details of who obtained it

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enforcement action:

ensure that a daily record is maintained of children's names and hours of attendance, including occasions when children are on outings, so that it is clear as to exactly which children are on the nursery premises at any given time

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enforcement action:

ensure that all staff have the appropriate training, skills and knowledge to help them understand and effectively carry out their individual and collective roles and responsibilities; this specifically relates to ensuring staff professional development needs are appropriately identified, supported, monitored and reviewed.

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must:

 take appropriate steps to promote the good health of children by making sure that they are provided with daily outdoor activities (unless circumstances make this inappropriate, for example, unsafe weather conditions)

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must:

 ensure communication with parents, outside professionals and local schools is effective to develop a shared understanding of children's needs, abilities and interests and to identify any areas where individual children may need additional support or challenge

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must:

 provide challenging and enjoyable experiences for children across all areas of learning and development; in particular improve the planning and implementation of experiences for the children to increase their engagement in experiences

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must:

 increase children's independence and improve 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  keep a written record of any complaints and their outcome.

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who attend

Children are not supported by staff to achieve their full learning potential. This is becase the quality of teaching is variable and staff do not have high enough expectations for children's progress. Staff carry out regular observations of children during play and ask parents to share what they know about them. However, this information is not effectively gathered or used to inform the planning of experiences or to assess children's progress. Staff explain how they consider children's interests, needs and preferences when planning experiences and resourcing the environment. Nonetheless, insufficient consideration is afforded to ensuring that children's progress in all areas of learning is promoted. Also some children are not motivated to join in with what is on offer and resources are not deployed well enough. While some staff interact well with the children, the presentation of the environment is not good enough to successfully promote many of the skills children

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who attend

need for the future. For example, a member of staff skilfully engages children playing in the role-play area in lots of discussion around healthy eating. She talks to children about favourite foods and what they might pretend to cook for dinner and why. However, there is a distinct lack of everyday objects, such as magazines in the role play area, set up as a home, and this hinders this member of staff's ability to model reading and writing for a purpose. In addition, there are missed opportunitiesfor children to learn about how owrds are used in everyday life.

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who attend

Despite the quality of teaching being variable, children often have fun and enjoy lots of opportunities to express their creativity and explore their senses. For example, two-year- old children enjoy singing and participating in action rhymes. They join in with familiar songs and show by their actions that they understand the words within the songs. Consequently, they gain language, learn to follow instructions and experiment with moving their bodies in different ways. Babies and young children show curiosity as they investigate a wide range of resources thoughtfully placed within their easy reach. For example, they excitedly explore various cause and effect toys, and push, pull, lift or press parts of these toys to discover what might happen. Messy play is made available to all children and through these experiences they experiment with texture, shape and colour. However, the provider fails to ensure that all children access the outdoors on a daily basis.

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who attend

Consequently, children do not fully learn about nature, have less opportunity to expand energy and develop physical skills.

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who attend

Some methods are used by the nursery to involve parents in a joined-up approach to supporting children's learning and development. For example, staff verbally share activity ideas, talk about children's progress at parent meetings, and newsletters provide parents with information about forthcoming events. Also, staff have recently put together 'home- link' packs containing a book and some activity ideas, and the intention is for these to be sent home with the pre-school children. That said, not enough is done by staff to promote effective partnership working, not just with parents but also other professionals and staff at local schools. This is particularly relevant in relation to children who may need additional support with their learning and development or those due to move on to local schools. As a result, consistency of care and children's learning are insufficiently promoted.

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

Children's good health is not sufficiently promoted because they do not have daily opportunities to engage in outdoor play and activities. This is due to the renovation work currently taking place in the garden area. While some children are taken on outings, this is not consistent for all. As a result, their well-being is not promoted through opportunities for physical play and access to the fresh air. Children's welfare is compromised because the risk are not considered in the event of an accident or illness because staff without a current paediatric first-aid certificate transport them to and from school. In other respects, children's good health is promoted through the provision of healthy meals and snacks that meet their individual dietary needs and preferences. Staff have knowledge of any allergies that children may have and ensure that children follow effective hygiene routines at appropriate times. However, mealtimes are not always well-organised, because children

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

are seated for their food well before it is ready. consequently some children are become bored. Overall, children's understanding of safe practice is suitably promoted. They engage in activities that encourage them to think of the people who may be able to help them when needed, and are supported to think about and practise road safety and careful management of the stairs. However, children's safety and welfare are not suitably promoted due to the owner's failure to ensure that all legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met.

