Little Oaks Day Nursery

Little Oaks Day Nursery Gloucestershire Royal NHS Trust, Gloucester Royal Hospital, Great Western Road, Gloucester, GL1 3NN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 November 2017 6 August 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 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

 Children's safety is compromised because hazards are not always identified and dealt with in a timely manner.  The management team has a poor understanding of the disqualification requirements. Leaders carry out some suitability checks but are not aware of the ongoing need to check whether staff are disqualified from working with children, including by association.  The manager and staff do not keep an accurate record of the exact times that children arrive at and leave the setting. Sometimes, staff fail to sign children in after they have arrived, meaning there is no record of them being on the premises. This compromises children's safety.  The manager has failed to address identified weaknesses in the quality of teaching. Staff do not have enough support to improve their knowledge and skills.  Staff do not make effective use of assessment to plan activities that offer children appropriate levels of challenge. Children do not make the progress of which they are

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This provision is inadequate

capable.  The management team has identified some of the weaknesses in practice but has not taken action to improve the quality of the provision.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy and settle quickly when they arrive in the setting.  Staff build effective relationships with parents to share information about children.

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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 that risk assessments are used effectively to identify and minimise hazards in a timely manner, to prevent children from being exposed to risks to their safety 27/11/2017

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Due Date

 improve knowledge of the requirements relating to disqualification, including by association, and ensure staff understand that they must disclose any information about themselves or household members that may affect their ongoing suitability to work with children 27/11/2017

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Due Date

 keep an accurate daily record of the children's hours of attendance 27/11/2017  provide staff with effective support and coaching to improve their personal effectiveness and the quality of their teaching 11/12/2017

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Due Date

 use assessment information to plan activities that provide children with appropriate levels of challenge, to help them make good progress. 27/01/2018

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Due Date

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

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Due Date

 develop self-evaluation to identify and address weaknesses in practice and target areas for improvement.

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Inspection activities

 This inspection was carried out following the risk assessment process.  The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the interactions between the staff and children. She carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at written documents, including staff files, policies, procedures and risk assessments.  The inspector held a leadership and management meeting with the manager and spoke to the staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector took into account the views of the parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is not effective. Staff do not always make effective use of the procedures to identify, manage and monitor risks. Although risks are eventually identified, staff fail to do this in a timely manner to ensure that children are safe and protected from harm. For example, on one occasion, children played in an area where there was a used hypodermic needle. This was missed by two members of staff who carried out a visual check of the area. The item was eventually noticed and removed by another member of staff. The manager and staff fail to keep an accurate record of the times that children are in the setting, and occasionally forget to record that children have arrived. This places children at potential risk in the event of an emergency. Leaders do not have a sufficient understanding of all the checks required to ensure staff's ongoing suitability. They do not have procedures for checking if there are any circumstances that may affect staff's

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

suitability, such as if they live with another person who is disqualified from working with children. Staff have a suitable awareness of possible indicators that a child may be at risk of harm and how to report any concerns. Although staff are well qualified, the manager has identified some weaknesses in teaching. However, she has not taken swift action to support and coach staff to improve their practice. The manager does not make effective use of the information that she gathers from monitoring children's progress to ensure that staff are closing gaps in children's learning. Self-evaluation is not used effectively to take appropriate action to raise the quality of the service that is provided.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff gather information from parents to get to know children's needs and interests when they first begin attending. They observe children and carry out assessments of their progress. However, they do not make effective use of this information to plan stimulating and suitably challenging activities that help them to make consistently good progress. Staff generally support children's interests and play alongside them. For example, staff play imaginatively with children as they pretend to be shopkeepers. Older children gain some mathematical awareness. For instance, they use number names in play as they tell staff and other children how much to pay the shopkeeper during their role play.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The weaknesses in leadership, management and safeguarding compromise children's safety and well-being. Despite this, staff help children to feel settled and secure, providing them with affection and reassurance. Children gain some independence, such as using the toilet by themselves and putting on their own coats. They have daily opportunities to have fresh air and exercise to help them lead a healthy lifestyle.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children develop some skills that will support them in the next stage of their learning and their move on to school. For example, they are confident and their social skills are developing. Younger children build warm relationships with their key persons. Older children develop their imaginations as they play with one another. However, some children do not make consistently good progress from their starting points.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY245240 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 1117832 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 - 4 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 74 Name of registered person Gloucestershire NHS Foundation Trust

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 6 August 2015 Telephone number 0300 422 5095

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reference number

Little Oaks Day Nursery registered in 2001. It is located on the site of the Gloucester Royal Hospital. The nursery opens each weekday, all year round, from 7am to 6pm, except for some bank holidays. The nursery cares for children of Gloucestershire NHS Trust employees. There are 12 members of staff who work with the children, all of whom hold relevant qualifications at levels 2, 3 or 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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