Skittle's Nursery

Skittle's Nursery Hatherton House, Hatherton Street, WALSALL, WS1 1YB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 4 May 2016 30 September 2014

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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

 The provider has failed to ensure the nursery meets the welfare and learning and development requirements. Safeguarding arrangements are weak. Leaders have failed to minimise potential hazards to children in the courtyard. Senior leaders in the organisation do not provide effective support to the nursery manager. Leaders do not have the capacity to secure and sustain improvements at the setting.  Leaders do not use an effective programme of performance management, professional development and supervision to improve the quality of care, teaching and learning and outcomes for children. Consequently, significant weaknesses remain in the quality of teaching and the welfare of children.  Staff do not effectively plan a range of challenging and interesting activities to support children's good learning, particularly in respect of speaking and listening, literacy, physical development, mathematics and personal and social development. As a result,

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This provision is inadequate

the progress children make is hampered.  Leaders do not track and monitor the progress of individuals and groups of children. These, and ineffective and inconsistent use of observations and assessment means that leaders cannot assess the levels of progress that the children make over time.  Staff do not consistently support children's good behaviour when in public, or consistently apply the expectations of good behaviour when at the setting. Consequently, a few instances of unacceptable behaviour go unchallenged by staff.

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It has the following strengths

 Parents say that communication with staff is good and that their children are happy and settled in the nursery.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to:

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Due Date

 ensure that all staff and leaders understand the setting’s safeguarding policy and procedures; that they know what to do when an allegation is made against staff, and are able to respond to concerns about the welfare of children in a timely and appropriate way 01/06/2016

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Due Date

 put appropriate arrangements in place for the supervision of the nursery manager to provide them with support, coaching and training; and to drive the necessary improvements in leadership, teaching, welfare and outcomes for children 01/06/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that the supervision arrangements for all staff fosters a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement, which encourages the confidential discussion of sensitive issues 01/06/2016

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Due Date

 provide opportunities for staff to discuss any issues – particularly concerning children’s development or well-being; to identify solutions to address issues as they arise; and to receive coaching to improve their personal effectiveness 01/06/2016

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Due Date

 support staff to undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities to ensure they offer quality learning and development experiences for children that continually improves 01/06/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that staff manage children’s behaviour in an appropriate way; inside the nursery and when on outings 01/06/2016

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Due Date

 take all reasonable steps to ensure children are not exposed to risks and demonstrate how you are managing identified risks associated with the accumulation of debris and dirt in the courtyard. 01/06/2016 To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is consistently good and ensure that every child has the opportunity to make good progress across all areas of development 30/09/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that staff implement an effective programme of observation and assessment to monitor and chart children's learning and progress over time; and use this information to plan and provide a wide range of exciting activities, across all areas of learning, taking into account the individual learning needs of children 30/09/2016

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Due Date

 improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment through an effective programme of monitoring and quality assurance 30/09/2016

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Due Date

 improve staff’s use of skilled questioning and narrative to provide children with good opportunities to develop their language, critical thinking and reflections on their learning. 30/09/2016

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Inspection activities

 This inspection took place as a result of a risk assessment following concerns about the effectiveness of the provider to meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage. The inspectors explored and considered these concerns with the nursery leaders.  The inspectors reviewed the improvements that leaders have made since the last inspection and their plans for future improvement.  The inspectors observed children during a range of play and learning activities in the designated play areas, including outdoors. They carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspectors held meetings with the leaders, staff and designated individuals.  The inspectors looked at a range of documentation including children's learning journals and the adult’s planning of children's learning and development activities.  The inspectors checked evidence of the suitability of all staff working at the premises

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Inspection activities

and the professional qualifications and training of leaders and staff.  The inspectors took account of the views of parents and those of children spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspectors explored the safeguarding arrangements, the security of the premises and how effectively the leaders have identified and taken steps to minimise any potential risks.

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Inspector

Deborah Udakis, Her Majesty's Inspector and Kamaljit Jandu, Regulatory Inspector.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

The provider does not understand their responsibilities to ensure the requirements of the early years foundation stage are met in full and maintained. The provider does not support the operational leaders to address areas of concern and to drive improvements in staff's performance. They do not effectively supervise the work of the nursery manager. The provider's lack of support and direction to the nursery manager compounds the poor leadership arrangements. Some previous safety concerns have been addressed. For instance, low level glass has been fitted with safety film and window blinds have been removed to prevent children accessing low hanging blind cords. However, the provider has yet to resolve the concerns regarding the provision of outdoor play and aspects of safety and risks associated with the courtyard. The arrangements to safeguard children are not effective. Leaders and staff talk confidently about how they protect children who may be

