Childcare on Domestic Premises, Full day care in Essex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/01/2015 28/08/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Children's safety is compromised. There are breaches in the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which have a negative impact on children's safety. For example, on occasions, staff without a Disclosure and Barring Service check are left alone with children. Children sleeping in prams in the courtyard are not sufficiently protected.  Leadership and management are poor meaning that children are not safeguarded. Recruitment and induction procedures fail to fully check the suitability of all staff and some staff do not have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. There is no named deputy to take charge in the manager's absence and staff practice is not sufficiently monitored.  Children's welfare is compromised because the provider does not maintain all legally required documentation. Partnerships with parents are not robust enough to ensure a consistent approach to children's overall learning and development.

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This provision is inadequate

 Staff do not promote children's well-being. For example, children's play is hindered because indoor space requirements are not met and settling-in procedures are not sufficiently planned. Teaching is inadequate because staff do not consistently provide a range of activities to ensure that children are consistently engaged throughout the day. As a result, children do not make good progress.

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It has the following strengths

 Children's physical development is supported with regular opportunities for outside play.

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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 observed general play, an adult-led activity, outside play and mealtimes. She spoke with the owner/manager, staff, parents and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector reviewed the providers self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at evidence of the suitability of staff members. She viewed a range of other documentation, including staff qualifications and training certificates and the safeguarding and complaints policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held joint discussions throughout the inspection with the owner/manager and staff in relation to observations of the children's play, learning and progress.

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Information about the setting

Pip's Nursery was registered in 2012. It operates alongside the provider's childminding service, which was established in 1996. The nursery is situated in the rural area of Strethall. It operates from two rooms within the provider's cottage, where she lives with her three children. The nursery opens from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday for 47 weeks of the year. There are currently 30 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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must:

 ensure that there is a named deputy to take charge in the absence of the manager

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must:

 ensure the suitability of all staff and safety of children by; implementing a robust recruitment and vetting process, with particular reference to obtaining references from previous employers; ensuring that staff without a Disclosure and Barring Service check are not left alone with children

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must:

 ensure that staff receive the necessary training, induction and development so that they are able to offer a continually improving and quality learning experience for all children, to ensure that they make good progress

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must:

 improve staffing arrangements to meet the needs of all children and promote their safety and well-being by implementing effective settling-in procedures to support children's well-being

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must:

 ensure that sleeping children are consistently safeguarded, with reference to those sleeping in prams in the outside areas

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must:

 ensure that a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance are consistently recorded

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must:

 ensure that the indoor space requirements are met, according to the ages of children cared for

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must:

 implement planned, purposeful play through a mix of child-initiated and adult-led activities to ensure that children are consistently engaged throughout the day; improve the use of observations and assessments to monitor children's learning and development and plan activities that challenge them so that they make good progress

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must:

 engage and support parents and carers in extending their children's learning at home.

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who attend

Teaching is inadequate because staff do not use observation and assessment effectively to monitor children's progress. Not enough planned, purposeful play is organised to ensure that children are consistently engaged throughout the day. This means that children are left to access the toys and resources without real purpose. In addition to this, children are not effectively challenged. For example, during an adult-led activity children are encouraged to feel the ice in a tray. Staff ask the children what the ice feels like and some staff introduce new words, such as slippery, which supports their communication and language development. However, there is no challenge or adaption of the activity for older, more able children. Activities and experiences are not exciting or stimulating enough. This means that they do not capture children's interests and children are not benefiting from these experiences. Consequently, children do not make good progress in

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who attend

their learning and development and, therefore, they are not sufficiently equipped for school.

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who attend

Children have regular opportunities to develop their physical skills as they use a range of resources in one of two outside areas. For example, they dig in the soil with a range of utensils, manoeuvre around in the cars and confidently climb on the small climbing frame. Their personal, social and emotional development is adequately supported because staff praise them. For example, as children hand books to other children a member of staff tells them how lovely that is. However, teaching is variable and some staff demonstrate a poor knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are generally adequate and staff request that parents share what they know about their children in the form of written registration documents. Additionally, staff ask a range of questions during the settling-in visit. Parents speak happily of the staff and say that they receive feedback on a daily basis about how their children have been at the nursery. However, parents have not been given sufficient information about the Early Years Foundation Stage to be able to extend their children's learning at home. As a result, children do not benefit from a consistent approach to their overall learning and development.

