Hopscotch Day Nursery

Hopscotch Day Nursery School Road, Kelvedon Hatch, Essex, CM15 0DH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 5 November 2015 9 May 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 Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Recruitment procedures are not always secure enough to ensure all staff members are suitable to work with children.  Daily checks of the outside area are inadequate as they do not accurately identify all risks to children's safety.  Some staff do not know how to make safeguarding referrals to the relevant local agencies.  Staff have no knowledge of the statutory requirement to carry out a progress check for children aged between two and three years.  The systems in place for the supervision and performance management of staff are not always effective enough to identify their ongoing development and training needs.  The managers and staff do not identify weaknesses in practice through effective self- evaluation.  At times, the environment and activities are not stimulating enough to keep all children motivated and interested.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy and enjoy their time at the nursery. The staff support the pre-school children to learn as they give them many opportunities to count and practise their early writing skills.  Partnerships between parents and the nursery staff are strong. Parents talk positively about the care and support the staff provide for their children.

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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

 ensure that a robust recruitment procedure is in place and that all checks are made on potential staff members and that records of the checks are kept 19/11/2015

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Due Date

 develop further the daily checks undertaken of the outdoor area to ensure that all potential risks to children's safety are effectively minimised 19/11/2015

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Due Date

 ensure that all staff understand how to make referrals, if they have concerns about a child's welfare to the relevant statutory bodies 19/11/2015

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Due Date

 ensure a statutory progress check is in place for every child between the ages of two and three and share these with parents. 19/11/2015 To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 develop more-effective systems for the supervision and performance management of all staff, which identify their ongoing professional development needs  develop a system for self-evaluation to ensure that all weaknesses in practice are clearly identified and actions are set for continuous improvement  enhance the learning environments, both inside and outside to help children learn more effectively.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities both indoors and in the outside play area and talked to the staff and children at appropriate times.  The inspector carried out a joint observation and held a meeting with the nursery manager.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documents and a range of other documents, including the safeguarding policy and procedure.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

The provider has failed to ensure that all requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are implemented. The well-qualified staff team does not use the knowledge gained through their training to maximum effect. Consequently, not all children's learning is promoted to a good level and there are risks to their safety and well-being. The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. There is no evidence that references have been taken for staff new to the setting. Not all staff are aware of, or understand, how to report any concerns about children's safety to the relevant statutory bodies. Staff are confident in their ability to recognise child protection issues. The manager carries out annual appraisals each year and some observations of staff's practice have recently been introduced. However, she does not use these opportunities effectively to address all weaknesses and identify further professional development opportunities. No meaningful

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

self-evaluation across the nursery takes place. The manager has not identified actions to continually drive the staff to improve the provision to help all children achieve to the highest possible level.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

The staff support disabled children and those with special educational needs. They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that all children are fully included in all aspects of nursery life. Babies enjoy painting using their whole bodies. They sit quietly and make marks on themselves with the paint and the staff talk to them about colour. Young children, in the two- to three-year-old room enjoy playing with trains. However, at times the activities available in this room become mundane. The role-play kitchen has no resources and the water play is not placed at a level that children can easily reach. The ongoing good development of children in this room is not assured. The staff have no knowledge of the requirement to carry out a progress check for children between the ages of two and three. Pre-school children demonstrate a good understanding of writing as they accurately spell out their name and tell the staff they will write their name

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

themselves. Some children show a high level of mathematical understanding. These activities help children develop some skills in readiness for learning at school. The staff collect some information about children's starting points from parents. This helps them to have an understanding of children's individual needs. They recognise gaps in children's learning and development, through their observations of their learning. These are shared with parents and the staff encourage parents to share what children have been doing and learning at home.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The provider has failed to meet some of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, which compromises children's safety and well-being. The daily checks on the outside area are not carried out thoroughly enough to identify and minimise areas of risk to children's safety. For example, there are a number of pools of stagnant water, there are toadstools growing and the steps from the nursery are extremely slippery. However, pre-school children enjoy daily fresh air. They have opportunities to be active as they ride-on bikes and cars. Children are excited to look for worms as they dig in the mud. They look carefully at them through a magnifying pot. Children show good levels of independence as they use the bathroom and find their belongings to go outside. Staff encourage all parents to provide a healthy lunch and they use snack times to have conversations with children about healthy food.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Most pre-school children are working comfortably within the range of development typical for their age, this includes disabled children and those with special educational needs. However, children between the ages of two and three are not accurately assessed. As a result, the staff do not have an accurate understanding of all children's development to ensure they are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY248665 Local authority Essex Inspection number 855903 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 11 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 77 Name of provider Hopscotch Day Nursery (Essex) Ltd Date of previous inspection 9 May 2012 Telephone number 01277 372826

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Setting details

Hopscotch Day Nursery was registered in 2003. The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports disabled children and those with special educational needs.

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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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