Little Steps Nursery

Little Steps Nursery 55 High Street, Twyford, Reading, RG10 9AJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 August 2016 1 April 2016

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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

 Weak self-evaluation arrangements mean that priority improvement areas are not addressed.  Systems to monitor the quality of teaching and staff performance are poor. As a result, the quality of teaching is inadequate.  Daily routines are rigid and inflexible. Children spend too much time waiting for things to happen. This impacts on their well-being and the progress they make across all areas of learning.  Staff do not plan effectively to support all children's learning or regularly assess their development. This limits the progress children make and has an adverse impact on their readiness for starting school.  Parents are not kept informed about the progress their children make.  Some staff do not have an understanding of safeguarding issues. Consequently, they do not all have the necessary skills to take appropriate action if they have concerns about children's welfare.  The organisation of outings is poor. This has a negative impact on children's health and

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This provision is inadequate

well-being.  Staff suitability checks are not robust enough. As a result, children's safety is at risk.

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It has the following strengths

 The newly appointed manager clearly understands the weaknesses in provision and knows what needs to improve.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to:

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Due Date

 implement robust systems for self-evaluation, including of daily routines, in order to promote children's welfare and support their learning and development 31/08/2016

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Due Date

 improve arrangements for the regular monitoring and supervision of staff, in order to provide support, coaching and appropriate professional training for practitioners and improve children's learning 31/08/2016

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Due Date

 improve staffs' understanding of the learning and development requirements, to enable them to identify children's progress and then to effectively plan and deliver suitably challenging quality learning and development experiences in line with children's interests 31/08/2016

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Due Date

 train all staff to understand the setting's safeguarding policy and procedures and ensure that all staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues 31/08/2016

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Due Date

 improve the organisation of outings, in order that staff always have available all necessary equipment and resources to promote children's good health 31/08/2016

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Due Date

 improve the systems for ensuring that all staff continue to be suitable to work with children. 31/08/2016

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Due Date

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 ensure staff work closely with parents and carers to support children's learning and provide regular opportunities to discuss children's progress. 31/08/2016

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact this has on children's learning, both inside and outside.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery manager to evaluate the quality of teaching.  The inspector had meetings with the nursery manager to discuss the leadership arrangements of the nursery.  The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including planning and assessment records, policies and procedures and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector spoke to members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is not effective. Some staff have not completed safeguarding training and do not have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues or the correct procedures to follow if they have a concern. This places children at risk. Self-evaluation is weak. Some of the improvements made since the last inspection have not been sustained. Leaders do not effectively monitor the organisation of daily activities, staff practice or the planning and delivery of the educational programme. Where staff reviews of children's progress are infrequent, this is not challenged. As a result, any gaps in children's learning are not quickly identified. This means children are not well prepared for the next stage in their development. Procedures to ensure the ongoing suitability of staff are not robust. This places children's welfare at risk. Performance management systems are weak. Staff rarely have supervision meetings to help improve their practice or support their professional

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

development. This means that staff are not gaining the necessary skills to improve their teaching.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

The quality of teaching is poor. There are only a small number of suitably qualified staff available at any one time to supervise the children. This means, for example, all children routinely take part in the twice daily outings, irrespective of their age or interests. Staff do not have a secure understanding of how to promote children's development, complete accurate assessments or plan the next steps in each child's learning. This limits the progress children make. Parents are invited to contribute their own observations of their child's achievements at home, although these are not used to inform assessments. Staff talk to parents on a daily basis about what their child has done whilst in the nursery. However, parents are not kept up-to-date with their child's progress.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Staff are not always vigilant in promoting children's welfare. For example, during an outing to the local park in bright sunshine, staff did not put sun screen on children or provide them with hats. This places children's well-being at risk. The premises are secure and clean. Staff have positive relationships with children, which helps them to settle and become emotionally secure. Parents are complimentary about the staff, who they describe as kind and friendly and they treat children as individuals. Children are offered a varied menu of freshly prepared nutritious snacks and meals in line with their dietary needs. As a result, children gain an awareness of healthy food options.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

The poor organisation of the nursery, including outings, has a negative impact on children's learning and the progress they make. Children spend too much of their day waiting for the next activity in the rigidly timed routines of snacks, lunch, sleep and outings. For example, during an excursion to the local park, some children's opportunities to explore play equipment were curtailed by a failure to have contingency arrangements in place when children needed the toilet. The amount of time spent on the outing was further reduced by the need to return to the nursery on time for the late morning lunch. This means there is little opportunity for children to initiate or develop their own ideas at their own pace or for staff to inject spontaneity. When not engaged in these pre-planned events, children receive little encouragement to investigate the varied range of available resources within the setting or to take part in planned, suitably challenging activities to

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

support their individual learning. As a result, some children tend to become bored and sometimes their behaviour declines.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY461069 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 1060413 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 29 Number of children on roll 19 Name of registered person Little Steps Nursery Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 1 April 2016 Telephone number 0118 934 5447

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reference number

Little Steps Nursery Limited opened in 2013. It is located in the high street of Twyford, in Berkshire. Rooms used by the children are spread across two floors, accessed by a flight of stairs. Children also make daily outings into the community as the nursery does not have a garden. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. It is closed for Christmas and bank holidays. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. There are five members of staff working with the children, including the cook. Three members of staff have 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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