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

A suitably established key-person system is in place to support children's welfare and emotional security. Flexible settling-in sessions allow new children and their families to adjust at a pace that reflects their individual needs. Information is obtained from parents regarding children's routines, preferences and any additional requirements, which key people understand and make use of to a satisfactory level in order to meet children's needs. Children are comfortable and at ease with staff, but they are not always well supported during times of transition. This is particularly evident when children move to a new room in the nursery and too little consideration is given to helping them settle into their new environment, which results in children being unsettled by the change. Although children are welcomed into a relaxed play environment, where there is a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, space and resources are not used to best effect. Space is limited,

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

and the layout of the building means that adults are constantly walking through rooms to get to other areas, which is distracting for children. The 'Tweenie' room is crowded and while children are happy, there is not enough room for them to play. In some areas, little consideration has been given to children's access to equipment, such as the projector screen, which is angled at such a height that children cannot easily see or touch the pictures. This limits opportunities for children to develop their growing independence. The baby room is well resourced and these younger children benefit from cosy furnishings and plenty of toys that are within easy reach, which promotes their enjoyment. Overall, children settle easily into their play and have formed relationships with staff and some of their peers. They benefit from some positive and effective interactions that support their growing independence and confidence. For example, staff working with two-

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

year-old children get down to their level when talking and skilfully use body language and gestures to enhance communication. On the whole, children behave well which prepares them for the next stage in their learning. They demonstrate good manners, share and take turns with their peers and show respect for property. They are, in the main, supported by staff who use a range of positive strategies to encourage desirable behaviours. For example, children are provided with clear boundaries, they are praised for their efforts and staff act as positive role models for children to follow. However, the strategies adopted are not always discussed and agreed with parents prior to their implementation to ensure a consistent approach.

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provision

This inspection took place following concerns made to Ofsted about the lack of regular outdoor play provided for children. The inspection found that the provider is not meeting a number of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register; these include a failure to ensure that children are provided with daily opportunities for outdoor play. This is in part because the nursery garden is going through a major renovation to make it a safer and more inspiring environment for children to use. Drainage pipes are being laid, new outdoor equipment has been purchased and there are plans to lay new turf. Furthermore, a new exterior door is being installed in the 'Tweenie Plus' room to provide children with easier access to the outdoors. Nonetheless, the owners demonstrate insufficient understanding of their legal responsibilities. Although they express a strong desire to provide good-quality care, the practice within the nursery is not

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provision

good enough. It does not safeguard children, sufficiently promote their welfare or help children reach their full learning potential. Systems to monitor and evaluate all aspects of the nursery are not focused or rigorous enough to accurately identify strengths and priorities for improvement. Some documentation, including the nursery complaints log and attendance records, is inadequately maintained. Also, nursery recruitment and vetting procedures lack rigour; insufficient information is gathered, checked and recorded, such as details relating to Disclosure and Barring Service checks, to meet requirements and ensure the suitability of all staff. This nursery received an inadequate inspection judgement in September 2013 and despite considerable support is still failing to meet requirements. This shows that the provider lacks sufficient capacity to secure and maintain required improvement.

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provision

In some respects children's welfare and safety are protected. For example, staff know what to do if they have any concerns about a child in their care or a member of staff. This is because all staff have had some safeguarding training and this has raised their awareness of child protection issues. Also, the topic of child protection is a regularly featured item on the agenda at staff meetings. Written policies and procedures, including the nursery safeguarding policy, are readily available to staff and parents and this means that they can be easily referred to should this be required. All information required from parents about their children is obtained and children are only released into the care of authorised individuals. Adult-to-child ratio requirements are met and the owners routinely work alongside staff providing them with advice and support. However, the owners do not have robust methods in place to ensure that all staff have the appropriate training, skills

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provision

and knowledge to effectively carry out their roles and responsibilities. The owners regularly observe staff practice and provide feedback during staff supervision meetings and day-to-day discussions. However, communication between the owners and the staff team after these observations is not sufficiently focused to secure a good level of improvement. Furthermore, records in relation to the various qualifications and training courses undertaken by staff are not effectively maintained. Consequently, management lacks sufficient information to successfully identify, support and monitor staff training and development needs. Managers do not have copies of all staff training certificates or a record of the dates they attended various courses. As a result, managers are unable to confirm exactly who holds a current paediatric first-aid certificate and when these certificates are due for renewal. This lack of information means that children's safety and

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provision

welfare are compromised and does not support the continuous professional development of staff.

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provision

Information about the nursery and children's well-being is exchanged between parents and staff in a variety of ways. For example, information is shared through notice boards and verbally when children are dropped off or collected. Furthermore, staff maintain daily diaries for the children detailing such information as sleep times and food intake. Consequently, parents receive some information to promote the welfare of their children. Parents interviewed as part of the inspection praise the friendly staff and comment on how happy their children are to attend the nursery. Nevertheless, arrangements for working in partnership with parents and other professionals is not good enough to successfully support children's welfare and progress. Some children at the nursery also attend reception classes at a local school, and while some information is shared about their welfare, very little is shared about their progress. Consequently, the ability of staff to

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provision

provide experiences that complement those at school is reduced. The manager explains how she and her staff team are now better informed with regards to available support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They maintain regular contact with the local authority special educational needs coordinator and some children have clear support plans in place. Nevertheless, effective strategies to support the individual needs of all children have yet to be devised and implemented.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 is suitable to work with children, which must include obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, has skills and experience suitable for the work, and is physically and mentally fit for the work (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that at least one person who is caring for children has an appropriate first- aid qualification (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  maintain an accurate daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep and make available to Ofsted a written record of all complaints in the previous three years and include the outcome of the investigation and the action the provider took in response (compulsory 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 EY423162 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 951990 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 40 Name of provider Synconium UK Ltd Date of previous inspection 20/09/2013 Telephone number 01214480164

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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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