First Friends Nursery

First Friends Nursery 3 Dracaena Avenue, FALMOUTH, Cornwall, TR11 2EG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15 September 2017 12 October 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 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

 Managers and staff do not have a good enough understanding of the safeguarding policy and procedures. They do not manage child protection concerns appropriately and, as a result, children’s safety and well-being is at risk.  Procedures for the recruitment and vetting of staff are ineffective. Managers have failed to complete checks to ascertain staff’s suitability. At times, unchecked staff are left unsupervised with children.  Children's safety is compromised as risk assessment procedures are weak. Staff do not identify potential hazards and they do not adequately minimise or eliminate risks.  Managers fail to deploy staff effectively to ensure children are kept safe at all times.  Leadership and management is weak. Managers fail to provide staff with the support, training or guidance they need to develop their skills. They do not monitor the effectiveness of the provision, or identify and address serious weaknesses or breaches

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This provision is inadequate

in the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and The Childcare Register.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Not all staff provide children with the challenge needed for them to make the best possible progress.

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It has the following strengths

 Older children show independence as they select toys and manage their personal care needs for themselves.

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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 intend to take steps to cancel registration and will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to:

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Due Date

 provide training to ensure that all staff, including the designated officer for safeguarding, are confident in procedures relating to child protection and are able to identify, understand and respond to possible safeguarding concerns 10/10/2017

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Due Date

 implement policies and procedures to safeguard children, that are in line with the guidance and procedures of the relevant Local Safeguarding Children Board 10/10/2017

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Due Date

 implement effective systems to ensure that any person who has regular contact with children is suitable, and make sure that anyone whose suitability has not been checked, including through a criminal records check, does not have unsupervised contact with children 10/10/2017

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Due Date

 put in place arrangements for the supervision of staff. Ensure staff have opportunities to discuss any issues regarding children's development, wellbeing and any child protection concerns 10/10/2017

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Due Date

 ensure staff undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities to ensure they offer quality learning and development experiences for children 10/10/2017

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Due Date

 ensure staff have a sufficient understanding of how to identify hazards to children and that they can implement effective systems to remove or minimise risks to children 10/10/2017

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Due Date

 organise staffing arrangements to meet the needs of all children and ensure they are adequately supervised and safe. This includes ensuring that staff with paediatric first aid certificates are deployed appropriately. 10/10/2017

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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

 make better use of information from assessments to help plan and provide activities that target children's identified next steps and help them make good progress. 10/10/2017

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector completed a joint observation and held meetings at an appropriate time with the senior member of staff.  The inspector looked at information about children's learning and sampled welfare records.  The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection and engaged in discussions with staff and children at appropriate times.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is not effective. Managers and staff do not have a secure understanding of how to keep children safe. Safeguarding policies and procedures are unclear, and concerns about children's welfare are not escalated appropriately. This puts children at risk of harm. Managers have not completed all necessary checks, including a criminal records check, for some staff. Senior staff responsible for staff deployment are not aware which staff have not been vetted. Children’s safety is compromised when the unchecked staff are left unsupervised with children. Managers fail to provide sufficient guidance for staff, and do not monitor the quality of the provision well enough to ensure weak practice is identified and addressed. Leaders do not demonstrate the ability to secure improvement. This is because weaknesses previously identified regarding safeguarding, risk assessments and staff suitability have not been addressed effectively and continue to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The quality of teaching is inconsistent and does not ensure that children make good progress. Although staff have some understanding of children's learning needs, they do not use this information well enough to build on children's skills or to extend their learning as much as they can. For example, staff write children's names on their work, even though the children’s next steps include writing their own name. Children generally enjoy the activities on offer. However, some staff do not involve themselves in children’s play sufficiently. For example, too often they fail to extend children’s thinking or help them to work out how to solve problems. Children benefit from the caring way in which staff engage with them, which helps them to learn how to behave well.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Management fail to provide a safe environment for children to play and learn. Risk assessments are not robust. For example, cleaning materials are stored within children's reach. The deployment of staff is not effective in keeping children safe. The manager has not ensured that children are able to receive first aid quickly in the event of an accident. For example, a member of staff without a relevant first aid qualification supervises children on her own while they play outdoors. She has no way of calling for assistance should a child require first aid. Children form secure relationships with staff, who are caring in their approach. As a result, children feel secure and settle well within the nursery.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children acquire some skills that help to prepare them for the next stage in their learning. For example, they are able to follow instructions and they understand how to behave well. Some children demonstrate confident use of language, however, too often staff fail to extend children’s communication skills through high quality discussion and interaction.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY464173 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 1113447 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 48 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person Holistic Childcare Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 12 October 2016 Telephone number 01326218373

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reference number

First Friends Nursery registered in 2013. It is one of two provisions owned by the same person. It operates from a detached property in Falmouth, Cornwall. The nursery opens each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery receives funding for the provision of early education for children aged two, three and four years. It employs 13 childcare staff and a nursery cook. Of these, the owner/manager has an early childhood studies degree, eight have a level 3 early years qualification, one has a level 2 qualification. Three members of staff are working towards a childcare qualification.

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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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