First Steps Moorlands Children's Centre

First Steps Moorlands Children's Centre Moorfields Road, Bath, Avon, BA2 2DQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 October 2015 15 March 2012

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Management and staff do not take all reasonable steps to ensure children in their care are not exposed to risks. Babies are not adequately supervised while sleeping and drinking milk.  Management does not monitor staff practice effectively to identify and target weaknesses. They have failed to notice care practices at sleep times in the baby room that are potentially very dangerous.  The key-person system is not always effective in ensuring that children's care needs are met and their safety assured.  Babies do not have good play and learning experiences outdoors.  Children do not have many opportunities to develop their awareness of letters and sounds to build on their early writing and reading skills.

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It has the following strengths

 Children form strong friendships and treat each other kindly and with respect. They develop positive attitudes that will help them manage as they move on to school.  Staff build strong partnerships with parents and involve them in their children's learning.  Management and staff monitor and assess children's progress well. Activities and experiences are well planned in response to children's individual learning needs.  The quality of teaching is consistently good. Staff make good use of their training and qualifications. Outcomes in relation to children's learning are good.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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Due Date

 improve safeguarding procedures so that staff take all necessary steps to keep children safe and well, particularly when they are sleeping 19/10/2015

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Due Date

 improve the key-person system so that it ensures every child's care is effectively tailored to meet their individual needs, particularly when they are feeding and sleeping 19/10/2015

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Due Date

 monitor the effectiveness of care routines and staff practice to maintain safe and healthy outcomes for children at all times. 01/11/2015

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Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 enhance learning opportunities for the youngest children so that those who learn better outdoors benefit from a range of exciting and challenging experiences  provide more opportunities for children to learn about letters and sounds.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff and children's activities inside and outside.  The inspector spoke with parents and took their opinions into account.  The inspector held a leadership and management meeting with the senior management team.  The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including children's learning journals.  The inspector held a joint observation with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Management and staff understand child protection matters and take their responsibility to identify and report any concerns seriously. However, safeguarding is ineffective because children are left unsupervised and regularly sleep while drinking milk from bottles propped in their cots. This is a choking hazard and does not promote children's safety and welfare. Management monitors staff performance through a formal system of observation, appraisal and supervision, which effectively targets staff training needs in relation to teaching. For example, staff have developed assessment systems and improved their ability to evaluate children's play. However, management has failed to notice the way in which the safety of sleeping babies is monitored. They have overlooked staff practice that puts babies in danger. Staff understand children's individual learning abilities and how to promote their next steps in learning. Children, including those who are learning English as

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

an additional language, receive good support to help them progress.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

The staff interact well with children. They extend their thinking and help children to make good progress from their starting points. Staff plan interesting activities to motivate children in their learning. For example, children look closely at stick insects, and staff encourage them to think about the needs of living things. Children engage in role play games and pretend to have a party. Staff build on children's ideas, for example, by encouraging children to bake a cake and think about the ingredients. Staff tailor learning experiences specifically for each child, and this has a particularly positive impact for children with additional needs.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Staff are not always aware of children's differing care needs due to weaknesses in the key-person system. For example, staff are not always certain of their responsibilities, particularly surrounding babies' sleep routines. Care routines at nap time do not contribute positively towards children's personal development and welfare. Staff provide appropriate learning challenges based on children's interests. Children like to be involved in activities and are keen to learn. Children enjoy lots of fresh air and exercise, and most experience a good range of physical play opportunities. For example, they climb steps into a woodland area and negotiate slopes. Staff manage children's behaviour consistently and fairly. Children develop positive relationships with their friends and gain essential skills for their future learning.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children have positive attitudes towards learning, and each other. They make good progress from their starting points and gain the skills they need to be ready for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY287532 Local authority Bath & NE Somerset Inspection number 826906 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 112 Name of provider First Steps (Bath) Date of previous inspection 15 March 2012 Telephone number 01225 317 123

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Setting details

First Steps Moorlands Children's Centre registered in 2004. The centre is run by First Steps, a local registered charity and company. It operates from a sole-use building in the grounds of Moorlands Infant School, Bath. The centre is open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, all year round, except for bank holidays, between Christmas and New Year, and three in-service training days. A team of 16 childcare staff are employed; of these, one is a qualified teacher who holds Early Years Professional Status and a further 14 are qualified to level 3 or above in early years.

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Setting details

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

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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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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