Little Explorers Day Nursery

Little Explorers Day Nursery Foley Road East, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B74 3HR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14 March 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

 Children's welfare and safety are not assured. Staff do not adequately supervise children and the deployment of staff is not always effective in ensuring children's needs are met.  Staff do not follow the nursery's risk assessment procedures when taking children on outings. In addition, they do not implement the procedures in place for dealing with accidents. This compromises children's welfare and safety.  Teaching is not of a consistently good quality across the nursery. Staff do not use information from the assessments of children's progress well enough to plan activities that precisely meet their learning needs. Consequently, activities on offer are not always challenging enough to help children make consistently good progress from their starting points.  The monitoring of staff practice and the programme for staff professional development are not focused sharply enough on raising the overall quality of care and teaching to a

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It has the following strengths

 Children have close relationships with staff, which gives them confidence.  Staff place a strong focus on welcoming parents and their children. There are effective strategies to help staff communicate and share information with parents. Parents comment positively about the nursery confirming their children are happy and settled.

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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 children are adequately supervised to ensure their safety 14/03/2017  ensure the deployment of staff is fully effective throughout the day to ensure children's needs are met 14/03/2017

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Due Date

 ensure staff take appropriate steps to maintain safety when children go on outings 14/03/2017

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Due Date

 ensure staff follow the nursery's procedure for dealing with accidents and keep a written record of injuries and any first-aid treatment given 14/03/2017

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Due Date

 improve the use of the information gained from assessing children's progress to help staff plan challenging activities with a clear learning intention that helps children make good progress 30/03/2017

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Due Date

 improve arrangements for the supervision, support and coaching of staff, to ensure that professional development has a clear focus on raising the quality of teaching and children's care to a consistently good level. 30/03/2017

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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 spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery owner/manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery owner/manager and deputy. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working at the nursery.  The inspector spoke with a number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. On the day of the inspection, a child was left in a room and was not in sight or hearing of staff for several minutes. This significantly compromises children's welfare and safety. In addition, staff did not follow the nursery's own safety procedures for taking children on an outing. For example, staff did not complete the nursery's risk assessment or inform the manager or other staff of how many children had left the building. Self-evaluation and the monitoring of practice are not robust enough. For example, although leaders have identified some areas of weakness in teaching and care, swift action has not been taken to support staff to improve. As a consequence, the quality of teaching and care is not consistently good and requires improvement. Staff have a secure understanding of child protection issues. They know the procedure to follow if they are concerned about a child being abused or neglected.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff work with parents to establish children's starting points on entry and regularly observe children and identify their next steps. However, staff do not use this information precisely enough when planning activities and therefore, children do not make the best possible progress. Occasionally, activities do not have a clear enough learning intention or lack challenge. As a result, children do not always remain interested. Teaching is not consistently good. For example, there is a broad range of resources available for children to use but not all staff make the best possible use of what is available to help children make good progress. In contrast, when teaching is good, children are better engaged and enjoy their learning. For example, pre-school children show good levels of interest in stories, their dance sessions and in manipulating dough to music, to strengthen their fingers. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well, which

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

helps them to develop their communication and language skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Children's welfare is significantly compromised because of poor safety practice. In addition, on the day of the inspection, a child had an accident and staff did not follow the nursery's procedure for dealing with accidents. For example, while staff did comfort the child, they did not check the child diligently for possible injuries or record the accident. Staff are not always deployed effectively to meet the needs of children. As they carry out routine tasks, such as tidying away activities and setting up for meals, children are not given sufficient support or attention. As a result, in the baby room, staff do not always notice and act swiftly when babies become upset and need support and attention. Nevertheless, staff work closely with parents and follow babies' individual routines and parents' requests in relation to their sleep, mealtimes and bottle feeds. Staff place a strong focus on teaching children about the benefits of a healthy diet and how exercise is

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

good for their bodies. Children learn about their local community and the wider world.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Not enough children make consistently good levels of progress from their starting points. However, children are well behaved and learn to share and be considerate to the needs of others. The most able children show a fondness for counting, writing and learning about letters and the sounds they represent. Children are confident and learn to do some things for themselves. For example, they learn to serve their own food. Children steadily acquire the basic skills required in preparation for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY491501 Local authority Walsall Inspection number 1026489 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 59 Name of registered person Little Explorers Day Nursery (Streetly) Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 0121 439 8200

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reference number

Little Explorers Day Nursery was registered in 2015. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 6 and seven hold qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. 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

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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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