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

at risk of harm. However, leaders failed to refer concerns to the appropriate safeguarding agency when information suggested a child's welfare was at risk. Consequently, children's welfare is not safeguarded.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

The manager’s supervision meetings with staff are ineffective because provision has deteriorated since the last inspection and teaching remains weak. Leaders, at all levels, do not respond in a proactive way to ensure the professional training needs of staff are met. For instance, leaders do not consider different ways they could support staff to develop their practice. They do not monitor and observe practice regularly and routinely and they do not focus their attention sufficiently well on the quality of teaching. Leaders do not address weaknesses swiftly enough when they are identified. Partnerships with parents and other agencies are not used effectively to support improved outcomes for children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Staff’s observations of children are not regular or detailed enough to build a clear picture of children's learning and progress over time. In one instance, a key person has only completed one observation of an individual child so far this year. Leaders and staff do not effectively monitor the frequency and accuracy of staff’s observations; or track the progress that children make. Consequently, they do not know the progress children make from their starting points. Leaders do not have an effective system in place to show whether gaps in attainment are closing between the disadvantaged children and their peers, including those in receipt of the Early Years Pupil Premium. In the pre-school room, staff do not have a good knowledge of how to teach children phonics. They do not have the subject knowledge to help secure children's early literacy. Consequently, some activities provided are not well suited the learning needs of the children and staff do not

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

have a good knowledge of how to support children’s learning. Not enough time is devoted to the children's mathematical and physical development. Pre-school children count as they walk up and down steps during an outing but they do not routinely count or use numbers in their play. Mathematical teaching is not frequent and systematic, for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Children do not benefit from frequent physical challenges. Too little time is allocated during the day to build children’s physical strength, coordination, and balance during indoor and outdoor play. During activities in the baby room, the toddler room and in the pre-school room, staff routinely provide children with an ongoing narrative but their lack of skilful questioning hinders children's learning across the age groups. Staff do not focus consistently on providing challenging and interesting activities across all areas of learning. They do not work well enough with parents and do not

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

regularly and routinely plan to address the next steps in children’s learning at the nursery and at home. This results in the learning needs of children not being met. The lack of good quality teaching, activities and staff lack of focus on key learning objectives means that children's learning is restricted.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The identified weaknesses in the arrangements to protect children from risk of harm, places the welfare of children in jeopardy. Leaders and staff have not followed agreed procedures when concerns about the welfare of children have arisen. Children are not well-supported on outings. As a result, there are missed opportunities to develop children’s self-awareness and for them to see how their behaviour impacts on others. Staff do not consistently support and promote children's good behaviour and their personal and social development. For instance, when on an outing into the town centre, staff did not prevent children from screaming, yelling and shouting in a shopping precinct area where people were working and running their businesses. Staff show little awareness or understanding of the importance of helping children to learn behaviours appropriate to their surroundings.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Transitions are well managed as children move from one room in the nursery to another. The children are settled and predominantly happy, despite not having their learning needs met. The environment and resources do not always promote and enhance children’s learning and well-being. For instance, leaders and staff have failed to identify and address potential hazards in the courtyard. Children arrive at the setting on time and eager to learn. Most children’s attendance is good. They form secure emotional attachments with staff. During times of stress and anxiety, for instance, when separating from their parents, children are well supported and receive positive attention from staff.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Children do not make the progress they are capable of making because staff do not have the skills needed to support children’s learning and development. Leaders and staff do not know if children are achieving a good level of development because observations and assessments are inconsistent and do not take place regularly enough. Leaders do not monitor outcomes for children across the areas of learning and cannot report with any confidence whether gaps or differences in the learning outcomes of individuals or groups of children are closing. Consequently, leaders and staff do not know how well children are progressing towards the early learning goals and whether outcomes for children are improving. In discussion, key persons demonstrate a secure knowledge of their individual key children. However, this information is not consistently detailed in learning journeys and staff do not consistently plan for the next steps in children’s learning. This, together

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

with weaknesses in the quality of teaching, welfare and behaviour means that children are not well-prepared for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY458496 Local authority Walsall Inspection number 1048206 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider Skittles Education Limited Date of previous inspection 30 September 2014 Telephone number 01922 613 834

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Setting details

Skittle's Nursery was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery employs nine members of child care staff. The manager holds an appropriate level 6 early qualification and the deputy manager is qualified to level 5. There are five staff who hold a relevant level 3 qualification, and two staff are working towards a level 2 qualification. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year; from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 34 children on roll who are within the early years age range.

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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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