Little Rascals

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 February 2015 28 July 2011

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is inadequate

 Safeguarding practice is inadequate. Children are not protected because staff do not have a clear understanding of internet safety, mobile phones or the use of electronic equipment such as tablets.  Employment references for some new members of staff have not been obtained. This does not help to keep children safe from harm.  Children are not always well safeguarded. For example, the outdoor play area is not always checked for hazards, the temperature of hot food, such as pizza, is not checked before serving and some sleeping children are not regularly monitored.  Some staff have a poor understanding of how to check children’s progress and how to plan activities that will support children's learning and development. Teaching is weak, with poor organisation of some sessions. Staff do not always plan activities that build on children’s interests or stage of development. Staff do not always plan for children’s

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This provision is inadequate

next steps in their learning.  Children are not provided with enough opportunities to experience reading, mathematics or sensory play. As a result, children's learning and development needs are not being fully met.  Older children are not fully prepared for school as some independence skills such as serving their own food and drinks are not being encouraged.

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It has the following strengths

 Relationships between staff and parents are good and ensure that children are settled and happy to attend the setting.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following enforcement action:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

implement effective systems to ensure that practitioners, and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children, including those living or working on the premises, are suitable (Early childhood register)

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure that children are supervised when using electronic devices to promote their online safety and ensure that they cannot access inappropriate internet content (Early childhood register)

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 ensure that the risk assessment identifies aspects of the environment and any hazards that need to be checked and monitored on a regular basis; this particularly relates to serving hot food and hazards in the outdoor play area  develop staff’s knowledge of the learning and development requirements to enable them to provide a broad range of challenging activities that cover the seven areas of learning and improve the quality of teaching  implement an effective planning system to enable staff to provide activities that meet children’s individual needs, promote their interests and support them in their learning and development  ensure that staff members rigorously and consistently monitor children’s level of achievement, interests and learning styles by developing a secure understanding of the assessment process  ensure that sleeping children are frequently checked to ensure their safety and well-

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

being  ensure the policy with regard to the availability of staff’s mobile phones in the setting, includes staff not having access to their phones during the working day and that staff follow this policy. To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 implement effective systems to ensure that practitioners, and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children, including those living or working on the premises, are suitable (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children are supervised when using electronic devices to promote their online safety and ensure that they cannot access inappropriate internet content (Voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children are supervised when using electronic devices to promote their online safety and ensure that they cannot access inappropriate internet content (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  implement effective systems to ensure that practitioners, and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children, including those living or working on the premises, are suitable (Voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main play areas and the outdoor play area.  The inspector carried out four joint observations with the manager.  The inspector checked the progress that children make through direct observations of the children, speaking to staff and by looking at their files.  The inspector viewed a range of documentation, such as staff recruitment checks, policies and procedures, and planning.  The inspector spoke to parents, staff members and children during the inspection and held a meeting with the manager of the nursery.

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who attend. This is inadequate

Teaching is weak because staff have a poor knowledge and understanding of how to plan and carry out activities for children. Staff observe children but are then unsure how this can be used to gain a view of how a child is progressing and how to plan for the child’s next stage of learning. This is because staff are not involved in the planning of activities or monitoring children’s progress, which limits how well they can support children’s learning. Staff have positive relationships with the children. Older children have opportunities to explore the local forest school and regularly attend a ‘wellies and worms’ session at the school. The children experience a regular Zumba session. Toddlers and pre-school children participate in the session together, resulting in the younger children becoming disinterested and disrupting the session for the older children. Resources are not used well to ensure children access activities to support their learning. For example, they have

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who attend. This is inadequate

limited opportunities to access reading materials, messy play and mathematical resources. Staff discuss children’s individual needs with parents, when they first start at the nursery. This helps staff to gain an overview about what children can already do. A commercial electronic system has been purchased to record children’s individual learning journeys and progress. Parents have access to children’s online observations. This means they have a basic idea of how well their child is progressing.

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inadequate

Children are happy during their time at the nursery because relationships between staff, parents and children are warm and friendly. However, children’s safety and wellbeing is not always guaranteed. For example, staff do not have a clear understanding of the use of electronic equipment such as tablets and mobile phones. In addition staff have a poor understanding of internet safety, which means that children are at risk of accessing unsuitable material online. Staff do not always supervise children well when they are sleeping. The outdoor play area is not always checked for potential hazards before it is used. This means risks to children outside are not always assessed. The temperature of some meals such as pizza is not always checked before being served which causes a potential risk of a child burning themselves. Some older children gain independence skills when getting their coats and shoes on for outdoor play. However, children have limited

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inadequate

opportunities to develop their independence skills during snack and meal times which limits how well they are prepared for school. Meals are not always healthy and social opportunities for babies are poor during mealtimes. This is due to them being placed in a line in high chairs in the kitchen area. Children are well behaved as they willingly share toys, say please and thank you and are encouraged to treat each other in a caring manner.

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provision is inadequate

The inspection was carried out following concerns raised about the leadership and management of the nursery. During the visit we found that the nursery was in breach of some legal requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, employment references for new staff are not always taken up, which does not protect children well. The children's possible access to inappropriate materials via the internet shows that staff do little to safeguard children. The manager has not identified key weaknesses in how staff work because monitoring of staff is poor. This results in weak teaching and a poor ability to safeguard children well. However, the manager does have future plans in place to check the quality of staff work. Monitoring of children’s progress is weak and planning does not cover all areas of learning. This is because staff are not involved in planning activities for their own children. This means they are unable to provide a clear overview of

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provision is inadequate

what children can do, to the manager. Self-evaluation does not take account of the views of children, staff and parents. This means that what the setting needs to do next to improve, is not based on user feedback. The nursery works with external agencies to support children with additional needs should they be required to.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY421862 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 1008132 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Domestic Age range of children 0 - 11 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 54

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 28 July 2011

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Telephone number

Little Rascals has been registered since January 2011. It is located in Troutbeck Bridge, near Windermere in Cumbria. It provides childcare on domestic premises and is led and managed by the owner. Child care is offered on the ground floor, and operates Mondays to Fridays from 7.30am until 6.30pm, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery serves a wide catchment area and has links with local schools. It is accessible to all children and has an outdoor play area. The nursery also offers care to children aged over five to 11 years. Currently, there are 54 children on roll. Of those, all are in the early years age range. The nursery employs eight members of staff. Of these, two members of staff hold Early Years Professional Status. Six members of staff have a relevant child care qualification. The setting provides funded places for two-and three-year olds.

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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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Telephone number

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Telephone number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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