Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones St Martins C Of E School, Ranmore Road, Dorking, RH4 1HW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 June 2016 Not applicable

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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

 Children are at risk. Not all staff have had the required background checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children.  Staff lack understanding of new safeguarding legislation and the provider has not ensured that they have kept their knowledge of child protection issues up to date.  Records relating to children's attendance are not accurate or complete.  At the time of the inspection, required records, such as staff suitability records and evidence of public liability insurance, were not available.  The provider has not notified Ofsted of a temporary change of manager as required.  Staff do not seek information from parents about what their children can already do when they start attending or make effective use of observations and assessments to help them plan for the next steps in their learning. They do not monitor children's progress to quickly identify and close any gaps.  Children do not always learn to understand their feelings to help them to manage their

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This provision is inadequate

behaviour.  Self-evaluation is ineffective and does not identify key weaknesses. The provider is in breach of a number of requirements of the Early Years Register and the Childcare Register.

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It has the following strengths

 Children arrive confidently and settle quickly to play. They chat with staff about what they are doing and enjoy playing with their friends.

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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 staff complete relevant suitability checks, including whether they are disqualified by association 01/07/2016

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Due Date

 improve staff's knowledge and understanding of child protection, including up-to-date guidance and legislation 08/07/2016

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Due Date

 ensure accurate records are kept of children's daily attendance, including the days and hours they attend 01/07/2016

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Due Date

 ensure required records are available for inspection, including those relating to checking staff's identity, qualifications and suitability 01/07/2016

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Due Date

 provide evidence of current public liability insurance 01/07/2016  gain accurate information from parents about what their children know and can do when they start and use this information to plan challenging and enjoyable experiences for children 30/09/2016

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Due Date

 improve the use of information from observations and assessments to plan learning experiences for children that help them make good progress. 30/09/2016

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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

 help children to understand their feelings and manage their own behaviour  make effective use of self-evaluation and monitoring to identify weaknesses and breaches of requirement to target future improvements.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children at play in the playroom and school grounds.  The inspector examined a range of documentation, including staff qualifications, staff suitability checks, daily registers and children's records.  The deputy manager declined to do a joint observation, but did discuss the morning's activities with the inspector.  The inspector spoke to parents to gather their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective and children are at risk. The provider is unable to prove that he has carried out the full range of checks to make sure that staff are suitable to work with children. He has not ensured that staff are up to date with child protection issues, so their understanding of how to safeguard children is poor. A significant part of the attendance register is missing or inaccurate, so managers cannot monitor attendance effectively. The provider has not notified Ofsted as required that he has appointed a new manager. He does not make information about the checks carried out during recruitment available for inspection, such as those relating to staff identity, qualifications and suitability. There is no evidence of current public liability insurance. Managers do not consult with others when evaluating the provision and do not identify key areas of concern.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Staff do not gather information from parents about children's abilities and interests to establish their starting points. Staff make some observations of children's progress but do not check if it is within the range of development that is typical for their age. This, along with the lack of knowledge of what children can already do, means that the identified next steps for children's learning are unreliable. Planning is weak and activities lack challenge for children. Teaching skills are inconsistent, with some staff taking over activities for children, such as during board games. When activities engage children's interest, they enjoy their play. For example, they enjoyed singing and playing musical instruments in a marching-band style.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Children's safety in the setting is compromised because the provider has not completed all checks on staff suitability or ensured that staff know what to do if safeguarding concerns arise. Staff do not seek sufficient information from parents to enable them to fully meet children's needs, although they are aware of some information, such as allergies and dietary preferences. Behaviour management is satisfactory. For example, staff are clear in their expectations of children and give consistent boundaries, such as sharing and taking turns. However, they do not always help children to understand their feelings or teach the skills for children to manage their own behaviour independently.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Children's progress is not assured in the setting. Staff do not know where children are in their development or how to extend their learning well enough to be sure they reach the level of development of which they are capable.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY494425 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 1054130 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 32 Name of registered person Ebun Carl Thomas

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01306 879739

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reference number

Stepping Stones registered in 2015. It is located in St Martins Church of England School in Dorking, Surrey. The setting is open from 9am to 12.15pm Monday to Friday, during term time only. The setting receives nursery education funding for children aged two, three and four years. There are five staff, three of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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reference 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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reference 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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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