Stepping Stones Childcare

Stepping Stones Childcare Church of St Margaret With St Columba, 15 Woodhouse Road, London, E11 3NG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 September 2017 30 March 2017

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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 does not meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and the associated requirements of the Childcare Register. She does not follow vigorous recruitment procedures to ensure that all staff working with children have completed robust suitability checks and are not left alone with children. This puts children’s safety at risk.  Staff do not follow robust risk assessment procedures, particularly in relation to the checks made in the garden. They do not ensure all potential hazards to children are identified and removed to maintain children’s health and safety.  The manager and staff do not maintain an accurate daily record of children’s names and hours of attendance to keep children safe at all times.  The management team does not ensure that supervision arrangements for all staff are effective in helping them understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. For example, staff do not know what changes to their personal circumstances

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This provision is inadequate

need to be reported to the provider.  The system in place to assess children’s learning is not fully effective. Some staff do not identify each child’s learning needs and stage of development accurately in all areas of learning to ensure all children make as much progress as they should.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff are caring and work together well to ensure children are supervised at all times. They support children in understanding the nursery rules and boundaries.  All children enjoy being active and they are able to follow their own ideas and play, both inside and outdoors.

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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 every person working directly with children has been checked and vetted to ensure their suitability 20/10/2017

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Due Date

 ensure any unvetted staff are supervised effectively and do not work alone with children 20/10/2017

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Due Date

 implement robust and effective risk assessments to ensure any potential hazards to children are identified and removed, particularly in relation to identifying and removing animal faeces in the garden 20/10/2017

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Due Date

 ensure an accurate daily record of children’s names and hours of attendance is accurately maintained to keep all children safe 20/10/2017

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Due Date

 implement effective supervision arrangements for all staff to help them understand their roles and responsibilities, including what changes to personal circumstances need to be reported to the provider 20/10/2017

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Due Date

 improve the quality of assessment procedures to ensure all staff are able to monitor children’s ongoing progress accurately and precisely in all areas of learning. 20/10/2017

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the provider, the manager, some children, parents and staff during the inspection.  The inspector sampled a range of documents available, including those staff suitability and safeguarding.  The inspector observed activities and daily routines, indoors and outside.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective. Overall, staff know how to recognise that a child might be at risk of harm, and the correct procedures to follow if needed. However, the provider does not ensure that any adult who has not completed the required suitability checks is supervised and not left alone with children. Moreover, staff do not know the changes to their personal circumstances that might affect their suitability and need to be reported to the manager. The manager and staff do not maintain an accurate daily record of children’s names and hours of attendance to keep children safe at all times. The management team does not use self-evaluation effectively. They have failed to identify and address all weaknesses to improve outcomes for all children. Staff have built good relationships with parents, who are happy with the service they receive. Staff share helpful information with parents about their children’s day to maintain consistency in their care.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Overall, staff ensure children gain suitable skills from their interactions. Staff plan interesting activities. However, the weakness in the nursery’s assessment system means that staff do not always meet all children’s individual learning needs in all areas of learning. Nevertheless, staff provide various opportunities for children to be creative and use their imagination. For example, older children enjoy using their senses while exploring materials such as sticky pink ‘gloop’. Staff ensure babies have opportunities to develop their physical and communication skills. For example, staff sing action songs with them, and comment on babies’ actions during activities to help them learn new words.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Children’s welfare is not supported adequately. Risk assessment is not fully effective. The manager and staff do not identify and remove some hazards to children’s health promptly. For example, during the inspection, children stepped in animal faeces during their outdoor play, which puts their health at risk. All children behave well for their age. They learn about healthy lifestyles and why eating healthily is good for them.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Due to the weakness in the assessment system, children do not always make the best possible progress in all areas of learning. All children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disability, develop some suitable skills to help them become independent learners. For example, they begin to manage of some of their own care needs, help to lay the tables at lunch time and freely choose from the activities on offer. Children develop confidence and social skills; for example, through group activities.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY482580 Local authority Waltham Forest Inspection number 1111514 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 23 Name of registered person Stepping Stones Childcare Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 30 March 2017 Telephone number 07711819522

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reference number

Stepping Stones Childcare registered in 2014. The nursery opens every weekday from 8am to 6pm for 47 weeks a year. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The provider employs ten members of staff, seven of whom hold a relevant childcare qualification at level 2 or 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

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

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