Explorers Day Nursery

Explorers Day Nursery Adanac Drive, Adanac Park, Nursling, Southampton, SO16 0AS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 5 December 2017 13 October 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

 The provider does not meet the requirement to provide sufficient space for two-year- old children. Despite parents' concerns over the number of toddlers in one room, the manager has followed staff's preference to leave the organisation of the premises as it is. She has not considered the impact on toddlers' behaviour, safety and learning.  Staff do not use risk assessment effectively to keep children safe in the toddler room. For example, they did not consider the risks associated with the Christmas tree. When a toddler bumped into it, it fell over. Staff stood it back up, commenting on the star being spikey as they replaced it. When it fell again, they still failed to take action.  The organisation of routines and resources has a significant impact on toddlers' behaviour and welfare. Young children spend long periods sitting and waiting. They become restless, argue and some children get upset.

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This provision is inadequate

 Self-evaluation is not fully effective. The manager has identified some weaknesses in the quality of teaching in the toddler room and has made some staff changes. However, the action taken has not been sufficiently targeted to raise the quality of teaching and ensure children have challenging experiences and make consistently good progress.

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It has the following strengths

 Babies and children in the pre-school room have good care and learning experiences.

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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

 ensure that two-year-old children have sufficient space indoors to meet the requirements and children's individual needs 31/12/2017

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Due Date

 improve the use of risk assessment to identify hazards and ensure that staff take effective action to keep children in the toddler room safe 31/12/2017

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Due Date

 improve the planning and organisation of routines, resources and activities in the toddler room, to provide children with opportunities to make choices and to support their learning, engagement and good progress 31/12/2017

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Due Date

 ensure that support and training for staff in the toddler room are effective, to tackle weak practice, raise the quality of teaching and improve learning experiences for children. 31/12/2017

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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

 use self-evaluation more effectively to target weaknesses in practice and teaching and improve outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspection was carried out as part of the risk assessment process, following information received by Ofsted.  The inspector observed activities and the quality of teaching in all rooms and the garden.  The inspector spoke with staff, children and parents and took account of the provider's improvement plans.  The inspector held a meeting with the management team and carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector checked safeguarding information and the safety of the premises, and sampled documentation.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective. The provider failed to take effective action when a concern was brought to their attention about the excessive number of two-year-olds in one room. The manager has not met the requirements for space or considered the impact on children's safety, behaviour and learning. The manager does not ensure that staff carry out effective risk assessments when introducing new items to rooms, and staff do not act promptly when incidents occur. However, once the concerns were pointed out to senior managers they took immediate action during the inspection. The manager and staff do have a secure knowledge of child protection procedures and know what to do should they consider a child is at risk of harm. Following the last inspection, and as a result of self- evaluation, the manager has made changes to the senior staff in the toddler room. Through supervision of staff, she has identified that they do not provide good interaction

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

with children regularly in the garden. There have been some improvements. For instance, staff meetings were used to train staff in helping children to learn through play. However, this has not been sufficient to ensure consistently good outcomes for all children. The manager and deputy manager monitor children's learning and ensure that children who have special educational needs (SEN) receive additional support to help them to catch up with their peers.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff seek information from parents about children's starting points and interests. This helps them to plan for children's learning needs straight away. They make regular observations of children's development and share information with parents to support learning at home. Staff provide strong support for older children. For example, they helped them to recall and act out favourite stories, make predications and test their ideas. Children were eager to repeat the activity and take on different roles. Babies enjoy exploring and investigating lots of different textures, using their senses well. However, staff in the toddler room sometimes ask children questions that they do not understand, such as 'what do we get at Christmas that is white?' They answer some questions too quickly before children have enough time to think and respond. They do not plan activities and the environment effectively enough to enable toddlers to decide where they prefer to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

learn or to support them well in developing their listening skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Staff do not consider the impact of the routines on toddlers' well-being. For example, during a whole-group story children had to first go a few at a time to hang up their coats, then to wash their hands and then to sit at the table until others did the same. Staff constantly told those remaining for story time were to be quiet. Staff asked children sitting at tables not to fiddle with the cups and plates, one plate got dropped on the floor, and drinks got spilt. Staff and parents confirm that some toddlers who are out of nappies regress while at the nursery. Staff do not organise resources and activities in the toddler room well and this impacts on children's behaviour and choices. For example, they get out a small box of building bricks, which children argue over. They quickly put some children's coats on again to go outside, selecting those they say are not engaging. Only once the numbers reduce do they put out alternative activities. Staff are gentle and reassuring with

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

young babies and ensure they meet their physical and emotional needs well. All children have good opportunities to be outdoors and have plenty of exercise.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Toddlers do not make the progress that they are capable of and are not prepared well for their next stages of learning. For instance, they cannot listen well or concentrate fully during group activities and do not have good opportunities to make choices. However, pre-school children do gain the skills they need for school. They become independent, such as serving their meals, using a drinks dispenser and managing their self-care. They have good relationships and plenty of opportunities to progress well in their literacy and mathematical development. Children become confident in their speaking skills. For example, older children learning English as an additional language speak well in both their languages, babies repeat words that staff use in context and all children enjoy singing and rhymes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY418428 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 1118366 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 90 Number of children on roll 121 Name of registered person Little Shipmates Group Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 13 October 2015 Telephone number 023 8073 1448

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reference number

Explorers Day Nursery is one of five provisions run by Little Shipmates Ltd. The nursery registered in 2010. It operates from within the grounds of Adanac Park in Southampton. It is open from 8am to 6pm each weekday for 50 weeks of the year. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 23 members of childcare staff, including the managers. Of these, 19 hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 3 or 5 and one holds early years professional status.

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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

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