Step By Step NurseryOfsted inspection, 8 Dec 2014

Step By Step Nursery 1 Bridge Avenue, Hammersmith, London, W6 9JA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/12/2014 30/05/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider's understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements is inadequate. The vetting process is not robust to ensure staff are suitable to work with children and records to demonstrate suitability are not easily accessible and available. Consequently, children are placed at significant risk.  The provider compromises children's welfare as she does not ensure all staff have sufficient knowledge and skills to protect children adequately. She does not ensure unchecked staff are never left unsupervised with children.  Staff deployment in the outdoor area fails to ensure that children are safe. In addition, weaknesses in behaviour-management strategies and poor use of risk assessments compromise children's safety.  Self-evaluation is weak and does not identify key weaknesses. In addition, the organisation of the outdoor environment does not ensure planned activities and resources are used appropriately to engage children and effectively support their

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This provision is inadequate

individual learning.  Staff do not use assessment systems appropriately to inform parents of their children's progress or to closely identify children's next steps for learning. Therefore, children's progress is not effectively supported and challenged.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well.

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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 had a tour of the premises with the deputy manager.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the provider.  The inspector observed children's play indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed systems for observation, assessments and planning with the staff and sampled children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a leadership and management meeting with the provider and looked at key documentation.

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Information about the setting

Step By Step Nursery is one of two nurseries run by Nelson Child Care Limited. It registered in 2001 and operates from three rooms in a house in Hammersmith, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open every weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 21 children on roll, who are all in the early years age group. The nursery employs eight staff and the majority hold early years qualifications. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

We will issue a welfare requirements notice requiring the provider to:

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The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

implement effective recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure that all staff and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children, are suitable, including completing Disclosure and Barring Service checks

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The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

ensure individuals whose suitability has not been checked, do not have unsupervised contact with children being cared for.

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must:

 ensure that all records relating to staff suitability are easily accessible and available

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must:

 deploy staff effectively to provide adequate supervision to ensure children are safe at all times, particularly when using the outdoor area

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must:

 ensure that behaviour-management strategies are implemented effectively, particularly when supporting children's individual needs in large groups

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must:

 ensure planned activities and resources are used to engage children's interests and to effectively challenge and support their learning, particularly in the outdoor environment

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must:

 ensure that observation, assessment and planning are used effectively to closely match children's next steps for learning; and that all children are effectively supported and challenged to make sufficient progress, given their age, abilities and starting points.

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who attend

Although the provider and staff take some steps to meet the needs of the children, there are weaknesses identified in practice that lead to a number of breaches of the learning and development requirements. As a result, outcomes for children are not promoted sufficiently well enough to enable children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Overall, staff offer children a daily range of resources and experiences which enable them to learn through play and exploration. These include an ample range of multicultural resources, which staff use to promote diversity and to help support children's language acquisition. This is particularly helpful in supporting children who speak English as an additional language. Staff carry out observations of the children and have a general knowledge of their key children's needs. The planning system staff use offers children a suitable balance of adult-led and child-initiated experiences across the

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who attend

areas of learning, with activities roughly based on children's interests. However, the range of planned activities staff provide does not always focus specifically on what children need to do next in their personal learning to support their progress. For example, children who have difficulties sharing and managing their emotions are not supported well in large groups, such as during outdoor play.

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who attend

Small-group activities help children develop language and an understanding of mathematics as staff become involved in play. For example, staff demonstrated how to build a tower with blocks and counted the number of blocks toddlers placed in a line. This level of support helps children remain interested in their chosen activities and enjoy learning. Older children practise recognising and saying initial sounds, which contributes to developing their early reading skills. However, at times, these activities are too long and as a result, children lose interest. Children have access to an outdoor area where they can develop physical skills. There are different play areas outside, which support large movement, quiet activities and exploration. However, the organisation of the outdoor environment does not always ensure activities and resources are used effectively to meet the needs of all children. For example, when all children go out to play, the majority run

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who attend

towards the wheeled toys because of the lack of alternative resources offered.

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who attend

Staff complete progress checks for two-year-old children and keep records of children's progress in their learning journals. However, strategies to help parents to be more involved in their children's learning are not yet working effectively as staff focus more on care practices. Staff do not always gather enough information from parents about children's learning at home and their developing interests to consistently establish children's starting points and help plan the next steps for children's individual learning effectively. Nonetheless, links with other agencies are used well to promote consistent routines and continuity for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This contributes to helping these children move forward in their learning.

