Little Achievers Urban Forest School Nursery

Little Achievers @ Headstart Nursery 23 Herschell Street, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 3QU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29 October 2015 15 August 2013

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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

 Not all staff have an up-to-date knowledge of child protection, to enable them to identify and respond to the signs of possible abuse and neglect. Accurate records of children's attendance are not always maintained. This potentially places children at risk.  Assessments are not always accurate. Therefore, staff do not always understand children's needs, in order to appropriately shape their learning experiences.  Information gained from assessments is not always used to address children's learning and development needs. This is because identified gaps in children's learning are not consistently filled. As a result, some children fail to make good enough progress.  There are inconsistencies in the quality of children's experiences. Not all staff consider their individual needs and stage of development, to plan challenging yet appropriate experiences. As a result, some children become bored, disengaged and disruptive.

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This provision is inadequate

 No toilet doors mean children are not afforded privacy when using the lavatory.  Professional development and supervision of staff does not focus enough on improving their personal effectiveness in teaching. Weaknesses in the self-evaluation process contribute to management's poor prioritising of areas for improvement. Records of complaints made by parents are not always available for inspection.

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It has the following strengths

 Parents inform staff about their children's interests and are kept informed regarding their day at the nursery. A variety of effective strategies are used to ensure parents are informed about their child's experiences. Parents speak highly of the care provided.  Children's independence and self-help skills are promoted across the nursery.

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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 all staff have an up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding, to enable them to identify signs of possible abuse and neglect at the earliest opportunity, and to respond in a timely and appropriate way 30/11/2015

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 ensure that an accurate and complete record of children's attendance is kept at all times 30/11/2015

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 ensure that information gained from assessments is used to identify and fill gaps in children's learning and development in partnership with parents and, if necessary, other professionals 30/11/2015

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 ensure that a record of complaints is maintained and available for inspection 30/11/2015

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 ensure that all staff fully understand the developmental stage of each child and use this information well, to consistently promote children's learning and development 30/11/2015

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 plan challenging yet appropriate experiences to support children's social and emotional well-being, and to promote their good behaviour 30/11/2015

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 ensure the premises are organised in a way that meets the needs of children 30/11/2015

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Due Date

 ensure that assessments are accurate and sufficiently rigorous to identify children's progress, so that staff clearly understand children's needs and use this information to shape their learning. 30/11/2015 To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 develop the use of self-evaluation and reflective practice to identify the nursery's strengths and weaknesses, in order to inform accurate priorities and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outside, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and the nursery's written documentation.  The inspector checked evidence the of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the provider's self-evaluation form.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

The management team do not accurately identify significant areas of weakness and are unaware that some statutory requirements are not being met. Documents, such as records of complaints made by parents, were not all available on the day of the inspection. Managers carry out observations of staff's performance, but these do not focus enough on how staff assess and promote children's learning. This means that feedback does not help staff to evaluate their practice in order improve the quality of teaching. The systems for checking and reviewing what is working and what needs improvement are not yet rigorous enough to identify how to improve, in order to drive improvement. Most staff hold relevant qualifications and are encouraged to attend training to enhance their knowledge, including safeguarding training. However, some staff are unclear about how to identify signs of possible abuse and neglect at the earliest opportunity, in order to respond in a timely and

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

appropriate manner. Assessments are not always consistent or accurate. They are not used well to understand all children's needs and plan appropriate experiences to support their learning and development. When gaps are identified in children's learning and development, staff do not consistently plan experiences to close those gaps. They do not consistently work with parents, or seek advice or intervention from other professionals, in order to meet the learning and development needs of all children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

The quality of teaching and learning for children differs across the nursery. The teaching delivered in the baby room is good. However, teaching for children aged two years and older is not always tailored to support their individual needs and abilities. This is because not all staff consider children's individual learning needs and their stage of development. Assessments are not robust enough. Not all staff recognise children's progress, understand their needs and plan appropriate activities, or seek intervention if necessary. They do not plan appropriate experiences to support all children's learning and development, for example, when delivering adult-led activities for children aged two years and over. Younger children become restless and disinterested and some older children dominate and disrupt this time. Activities go on too long and there is no clear direction or support offered to younger children. Staff's interaction with younger children is poor and there are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

many missed opportunities to support their learning and development. This limits the progress some children make. This is particularly evident for children who are not yet working at the typical levels of language development expected for their age. Some staff do not have a clear understanding of child development and are not sharply focused on each child's needs. As a result, some staff do not plan effectively and consistently to support all children's learning and development. Therefore, there are variations in the learning of different groups of children.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The system for ensuring that all children's attendance in the setting is recorded is not always effective. On the day of the inspection staff had failed to maintain accurate records of children's attendance. This potentially places children at risk in emergency situations. Routines do not always support all children's self-motivation and well-being. Children with communication difficulties are not supported to develop their talking skills, in order to alleviate their frustration, because staff focus on managing what they perceive as poor behaviour. As a result, two-year-old children are not always engaged and some become distracted and frustrated. Older children become bored, because activities are not engaging enough. They dominate the time and attention of staff, who focus on managing their, sometimes poor, behaviour. As a result, younger children's personal, social and emotional development are not fully supported. Relevant information is obtained from

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

parents to ensure staff are aware of children's changing health and medical needs. In the baby room, staff engage in effective care practices which support younger children's confidence, and physical and emotional well-being. In the room for children aged two years and over, staff remind children to engage in good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating meals and snacks. Children's independence is supported as they select activities in the bright and engaging environment, and help to tidy toys away prior to snack and lunchtime. However, the environment does not fully support children's understanding of what is appropriate, and their sense of privacy. This is because toilets and changing facilities do not have doors on. Therefore, children frequently use the toilet in full view of visitors.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

The progress made by children is inconsistent. Staff do not always support all children to create firm foundations in their learning. Early intervention is not consistently sought, in order to narrow gaps in children's learning. This means not all children make good enough progress from their starting points. For example, children who speak English as an additional language are not consistently well supported in their speech and language development. As a result, not all children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning, including when the time comes to move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY338619 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 1028574 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 7 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 79 Name of provider Rosy Apple Childcare Ltd Date of previous inspection 15 August 2013 Telephone number 01772 201004

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Setting details

Little Achievers @ Headstart Nursery was registered in 2006. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications, six at level 3 and the manager at level 4. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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