Bubbles Nursery

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD Telephone: 0300 123 1231 Fax: 0300 123 3159 Minicom: 0161 618 8524 Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk Web: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Bubbles Nursery Old Laundry, Clenchers Mill Lane Eastnor LEDBURY HR8 1RR Our Reference EY391346

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Monitoring for provision judged as inadequate

An Ofsted inspector, Rachel Wyatt, monitored your provision on 10/06/2014 following your inspection where the provision was judged to be inadequate.

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Outcome of monitoring

As a result of our inspection on 18/03/2014, we sent you a notice to improve. If you were set actions at the inspection, or as a result of our subsequent monitoring or investigations, these are included at the end of this letter unless we have already verified that they have been completed.

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Outcome of monitoring

During the monitoring visit the inspector discussed with you the steps you have taken to address the actions raise in the notice to improve. She observed staff working with babies and children and viewed the activities and resources available to them. The inspector spoke to you, individual members of staff, the children, parents and your local authority early years improvement adviser. The inspector accompanied you on a walk round the nursery premises and the outdoor play areas to look at changes you have made to the organisation and layout of rooms and to observe and discuss your arrangements for maintaining children's safety and the security of the premises.

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Outcome of monitoring

The inspector looked at and discussed your safeguarding and complaints policies, risk assessments, daily safety checks and records of children's attendance and accidents. She discussed your procedures for completing the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years and looked at some recently completed examples. The inspector also looked at and discussed your action plan, your arrangements for evaluating the nursery's provision and for monitoring staff's performance.

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Outcome of monitoring

The inspector found that you have welcomed the support of your local authority early years improvement adviser, including agreeing an appropriate action plan with her. However, you have not always followed her advice on how best to tackle priorities for improvement. This has meant your progress in addressing actions for improvement has been variable and in some cases inadequate. You also do not have a clear system for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the nursery. This and the fact that your arrangements for monitoring staff's performance and promoting their professional development are at an early stage, means you do not have a clear picture of what you do well and where you need to improve. This has a negative impact on how well you and the staff work as a team and some of their concerns and some weaknesses in their practice are not promptly addressed by you.

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Outcome of monitoring

The inspector found that you now have appropriate procedures to ensure fire exits are kept clear. You have carried out maintenance work to ensure fire doors and other doors can be easily opened and closed safely and securely. You have worked with local fire officers and your landlord to achieve these improvements. They have also helped you to devise suitable risk assessments, in particular relating to fire safety. You and the staff have improved the layout and management of play areas to ensure easy access to emergency exits. However, although you and your staff conduct regular safety checks, you are not consistently using these or your premises' risk assessment effectively to promote children's safety and to minimise accidents. There are times when you or the staff do not notice and remove potential hazards or check that the equipment you intend using is fit for purpose. For example, from talking to you and staff and from looking at accident records, the inspector found

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Outcome of monitoring

there were occasions, when staff recorded that children had fallen over when running about outside, because they slipped on sand. In another incident a child sustained an injury requiring medical attention from falling on to a broken zip, which staff had not noticed when placing a sleeping bag under soft play equipment. In addition, some accident records contain insufficient detail about what actually happened and about what first aid treatment was needed and given to the child at the time or subsequently. This limits your assessment of how well staff are supervising children, treating their injuries and informing parents and whether there are common factors contributing to accidents, which you need to address.

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Outcome of monitoring

Since the last inspection you have taken some steps to update staff's knowledge of safeguarding, through discussions and by asking everyone to read the nursery's safeguarding policy. However, you need to update this policy because it does not reflect current Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures and guidance to help you and your staff to know whom to contact, if there are any concerns about a child's welfare. A member of staff has helped you to revise your procedures relating to the use of mobile phones and cameras, which you intend to discuss at a forthcoming staff meeting. Your local authority early years improvement adviser has also organised for all staff to complete online safeguarding training, but you have not yet resolved difficulties in accessing the programme. Since the last inspection you have implemented the required progress checks for children between the ages of two and three years. The lead member of staff working

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Outcome of monitoring

with two-and three-year-olds has made good use of her personal research and training to devise an appropriate format for recording her and other key persons' assessments. The inspector found that these progress checks accurately summarise children's achievements in the prime areas of learning and record children's interests and the activities they particularly enjoy. Staff are appropriately summarising, which aspects of two-year-olds' development they want to focus on next and agree these with parents. Their responses show that they are pleased with their children's progress and welcome the staff's suggestions for the next stage in their children's learning. The inspector spoke to several parents of children of different ages. They highlighted how well you and the staff understood their children's individual characteristics and needs and how well they are cared for and are developing. Since the inspection you and the staff have also effectively increased the opportunities for

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Outcome of monitoring

children to freely explore natural and creative materials, such as sand, water and paint. As a result, you are enhancing their exploration and creativity and enabling them to find out more about shape, space, quantity and colour.

