Squiggles Day Nursery Ltd

Squiggles Day Nursery Ltd 7 Northaw Road West, Northaw, POTTERS BAR, Hertfordshire, EN6 4NW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 November 2016 5 September 2013

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 There are some variances in the quality of the teaching. Management's arrangements for supervising staff do not always support them effectively in developing a more consistent approach to their practice.  Staff are not monitoring children's learning and development consistently. At times, they are not fully aware of children's levels of achievement in order to offer more challenge and extend children's learning.  Staff do not always support children sensitively to manage their feelings and emotions. For example, children are upset when the outdoor activities are curtailed due to light rain and staff do not help them to cope with their disappointment.  Although parents receive information from the setting, staff have not encouraged parents to share more information about what their children already know and can do or the learning that takes place at home. This means that staff do not have a broader

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

picture of children's capabilities and achievements in order to inform their planning more effectively.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff thoughtfully plan and provide a welcoming learning environment each day. For example, the home corner is set up as a stable, with costumes to help children re-enact the nativity story.  Parents comment on how well children settle and that the staff are caring and supportive.

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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 arrangements are in place for the effective supervision of staff, offering coaching and promoting mutual support and teamwork in order to encourage continuous improvement. 27/01/2017

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Due Date

 provide children consistently with more challenging learning experiences, based on an accurate knowledge of their levels of achievement. 27/01/2017

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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

 support children more sensitively as they learn to deal with a range of emotions  build on the ways in which information is exchanged with parents, encouraging them to share more details about their child's learning at home, in order to inform more targeted planning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector carried out a joint observation and evaluated this with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager. She looked at relevant documentation, discussed the self-evaluation and saw evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to staff and children when appropriate during the inspection.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents and carers during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Although the manager has high expectations for the nursery it is not always evident in practice. For example, the manager correctly identifies the tracking of children's progress as an area for development. There have been team meetings to discuss this, but staff are not being monitored closely enough and so some children are not moved on to more appropriate next steps quickly enough. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff minimise the risks in the hall and garden area throughout the day. For example, they quickly clear up spillages from the water tray to avoid accidents. They carefully control security within the building, ensuring other users of the building cannot gain access to the children. Staff can explain the possible signs and symptoms of abuse and how to refer any such concerns to the relevant agencies. This includes an awareness of identifying when children may be drawn into situations and behaviour that may place them at risk of harm.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff do not always gather enough information from parents to quickly ascertain children's abilities, despite having attending training on assessment. This, combined with the weakness identified in monitoring children's progress, leads to a delay in building up a full picture of children's achievements and how best to extend their learning. Staff engage with children in their play, asking questions to extend their play and encouraging their communication skills. Young children move between the activities and each time they return to an activity staff offer further ideas and variations to help develop their physical skills and concentration. For example, children enjoy painting with star stamps and different colours. Staff then introduce toy trucks for the children to roll on the paper, discovering the different marks made by the wheels.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff do not always sensitively support children to cope with their emotions. They do not acknowledge children's disappointment when favourite activities are brought to an end. Staff have developed golden rules and discuss these in circle time. Children behave well, happily playing alongside each other and sharing resources. Children have many opportunities that support them in understanding and respecting diversity. For example, they enjoy accessing books that depict different cultures and traditions. Children are taught about how to keep themselves healthy and how to attend to their personal care need, such as washing their hands before having their healthy, fruit-based snack.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

The progress that children are making is not a rapid as it could be given their starting points. Children's next steps are not based on accurate knowledge of their current attainment in order to offer more challenge and extend their learning. Nevertheless, children are gaining some basic skills needed for future learning and the move to school. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported by the use of key words in other languages.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY456438 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1066508 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 14 Name of registered person Squiggles (Day Nursery) Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 5 September 2013 Telephone number 07885 426220

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reference number

Squiggles Day Nursery Ltd was registered in 2013 and operates from a village hall. The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff. The manager holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 6 and a further three staff hold early years qualifications at level 3 or 4. The nursery opens during term time only from 9am until 1pm on Monday and Friday, and from 9am until 3pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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