Storytime Nursery School

Storytime Nursery School Kersey House, Queens Place, Southsea, Hampshire, PO5 3HF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 November 2017 9 June 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 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

 The organisation of the setting is poor. The provider has done too little to address the actions set at the last inspection and has not identified further significant weaknesses. This puts children's well-being at risk and also breaches Childcare Register requirements.  The provider's knowledge of safeguarding is weak. She does not implement robust recruitment procedures to ensure the suitability of staff, including ensuring she obtains Disclosure and Barring Service checks for new staff. As a result, unchecked and unvetted staff work unsupervised with children, which compromises their safety.  The provider does not ensure that at least one person with a current paediatric first aid certificate is present at all times when children are being cared for. Furthermore, the provider does not ensure that an adequate number of staff are present, to support younger and less confident children's emotional well-being adequately.

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider does not support staff effectively. Staff do not receive the training and support they need to improve the quality of their teaching and children's learning experiences.  The monitoring of children's progress is poor. Staff do not plan activities or tailor learning opportunities to support children's individual needs. Some children are not engaged or motivated to learn and do not make sufficient progress.

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It has the following strengths

 Children enjoy some opportunities to play outside.

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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

 implement robust systems to determine the suitability of all staff, which includes obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check for all members of staff 15/12/2017

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Due Date

 ensure at least one person who holds a current paediatric first-aid certificate is on the premises and available at all times when children are present, and must accompany children on outings 15/12/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that staffing ratio requirements are maintained at all times, to meet the needs of all children, in particular to support younger and less-confident children's emotional well-being 15/12/2017

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Due Date

 improve the supervision for staff to provide them with effective support, coaching and training to improve the quality of teaching and outcomes for children 15/12/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that staff whose suitability has not been checked, including through a criminal records check, are not left unsupervised with children 15/12/2017

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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

 monitor children's ongoing progress, from their starting points, to identify gaps in their learning and enable staff to plan precisely for their next steps in learning 15/12/2017

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Due Date

 ensure activities are planned and tailored to meet children's individual needs and their next steps in learning, to enable all children to fully participate in purposeful activities and make good progress. 15/12/2017

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching, indoors and outdoors, and the impact this has on children learning.  The inspector spoke to the provider, staff and children at convenient times during the inspection.  The inspector spoke to some parents during the day and took account of their views.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability of the staff, confirmation of staff training, recruitment procedures and policies. She looked at a selection of children's records and discussed safeguarding procedures and the self-evaluation process with the provider.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the provider.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

The provider has taken too little action since the last inspection to improve the setting. She lacks knowledge of how to address weaknesses. Some of the previous actions have not been met and there are several additional breaches of legal requirements, which significantly compromise children's welfare. Safeguarding is ineffective. The provider has gained some Disclosure and Barring Service checks for adults who currently live on the nursery premises, but has failed to appropriately check the suitability of some staff who work with children. For example, vetting procedures for new staff are poor. This puts children at significant risk of harm. Furthermore, the provider has failed to ensure that at least one person who holds an appropriate first aid qualification is on-site when children are being cared for, to take appropriate action in an emergency. Self-evaluation is weak. Although the provider has gained the views of children and parents, areas for

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

improvement have not been identified and weaknesses in the nursery remain. The provider does not monitor or support staff well enough to ensure they have the skills to undertake their roles. The provider does not know how to monitor children's progress sufficiently well, to close gaps in their learning. This means that children do not receive the support they need to be effective learners. All staff are aware of the nursery's policies. Since the last inspection they have improved their understanding of the 'Prevent' duty guidance. Staff know how to report child protection concerns to the appropriate agencies. Staff share some information with parents to form positive links between home and the nursery.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Changes in staff have been poorly managed and this has a negative impact on how staff support children's learning. All staff are qualified, but the newest staff are less experienced and do not receive the support or coaching they need to ensure the quality of teaching is at a good level. Staff lack the knowledge they need to plan for children's individual learning needs. They do not follow children's interests and some children quickly lose interest in their learning. Monitoring is ineffective and the provider and staff cannot be sure of what children are achieving, to help plan for their next steps in learning. Planning is poor and activities are not organised to help children learn, or adapted to meet the differing abilities of children. For instance, during a writing activity, babies were provided with pencils that were too small for them to hold. Staff failed to notice this and did not adapt the activity to help them develop their creative play and physical skills for early

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Significant weaknesses in leadership do not assure children's welfare or well-being. In addition, not enough is done to keep children motivated and interested in a broad range of activities, to prepare them for their future learning. The provider does not ensure that the required staffing ratios are met. Staff fail to meet the needs of the children and this affects children's emotional well-being. For instance, on the day of the inspection, the provider was working on her own with too many children. The provider was not able to give children the support they needed. As a result, younger children were upset, cried for long periods and received no comfort. The lack of support has a detrimental effect on children's emotional well-being.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Children do not make good enough progress in their learning. Too frequently, children wander around the nursery and are bored and disinterested, and staff fail to notice this. For instance, older children blow up balloons, notice the air coming from them and show staff. When staff do not respond, children sit in toy boxes, repeat the activity and talk to themselves. Children do not gain the skills they need to prepare them for school. Older children do gain some physical skills. For instance, they learn how to push themselves along in ride-on cars when playing outside.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 143561 Local authority Portsmouth Inspection number 1101396 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 1 - 4 Total number of places 56 Number of children on roll 14 Name of registered person Storytime Nursery School Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 9 June 2017 Telephone number 02392 754832

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reference number

Storytime Nursery School registered in 1993. It operates from the ground floor of a Victorian house in the Southsea area of Hampshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, for 49 weeks of the year. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. There are five members of staff who work with children, all of whom hold relevant childcare qualifications at levels 3 and 5.

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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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