Acorns Nursery School

Acorns Nursery School St Birinus House, Langley Hill, Reading, RG31 4QX

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 September 2017 Not applicable

p.1

This inspection: Inadequate 4

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Inadequate 4

p.1

This inspection: Inadequate 4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate 4

p.1

This inspection: Inadequate 4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

p.1

This provision is inadequate

 Staff's knowledge and understanding of safeguarding matters are weak. Not all staff know how to identify all signs that a child may be at risk, including from extreme views and behaviours. They have a weak understanding of what to do if they have concerns.  Children's safety, health and well-being are compromised as staff fail to ensure children are appropriately supervised outside. Furthermore, staff do not protect children's privacy when changing their clothes after toileting accidents.  The leadership team has failed to ensure that all safer recruitment processes are followed, and lack records to show that the vetting processes have been completed.  The manager has failed to ensure that all staff have sufficient induction, support, supervision and training to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.  Policies and procedures do not include a written statement on how the management team will deal with a complaint, which is a requirement.

p.1

This provision is inadequate

 The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Some staff have a poor awareness of how activities support children's learning, and not all staff are aware of how children are progressing. Staff do not plan or deliver activities well, and consistently miss opportunities to help children make good progress in their learning.  Staff are not aware of all children's abilities and their next steps. Some staff have a poor understanding of how activities support children's development or progress. Furthermore, the use of assessments is poor to monitor children's progress.  Self-evaluation is weak. It does not identify breaches in requirements.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 Children are given some opportunities to be independent.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

p.2

Due Date

 ensure all staff, including those new to the provision, know how to identify possible signs that a child may be at risk of harm and understand how to implement the nursery's safeguarding policy and procedures in the event of a concern about a child's welfare 30/10/2017

p.2

Due Date

 ensure that staff are deployed effectively and that children are supervised at all times to meet their individual needs and keep them safe 30/10/2017

p.2

Due Date

 take necessary steps to maintain children's privacy to ensure effective safeguarding practices are consistently implemented 30/10/2017

p.2

Due Date

 ensure safer recruitment procedures are followed and information is recorded to show that the identity and vetting checks that have been carried out 30/10/2017

p.2

Due Date

 ensure staff receive effective induction, supervision, support, coaching and training to ensure they fulfil their roles as children's key persons and to raise the quality of teaching 30/10/2017

p.2

Due Date

 ensure a written complaints procedure is in place and available to parents 30/10/2017

p.2

Due Date

 ensure staff use observation and assessment to accurately identify where children are in their learning and what they need to learn next 30/10/2017

p.2

Due Date

 take full account of the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child, and use this information to plan challenging and enjoyable experiences that cover all the areas of learning effectively. 30/10/2017

p.2

Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

p.2

Due Date

 use self-evaluation effectively to identify any weaknesses, including any breaches of requirements, and take action to improve the quality of the provision.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed activities and learning experiences available to children.  The inspectors observed interactions between children and staff and spoke and played with the children during activities.  The inspectors asked staff questions about their work and observed practice with the manager.  The inspectors spoke to some parents about their views and opinions of the provision and considered these.  The inspectors sampled documentation.

p.3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is not effective. Some staff have a poor understanding of the signs, symptoms and referral procedures to follow in the event of a child protection concern, which puts children at risk. Although sufficient staff are on duty, not all are deployed effectively to meet children's needs. Children's safety is further compromised as the staff have failed to notice the associated risk of the general public having access to the children. The manager offers some basic training to staff, such as food hygiene, which has helped staff to aid children's health. The manager has started to offer some supervisions and appraisals. However, the lack of consistency and lack of induction for new staff have failed to ensure that staff use their teaching skills sufficiently to support children's learning. The leadership team has some policies and procedures in place. However, it does not follow these consistently in regards to safer recruitment and does not have a written

p.4

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

complaints procedure. Staff share some useful information with parents and professionals to support continuity of care. The leadership team does not use self-evaluation effectively to identify breaches of requirements and weaknesses in practice.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Staff are well qualified. However, some of their teaching practices are poor, which has a negative impact on children's overall progression. Staff sit with the children as they play; however, they fail to aid children's communication through purposeful interactions. Often the children's voices and achievements are overlooked by staff. For instance, staff do not respond to children who call them and others are ignored when they try to talk and share information for the day. Staff provide group activities, but the teaching is not suitable to meet the learning needs and ages of the children. For example, the group times are hurried and younger children are expected to learn skills in counting as staff point at them and the number this represents. This results in children losing concentration and becoming disengaged. Staff undertake observations on children; however, these do not always match with what the key person says about the child. This, along with poor planning and a

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

lack of cohort tracking from the management team, means they cannot see how children are progressing.

p.4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Children's well-being is compromised by weaknesses in safeguarding practice. Furthermore, staff fail to protect the children's dignity and privacy when they have had toilet accidents. For example, staff bring children out of the toilet and position them in the play space in the main hallway to change their clothing and pants. Staff remind children of healthy practices suitably. For example, children wash their hands prior to eating. Staff manage children's behaviour appropriately. Children benefit from plenty of praise and reminders for kindness, which helps them to form relationships. Parents spoken to at the inspection talked supportively about the staff and how settled their children are. Staff provide children with daily experiences for fresh air and exercise.

p.4

Outcomes for children are inadequate

Children are not consistently challenged in their development sufficiently to make good all- round progress in their learning. Some children are at risk of falling behind. They are not supported effectively with good-quality teaching to help them learn the skills they need to prepare them for the next stage in their learning and development. Despite this, some children have fun with their friends and like to be creative using media and materials. However, their play is not always purposeful due to the lack of challenge from staff.

p.5

Setting details

Unique reference number EY493676 Local authority West Berkshire (Newbury) Inspection number 1026351 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 26 Name of registered person Love Your Community

p.6

reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07703 102805

p.6

reference number

Acorns Nursery School registered in 2015. It is based in a self-contained converted house in the grounds of the Baptist Church in Tilehurst, near Reading in Berkshire. The nursery offers term time only care from 9.15am to 4pm. The nursery employs eight staff, all of whom are qualified to level 3 and above, including four members of staff who hold qualified teacher status.

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.6

reference number

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.7

reference number

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

p.7