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Outcome of monitoring

You explained that you have held regular staff meetings since the last inspection, including one attended by your local authority early years improvement adviser. During these meetings you have discussed aspects of staff's practice and their training needs, especially in relation to addressing the actions for improvement from the inspection. You have collated a record of staff's first aid and safeguarding training to help you track when they need to update these. As part of your staff performance procedures you have asked staff for information, about their health and have conducted one-to-one supervision meetings with some staff. However, not every member of staff has had the opportunity to have regular confidential discussions with you, or a senior member of staff, about their role and performance, the children they work with or anything that concerns them. As a result, you and the staff remain unclear about what you do well and, in particular, where you need to

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Outcome of monitoring

improve as you have yet to embed robust systems to evaluate staff's practice and its impact on children.

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Outcome of monitoring

The inspector identified other breaches to regulations during the monitoring visit. There are several omissions to required documentation. Your record of staff's suitability checks does not include the date when their Criminal Records Bureau or Disclosure and Barring Service check was issued. Records of children's attendance do not consistently include accurate details of every child's hours of attendance. Children's accident records do not always provide sufficient detail about what happened. Your safeguarding policy contains out-of-date information about local safeguarding responsibilities and your complaints policy contains out-of-date information about how to contact Ofsted. Therefore, you do not have effective procedures for checking required records about children and/or staff, or ensuring they are completed accurately, or for reviewing key policies to ensure they contain accurate, current information for you, staff and parents to refer to.

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Outcome of monitoring

Having considered all the evidence, the inspector is of the opinion that the setting has not taken prompt and effective action to address the points for improvement.

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Next steps

We will take enforcement action to ensure compliance with children’s welfare and/or learning and development requirements.

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Next steps

If you have any further queries please contact us on the number at the top of this letter.

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Next steps

Nick Hudson National Director, Early Education

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Action Due date Closed date

ensure staff receive training so that they have an up to date knowledge of safeguarding issues 27/03/2014 10/06/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

develop an effective supervision and self- evaluation procedure to foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement, so as to improve the outcomes for children 27/03/2014 10/06/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

improve the educational programme available to children, so that their understanding of shape, space, measure, colour and design is fully promoted. 04/04/2014 10/06/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

ensure risks are identified with specific regard to doors and fire exits and steps are taken to remove or immediately minimise these, so that children's safety is promoted at all times. For example, keep fire exits clear so children and staff may exit swiftly and secure doors to prevent them from slamming shut 27/03/2014 10/06/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

ensure that the required 'progress check at age two' is carried out and parents are provided with a short written summary of their child's development in the prime areas, identifying the child's strengths and any areas where the child's progress is less than expected 27/03/2014 10/06/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment, at least once in each calendar year and immediately where the need for an assessment arises (voluntary part of the Childcare Register). 27/03/2014 10/06/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment, at least once in each calendar year and immediately where the need for an assessment arises (compulsory part of the Childcare Register) 27/03/2014 10/06/2014 WRN: ensure that risk assessments identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis and ensure staff effectively use these to monitor safety so that they keep play areas free from hazards and check that any equipment they intend to use is in good condition and fit for purpose 11/07/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

WRN: develop and implement effective supervision and self-evaluation procedures to foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement, in order to embed consistent good quality practice and to improve the outcomes for children 11/07/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

WRN: improve procedures for monitoring and reviewing policies and procedures. Specifically revise the safeguarding policy so it is in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance and procedures and update the complaints policy to include accurate information for parents about how to contact Ofsted. 11/07/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

WRN: improve monitoring of documentation to ensure requirements are met. Specifically ensure that details are kept of the date of issue of staff's Disclosure and Barring Service checks and of who obtained them, maintain accurate records of every child's hours of attendance and ensure accident records contain sufficient information about the accident, injuries and first aid treatment. 11/07/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

improve assessment of risks to ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purpose of childcare are always safe and suitable for that childcare (compulsory part of the Childcare Register) 11/07/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

make the following information available to parents: Ofsted's address (compulsory part of the Childcare Register) 11/07/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

improve record keeping to ensure children's hours of attendance are 11/07/2014 accurately recorded and that sufficient information is recorded about accidents to children (compulsory part of the Childcare Register). improve assessment of risks to ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purpose of childcare are always safe and suitable for that childcare (voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 11/07/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

make the following information available to parents: Ofsted's address (voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 11/07/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

improve record keeping to ensure children's hours of attendance are accurately recorded and that sufficient information is recorded about accidents to children (voluntary part of the Childcare Register). 11/07/2014

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