Cricket Nursery

Cricket Montessori School Lower Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA2 0DE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 April 2017 25 September 2015

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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's safety is at risk. The provider, who is also the manager, does not ensure that all adults have completed all required suitability checks. Self-evaluation is poor.  The provider does not ensure that all staff have sufficient knowledge of all safeguarding policies, procedures and latest legislation, or implement them sufficiently to safeguard children. The safeguarding policy is not in line with the local authority procedures.  The provider does not have effective systems to ensure that there is at least one person who has a current paediatric first-aid qualification on the premises at all times.  The provider does not ensure that all staff can follow emergency fire evacuations, which puts children at further risk.  The provider has failed to assign a deputy to fulfil the manager's duties in her absence.  The provider has not implemented systems to support staff and help them to improve

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This provision is inadequate

their knowledge, to enable them to implement successful teaching strategies. She has not implemented the key-person system sufficiently to meet children's needs.  Not all staff understand how to build on children's learning and interests. Staff do not observe, assess and monitor children's progress effectively. The required progress check for children aged between two and three years is not completed or shared with parents. Children's progress is not good enough from their starting points.

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It has the following strengths

 Children enjoy playing with their friends and are kind to one another.

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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

 ensure that every person working directly with children has their suitability checked, including obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and references 27/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the provider and all staff know all their safeguarding responsibilities, including how to recognise and respond to any signs that a child may be at risk of extreme views or behaviours 27/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the provider and all staff understand and implement the nursery's safeguarding policy and procedures, with particular regard to what to do if an allegation is made against any member of staff 27/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure the nursery's safeguarding policy and procedures are in line with current legislation and based on the latest Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures 27/04/2017

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Due Date

 ensure all staff consistently implement the nursery's policies and procedures to safeguard children, with particular regard to recording and monitoring any potential concerns 27/04/2017

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Due Date

 implement systems to ensure that there is at least one person who has a current paediatric first-aid qualification on the premises at all times when children are present 27/04/2017

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Due Date

 implement effective emergency evacuation procedures and ensure that all staff are familiar with how to keep children safe in an emergency situation 27/04/2017

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Due Date

 appoint a deputy manager, who is capable and able to fulfil the manager's duties in her absence, and ensure that at least one of these managers is available to work in the nursery at all times 27/04/2017

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Due Date

 implement systems for staff supervisions, to support them and identify their training needs, to improve the quality of teaching 29/06/2017

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Due Date

 assign a key person to each child, to meet their individual needs continuously, and ensure that the key person is known to the child's parents or carers to promote positive relationships for all the family 27/04/2017 To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 ensure all staff have sufficient knowledge and understanding of how to challenge children in their learning and build on their abilities and interests, to help them make good progress from their starting points 29/06/2017

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Due Date

 improve the quality of observations and assessments from when children first start, to plan children's next steps in learning to meet their individual needs and stages of development and to monitor their ongoing progress accurately 29/06/2017

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Due Date

 complete the required progress check for all children aged between two and three years and share a written summary of this check with parents, to meet all children's learning needs. 29/06/2017

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Inspection activities

 The inspection took place following the risk assessment process.  The inspector spoke with the provider, staff, some children and parents throughout the inspection.  The inspector sampled a range of documents available, including those relating to the premises, safety checks and safeguarding.  The inspector observed activities and daily routines, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the provider.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective. The provider does not follow robust recruitment procedures to ensure all staff have suitability checks, including obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and references. The provider and staff do not have a secure understanding of all child protection procedures. In particular, this relates to the procedures to follow if an allegation is made against a member of staff and identifying signs that a child might be at risk of extreme views. The safeguarding policy is not in line with the latest Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance. Moreover, staff do not follow robust procedures to monitor any potential concerns about children to fully safeguard them. The provider has failed to appoint a deputy manager who is capable and able to fulfil the manager's duties in her absence. She does not ensure that at least one manager is available during operational hours at all times. However, she ensures that the ratio

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

requirement is met at all times. The provider does not monitor children's progress to identify and close gaps in their learning. She does not ensure staff complete the required progress check for all children aged between two and three years, or share a written summary of this check with their parents. Parents do not receive information about their children's progress regularly to maintain consistency in children's learning. The provider has addressed previous recommendations, but she has failed to identify and promptly address all breaches in requirements and weaknesses in practice.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

The provider does not ensure that staff receive enough support and training to teach children adequately overall. Although staff observe children, they do not make good use of this information to identify and build on children's starting points, or the next steps in their learning, and to plan challenging activities that interest children. For example, the youngest children do not have their favourite activities and resources available for them to help them feel settled and build on their interests. Children are not always learning what they need to know next in order to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff tend to focus on the monthly theme and are not responsive to individual children's own ideas and ways of learning around the subject. Staff do, however, provide children with some activities that they enjoy. For example, children develop their creativity as they play with play dough, and staff read books to them and engage them in discussions during

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The provider does not support children's welfare adequately. Although there is one member of staff with a current paediatric first-aid qualification, the provider has not considered how she would meet children's needs should this first-aider be absent. Moreover, the provider does not ensure that all staff are familiar with the nursery's emergency evacuation procedures, which puts children's safety at further risk. The key person system is ineffective. Not all parents know their child's key person to maintain a shared approach to children's care and leaning. Moreover, children do not have an assigned key person from the very beginning to help them settle and build relationships with their key person. This affects the youngest children's ability to settle quickly and smoothly. Children generally behave well. Staff help them understand acceptable behaviour and encourage them to share and take turns. Children follow appropriate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

hygiene rules. They have opportunities to exercise and learn about healthy lifestyles.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Outcomes for children are poor. Most children fail to make typical progress based on their starting points. Children are not well prepared for their next stages of learning. They do learn some basic skills, such as independence, following instructions and counting.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY235738 Local authority Harrow Inspection number 1095840 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 22 Name of registered person The Cricket Montessori School Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 25 September 2015 Telephone number 020 8423 5544

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reference number

Cricket Nursery registered in 1999 and has been under new ownership since 2016. It is located in the London Borough of Harrow. The nursery opens weekdays, from 9am until 3.15pm, during school terms only. The nursery is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The provider employs six members of staff, five of whom hold relevant childcare qualifications at level 2 and above.

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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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