Mill Dam Ducklings

Mill Dam Ducklings Ackworth Mill Dam School, Mill Gate, Ackworth, PONTEFRACT, West Yorkshire, WF7 7PH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15 November 2017 10 April 2017

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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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

 Leadership and management are weak. The provider fails to provide staff with the support, training and guidance required to improve teaching skills and raise the standard of staff practice.  The quality of teaching is poor and children are not continually stimulated to learn. Children's communication and language development are not effectively supported.  Staff do not purposefully engage children in play. Children display behaviours that put them at risk and disrupt others; this leads to a disorderly environment and hinders children's learning.  Staff do not make accurate observations and assessments of children's progress. They are not aware of children's level of development and do not consistently identify relevant or targeted next steps in learning. Therefore, staff are unable to plan activities that challenge and support children to make good progress.  The key-person system is inadequate. Some young children do not have consistent

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This provision is inadequate

opportunities to relate to their key person and build secure relationships, to support their emotional well-being.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff help children to manage some of their self-care skills and develop their independence. Children follow improved handwashing routines, cut up their own fruit at snack time and serve themselves vegetables during lunch.  Parents comment on the friendly and welcoming staff team.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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Due Date

 improve the arrangements for the monitoring and supervision of staff to ensure leaders are able to identify and address areas of practice that need improvement 29/11/2017

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Due Date

 improve staff's skills to help children learn to behave in ways that keep them safe and do not disrupt and impact on other children's learning 29/11/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently strong 29/11/2017  ensure that observation and assessment of children's development are precise so that staff have an accurate understanding of children's skills and abilities and can plan suitably challenging experiences that help children to make good progress 29/11/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that the key-person system effectively supports children to build secure relationships and supports their emotional well-being 29/11/2017

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Due Date

 improve staff's understanding of how to provide effective support for children's communication and language development. 29/11/2017

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed two joint observations with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and the childcare consultant for the nursery. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views. She also looked at written feedback provided by parents.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is not effective. The arrangements for staff supervision and the monitoring of staff practice do not identify or address weaknesses in knowledge and skills. The provider has not taken sufficient action to improve the quality of teaching, improve observations and assessments of children's learning or support staff to effectively manage children's behaviour. This has a significant impact on children's well-being and their progress. The majority of staff are qualified and have attended some additional training, such as first aid and safeguarding. Staff have close links with the host school and share information, supporting a smooth process when children transfer. Staff know how to recognise and record child protection concerns and have recently updated their knowledge of wider safeguarding issues. Staff explain how they would report a concern to the nursery's designated person and, when relevant, to the local authority. Appropriate

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

recruitment procedures and required checks carried out on staff help to ensure they are suitable to work with children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Staff set out the playroom with a range of resources and activities for children to join in with. However, weaknesses in teaching mean staff do not demonstrate a secure enough knowledge of how children learn. Staff do not adapt activities to match children's differing abilities or engage them well enough to challenge and support their learning. Staff carry out observations and assessments of children during activities. However, they do not have a clear idea about where children are in their development or identify appropriate next steps. This results in planning that is not precise enough to support good progress. Staff do not promote children's language development well enough, because their interactions during activities are poor. For example, staff bombard children with questions. Often children do not understand what they are being asked and when they do not give an answer, staff do not rephrase their question but move on and ask something different.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Additionally, staff do not give children time to think and respond.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The weaknesses in leadership, and teaching and learning impact on children's well-being and their personal development. The ineffective key-person system means that not all children are emotionally secure and able to form close relationships with key staff. Some children lack the confidence to explore independently and are not motivated to take part in or try new activities. Children's behaviour is not managed in a way that is appropriate to their age. Staff do not give clear explanations or help children to understand about the consequences of their behaviour. For instance, during free play, children kick and throw toys. During a planned activity, a staff member fails to fully involve all children. This results in some children climbing on furniture. Additionally, a two-year-old becomes disruptive and hits out at another child with a toy and is told to go away from the group. The child is told that she is not being sensible and she needs to find another job to do.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Staff's poor engagement of children in activities puts children's safety at risk, leads to them hurting others and has a negative impact on their learning.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Children do not make good progress in their learning and they lack concentration and motivation to take part and develop new skills. Weak teaching practices impact on children's ability to engage during activities and their attention is poor. Children's personal, social and emotional development and their communication and language skills are not sufficiently promoted by staff. Children are not prepared for their next stage in learning or developing all of the key skills they need for the move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY464689 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 1097408 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 1 - 3 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 64 Name of registered person Ackworth Milldam JI School Governing Body

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 10 April 2017 Telephone number 01977723112

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reference number

Mill Dam Ducklings registered in 2013. The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round, except for two weeks at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two- , three- and four-year-old children.

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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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