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

Staff do not promote effective settling-in procedures and this results in a very unsettled environment. For example, children are able to start at the nursery after one visit with their family. Young children do not have time and opportunity to build and develop bonds and attachments with their key staff. Therefore, children are anxious and unsettled. As a result, staffing arrangements are stretched and this compromises the safety and emotional well-being of all children present. Children behave appropriately and staff support them through opportunities for taking turns with resources from a young age. As a result, children learn to share and begin to play cooperatively alongside others.

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

Staff remind children of their personal safety as, for example, they carry cars and trucks in the playroom. Staff prompt children to be careful around younger children that are playing on the floor next to them. However, on occasions children's safety is compromised as they sleep in the outside courtyard. For example, staff fail to lock the gate while children are sleeping in a pram. This means that unsupervised access can be obtained. Children and parents are reminded to leave the family pets alone and staff ensure that children are safe while walking past kennels to get to the outside areas. Children have some opportunities to be independent. For example, staff encourage them to try and feed themselves during mealtimes. Partnerships with parents, to support children's care needs, are suitable and most parents spoken to during the inspection say that their children are happy and enjoy coming to the nursery.

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

Children's understanding of being healthy is sufficient and they use an individual wipe to clean their hands before mealtimes. Staff talk about the healthy foods they are offering children and encourage them to eat fruit and vegetables. Meals are cooked from fresh and reheated once to ensure that children are provided with a sufficient diet. As a result, children are beginning to develop an understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Children are able to access fresh air on a daily basis and staff make appropriate use of the large outside areas. Children benefit from the vast amount of space they have available to them outside and this supports their physical development.

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provision

The inspection was prioritised following concerns raised about the provider's ability to safeguard children. The inspection found that the recruitment and induction procedures are weak. This means that staff are working directly with children without suitable references and, on occasions, those without a Disclosure and Barring Service check are left alone with children. Additionally, there is no named deputy to take the lead in the absence of the manager and the daily record of attendance is not consistently completed. The owner provides a clear safeguarding policy and procedure for staff and parents. This meets the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and staff are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse. However, some staff do not know what the safeguarding procedure is. As a result, they do not know the process to follow if concerns arise. In addition to this, the provider does not meet the indoor space requirements of the

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provision

Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, too many children are cared for, which impacts negatively because their play is hindered, due to the lack of indoor space available. These significant weaknesses in practice are breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. In addition to this, some are also breaches of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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provision

The nursery leadership and management is weak because there is not enough monitoring of staff practice to identify inconsistencies. Some staff do not have an adequate knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The provider does not equip staff with the necessary supervision to ensure that their training needs are identified. Staff qualification requirements and ratios are sufficiently met and most staff have a wealth of experience, which they use to support children's needs. However, inadequate monitoring of the learning and development requirements mean that staff are unable to provide a continually improving and quality learning experience for all children. Teaching is inadequate, which means the impact on children's learning and development is negative. The monitoring of observation, assessment and planning systems is poor and, therefore, these systems are not used

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provision

effectively to ensure that children make good progress. Consequently, children are not reaching expected stages of development and there are gaps in their learning.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are in place and staff support parents and children through daily discussions. Staff share children's files with parents and discuss what children are doing at the nursery on a regular basis. Children's views are listened to through day-to-day activities and, on occasions, staff follow their lead regarding children's interests. Self- evaluation is limited and this means that staff are not promoting continuous improvement through, for example, improvement plans. The nursery has established some partnerships with other providers, such as links with local schools they collect children from. This supports children and encourages two-way sharing of information.

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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 all staff are aware of the written statement of procedures to be followed to safeguard children from abuse or neglect (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that no one can enter the premises without the knowledge of a person who is caring for children on the premises (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that there is a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (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. 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 EY442176 Local authority Essex Inspection number 1002170 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childcare - Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 30

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Telephone number

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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