Star Kids Children's Nursery

Star Kids Day Nursery and Pre-School 31 - 33 Hythe Street, Dartford, DA1 1BE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 8 November 2017 10 December 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

 Staff fail to plan for children’s learning. Some assessments are not carried out which means staff and parents do not have an accurate knowledge of what children can and cannot do. The quality of teaching is poor and this slows the progress children make.  The provider, who is also the person responsible for safeguarding, has failed to make sure that senior staff have suitable knowledge of child protection procedures.  Staff lack the appropriate skills and knowledge to keep children safe. They fail to liaise with other professionals. At times, children are not sufficiently protected from hazards. Children are put at risk because too few staff care for children and some are not suitably qualified.  Staff do not gain any information from parents about children’s progress. Therefore, children, especially those who are learning English as an additional language, do not have enough opportunities to develop and use their home language in their play.

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider does not monitor the effectiveness of nursery routines or the support for children's learning. Staffing arrangements do not consistently meet legal requirements. Weaknesses in practice are not identified quickly enough.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff support children in developing their physical skills. For example, pre-school children develop coordination as they jump in and out of hoops in the outdoor area.  Some children form strong relationships with the staff and seek them out for comfort and reassurance.

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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

 make better use of self-evaluation to accurately review practice and identify priority areas 04/12/2017

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Due Date

 train senior staff to develop a better understanding of the safeguarding procedures and become confident in knowing what action to take if there are concerns about a child’s welfare 04/12/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that all staff work in partnership with other agencies to keep children safe from harm 04/12/2017

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Due Date

 take all reasonable steps to ensure children are not exposed to risks and demonstrate how these risks are being managed 04/12/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the staffing ratio and qualification requirements are met at all times. 04/12/2017

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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

 demonstrate that the progress check for children aged between two and three years is completed to provide parents with a summary of their child’s development in the prime areas of learning 02/02/2018

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Due Date

 use information gained from observations and assessments to plan and provide suitably engaging and challenging activities that meet children's individual needs and help them to make consistently good progress 02/02/2018

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Due Date

 monitor the effectiveness of nursery routines and the quality of teaching to make sure the individual needs of all children are met, especially for the children who speak English as an additional language, and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. 02/02/2018

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Inspection activities

 The inspection was carried out as a result of the risk assessment process.  The inspector observed the staff interactions during activities indoors and outdoors and looked at a range of resources and equipment.  The inspector assessed the quality of interactions between staff and children, and the impact of these on children's learning.  The inspector talked with parents, the provider, staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working within the setting, and a range of other documentation.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is not effective. Insufficient action is taken to keep children safe. The provider and staff fail to identify possible hazards, and do not take relevant action to protect children. For example, during the inspection, babies were placed in cots that were not suitable and safe for their age. Staffing arrangements are poor and do not consistently meet legal requirements. At times, not enough staff are deployed to keep children safe. Leadership is weak. The provider does not use self-evaluation effectively enough to identify breaches of legal requirements and weaknesses in practice. Monitoring arrangements are not strong enough to identify when staff need support to improve their practice. Although staff have recently arranged to meet with parents, systems to gain information from parents when the children start at the nursery are not in place. As a result, staff are not fully aware of children's current skills and interests in order to ensure

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

that all activities and experiences help children to make good progress.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

The quality of teaching is poor. Staff lack knowledge of how to accurately plan for children’s individual learning needs. Weak leadership and inadequate monitoring arrangements mean that staff are not consistently identifying what children can and cannot do. It is not clear whether important checks, such as the progress check on children aged between two and three years, are completed. This means staff and parents do not know if there are any early signs of children slipping behind in their learning. Some activities lack purpose and do not provide enough challenge for the most-able children. For example, toy mobile phones are placed on an activity table, but staff do not interact with children to support learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The poor safeguarding arrangements put children at risk of harm. Staff fail to share information with other agencies to ensure the children’s safety and well-being is promoted. The organisation of the daily routine does not meet children’s needs. For example, children are moved to different play rooms, to accommodate staffing needs. Ineffective staff deployment and regular disturbance and disruption hampers the children in settling and feeling secure.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Poor quality teaching, weak assessment and the ineffective, disruptive daily routine hinder the progress children make. The quality of provision for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the children who speak English as an additional language does not support their learning needs. Some children do gain some skills that aid their learning and help to prepare them for the move to school. For example, children enjoy playing with magnetic numbers and share their achievement with staff as they successfully put them in numerical order.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY481842 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1113655 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 54 Name of registered person Star Kids Club Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 10 December 2015 Telephone number 07960654380

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reference number

Star Kids Day Nursery and Pre-school registered in 2014 and is located in Dartford, Kent. The setting employs eight members of staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, 7.00am to 7.00pm. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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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