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

Children's safety is compromised due to failings in management procedures and inadequate practice. Staff have basic knowledge of the nursery's child protection policy and procedures for reporting concerns; however, they lack understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. The provider does not ensure that unchecked staff are never left alone with the children. This puts children at risk of harm. Furthermore, the provider does not ensure staff make effective use of risk assessment procedures and take all reasonable steps to ensure the premises are secure and hazards are removed. For example, staff do not check that every area of the setting is checked before children arrive, particularly with regard to fallen leaves in the outdoor area. On the day of the visit, the outdoor space was covered in leaves and there had been some rain the night before, making the ground slippery. As children went out to play, some staff

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

were involved in clearing the leaves from the play areas. However, this left too few staff to supervise the children adequately, which resulted in arguments and accidents. For example, children crashed their tricycles into each other and fell off them. This demonstrates staff deployment does not keep children safe at all times, as required.

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

Overall, staff offer children caring relationships. They generally settle well and are happy to attend. There is an adequate key-person system, which allows staff and parents to communicate about key aspects of care. Parents comment that they receive daily feedback about their child's day and care routines at collection time. This is slowly having a positive effect in helping children develop relationships with each other. For instance, when numbers attending are low, staff group the babies and older children together and they play well, learning to express their individual needs and preferences when playing in small groups. For example, children played imaginatively with the cars in the small-world garage and responded politely to each other, 'I don't need a space, thank you.' However, as the number of children increased, issues with behaviour and safety arose, particularly outside. Staff generally respond well to any unwanted behaviour in small groups.

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

However, the behaviour-management strategies staff use do not ensure all children are engaged in purposeful activities, which leads to a disorderly environment and hinders their learning and safety.

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

Staff suitably promote healthy eating. They offer children fresh fruit for snacks and drinks of water are readily available throughout the day. Children develop an awareness of good hygiene. They are encouraged to wash their hands before every meal, and after using the toilet, and learn to do this with increasing independence. Staff also provide each child with an individual peg, so that they can access their coats easily for outdoor play. This enables children to develop self-help skills, supporting their future learning. Mealtimes are calm as children sit together with the staff, who provide positive interactions. Children have daily access to outdoor play and fresh air, which contributes to promoting their physical development and healthy lifestyles.

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provision

The provider has an inadequate understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. This results in a number of breaches of requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the associated requirements of the Childcare Register. These breaches place children at significant risk of harm. The provider does not safeguard children's welfare adequately and vetting and recruitment procedures are not robust. The provider has not vetted the majority of the eight staff and does not hold an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service check to demonstrate that these staff are suitable to work with children. In addition, the provider leaves unvetted staff to regularly care for the children unsupervised. These weaknesses significantly compromise children's safety and welfare. Furthermore, systems used for risk assessment and the arrangements for deploying staff fail to keep children safe, which effects children's overall care and learning.

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provision

The provider does not ensure that all staff have the necessary information to protect children. For example, she does not ensure training is effective enough to make sure all staff have appropriate knowledge and skills to protect children from unvetted persons, including that unvetted staff must not be left alone with the children. Furthermore, the provider fails to meet requirements relating to records and documentation because records of the checks and vetting processes used to ensure staff are suitable are not made available or easily accessible for inspection. There are basic arrangements for induction and supervision, which allow the management to identify some needs for training. For example, the provider offers training to apprentices so that they become fully qualified and all staff are booked to attend paediatric first-aid training. However, supervision procedures are not followed consistently or effectively enough to identify key weaknesses,

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provision

such as staff's suitability and their understanding of Early Years Foundation Stage requirements.

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provision

Leaders and managers of the setting have some understanding of the learning and development requirements. Overall, they ensure staff provide children with appropriate activities and resources to encourage learning and help staff promote children's learning and development. However, practice is not always consistent to effectively promote all children's future learning. Self-evaluation has yet to be used on a regular basis. As a result, there is no clear vision for a unified and continual improvement plan. Although the provider was able to identify some weaknesses on the day of the inspection, overall, the leaders and managers do not have a clear picture of their strengths and the key weaknesses in staff practice. This demonstrates a poor capacity to improve without support and results in several breaches of requirements leading to inadequate provision. Ofsted will issue a welfare requirements notice that requires the provider to take action in

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provision

Nonetheless, parents are generally positive about the nursery and the staff team, and feel children are happy. Leaders and managers make suitable links with local authority professionals. This has had a positive impact on meeting the needs and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The provider has made links with a local school in order to offer appropriate support to children when they move on in their learning.

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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 every 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 (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner, particularly when supporting children's individual needs in large groups (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  deploy staff to ensure the safety and welfare of the children for whom the childcare is provided (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that every person caring for, or in regular contact with, the children is suitable to work with children, which must include obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner, particularly when supporting children's individual needs in large groups (voluntary part of the

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

Childcare Register)  deploy staff to ensure the safety and welfare of the children for whom the childcare is provided (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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 402846 Local authority Hammersmith & Fulham Inspection number 843268 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 21 Name of provider Nelson Child Care Limited Date of previous inspection 30/05/2012 Telephone number 020 8748 1319

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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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