Blossoms Day Nursery and The Hive

Rushden Kids Club 128-130 St. Margarets Avenue, RUSHDEN, Northamptonshire, NN10 9PW

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Inspection dates

Previous inspection date 24 February 2017 - 27 February 2017 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 Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider has not taken robust steps to ensure the safety of children and staff in the event of a fire. Risk assessments are not effective in identifying potential hazards.  Staff are not deployed effectively throughout the setting. The provider does not consider staff's individual skills and qualifications when assigning them to specific roles and responsibilities.  Staff supervision arrangements are weak and do not provide opportunities for staff to receive coaching to improve their personal effectiveness. This contributes to the poorer practice from some staff.  The quality of teaching is variable. Not all staff have sufficient knowledge of how to promote children's learning and development. They are not able to effectively support children to move on to the next stage in their development.

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It has the following strengths

 The new manager has introduced sensitive settling-in procedures to help support babies and children when they are first left in the setting. Staff reassure parents and keep them informed about how their child has settled. This helps parents, children and staff establish trusting relationships quickly.  Children behave well. They occupy themselves in self-chosen activities and respond well to the interaction they have with the kind staff.  Staff are friendly and caring. They recognise when children are becoming tired and offer reassuring cuddles.

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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

 take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children and staff on the premises in the case of fire or any other emergency and implement an effective evacuation procedure 17/03/2017

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Due Date

 undertake ongoing assessments to ensure that all staff and children are not exposed to risks and demonstrate how risks are being managed 17/03/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that staff have the appropriate qualifications, skills, training and knowledge for the roles for which they have been employed or deployed to undertake 17/03/2017

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Due Date

 improve staff supervision to allow opportunities for staff to receive coaching which will enable them to progress their personal effectiveness. 17/03/2017

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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

 extend children's learning and development through planned and purposeful play and a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activity, building on their individual levels of achievement, interests and learning styles. 17/03/2017

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Inspection activities

 The inspection was carried out as a result of a risk assessment, following a notification made to Ofsted by the provider.  The inspectors observed activities both indoors and in the garden. They spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The lead inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspectors held meetings with the owners and the manager.  The lead inspector checked the evidence of the suitability of staff working with children. She looked at a range of documentation, including the safeguarding and fire evacuation procedures.  The inspectors looked at children's records and assessments and planning documents.  The lead inspector spoke to a number of parents and took their views into consideration.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. Following a recent accident involving a child attending the out-of-school session, the provider appropriately notified Ofsted, and a full investigation took place into the circumstances of the accident. The newly appointed manager found that the accident may have been avoidable. Appropriate action was taken at the time, including reviewing policies and the levels of supervision of the older children in the out-of-school session. However, the safety of children and staff is compromised. The provider has not ensured that the fire evacuation procedures are effective or that appropriate risk assessments have been completed regarding individual staff's personal circumstances. Staff do, however, understand their role in protecting children at risk from abuse and neglect. They know how to report any concerns they may have. The designated safeguarding lead takes prompt and appropriate action. The provider and

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

manager are also very aware of the procedures to follow should they identify serious concerns about a member of staff's conduct or practice. However, staff are not given adequate coaching or support to improve their personal effectiveness. Some staff are deployed to roles within the setting that demand a greater degree of skill or experience than they currently have. Not all room leaders have appropriate experience or qualifications to fulfil the role effectively and lead staff practice. The provider recognises that her past reliance on the practice of previous leaders has led to some of the weaknesses in the provision. The provider and the newly appointed manager have begun to work with the local authority to help establish action plans to improve the provision. Robust staff recruitment and selection procedures have been established, helping to ensure staff's suitability to work with children. Partnerships with schools and statutory and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff do not consistently provide sufficiently challenging adult-led activities to support children's progress. This is particularly evident in the group for two-year-old children. Staff observe children but do not effectively use the information they gather to help them accurately identify children's next steps in learning. Children engage in self-chosen play and staff allow them to follow their interests. However, room leaders and staff often fail to recognise learning opportunities when they arise during such activities. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are supported positively. Staff encourage them to join in with activities and take time to ensure that no child is excluded from any activities. Children enjoy playing a hide and seek memory game. They all join in to work out which child is hiding under the blanket. Staff encourage them to remember which child has moved from the circle they

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The procedures for evacuating babies and staff from the first floor of the premises are not robust. Management cannot ensure that key staff who are assigned to assist in this evacuation would be able to hear the whistle used to raise the alarm from all parts of the premises. Insufficient consideration has been given to ensuring that the alternative evacuation route is effective should the main route be inaccessible. The risk assessment has not taken account of some staff's personal circumstances regarding their ability to exit the building from the first floor in safety. In other respects, staff build positive relationships with the children they care for through the effective key-person system. Parents spoken to at inspection said they know who they could speak to about their child's care and development. Staff use a variety of ways to communicate with parents and show an interest in what children do at home. From an early age, children learn good hygiene

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

routines, such as washing their hands before they eat. Children enjoy the company of other children and form friendships easily.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Not all children make sufficient progress in their learning and development to help them prepare for their move on to school. Given their starting points, gaps in some children's learning do not close as quickly as they should. However, children are motivated to play and explore. Children learn about numbers and letters and are curious to find objects in the garden that are hidden at different heights.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY495028 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 1084823 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 - 13 Total number of places 73 Number of children on roll 116 Name of registered person Rushden Kids Club Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01933 387945

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reference number

Rushden Kids Club was registered in 2016 and operates under a limited company. There are 22 members of childcare staff employed. Of these, 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The setting opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.15pm, all year round. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children and supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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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

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

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