Shepherds Spring Pre-School Nursery

Shepherds Spring Pre- School Nursery Spring Meadow Childrens Centre, Smannell Road, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 6JP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 February 2018 Not applicable

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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's knowledge and understanding of safeguarding matters are weak. Not all staff know how to identify all signs that a child may be at risk, including from extreme views and behaviours.  Staff are not deployed effectively to provide adequate supervision and support for children. Not all staff are alert to children taking risks that compromise their safety.  The management team has failed to ensure that all staff have sufficient support, supervision and training to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.  Children's health and well-being are compromised. Staff fail to follow suitable health and hygiene procedures, especially at snack time.  Although staff track and assess children's learning and development, they do not accurately show the progress being made. Staff do not identify all children's abilities and their next steps appropriately. Consequently, the use of assessments is poor in monitoring children's progress and quickly identifying gaps in their development.

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This provision is inadequate

 The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Some staff do not purposefully interact with children to support their communication and language. Furthermore, staff do not plan activities well enough to ensure all children make good progress in their learning.  Self-evaluation is weak. The provider does not identify breaches in requirements.

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It has the following strengths

 Children have some opportunities to be independent.  Parents comment positively on the nursery and the staff caring for their 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 all staff, including those new to the provision, have regard to the 'Prevent' duty and know how to identify possible signs that a child may be at risk of harm 22/03/2018

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Due Date

 ensure that staff are deployed effectively and that children are supervised at all times to meet their individual needs and keep them safe 22/03/2018

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Due Date

 ensure staff receive effective supervision, support, coaching and training to ensure that they can fulfil their roles and raise the quality of teaching 22/03/2018

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Due Date

 take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection and ensure children's health is not compromised 22/03/2018

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Due Date

 ensure staff use observation and assessment to accurately identify where children are in their learning and what they need to learn next 22/03/2018

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Due Date

 plan challenging and enjoyable experiences that cover all the areas of learning and development effectively, taking into account the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child, including those who need more support with communication and language. 22/03/2018

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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

 use self-evaluation effectively to identify any weaknesses, including any breaches of requirements, and take action to improve the quality of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed children's involvement in activities within the nursery and outside.  The inspectors looked at a sample of children's records and discussed these with staff.  The inspectors took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and spoke to children where appropriate.  The inspectors looked at and discussed documentation in relation to safeguarding, risk assessments and daily attendance registers.  One of the inspectors undertook a joint observation with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective. Some staff have a poor understanding of the 'Prevent' duty and the signs, symptoms and indicators that a child may be at risk of harm. Although sufficient staff are on duty and ratios are maintained, not all are deployed effectively to support and meet the needs of children. For example, during the inspection, the toddlers were called in to wash their hands. However, one child was left outside playing, without staff's knowledge, for a short period of time. The manager enables staff to attend some training, such as courses on healthy brain development, and this has helped some staff to recognise and offer praise to children for their achievements. The manager also undertakes some supervision and appraisals with staff. However, these are ineffective in helping staff to fully develop their knowledge and skills and ensure teaching and planning are effective in supporting children's individual learning needs. Staff comment that the

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

management team is friendly, fair and approachable. Staff share some useful information with parents and other professionals to support continuity of care. Parents comment positively about management and the staffing team and the information shared with them. The management team is aware of any significant event that needs to be notified to Ofsted and other agencies. Although the manager uses additional funding to support some aspects of children's development, this is not always targeted at the most important areas of learning in which children are behind.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Most staff are qualified, but the quality of teaching is ineffective in meeting the needs of all children. Staff fail to engage children in purposeful play. For example, all children, including those who require extra support, are often left to entertain themselves, which results in them wandering aimlessly on their own. Although staff plan adult-led activities, these are not sufficiently matched to children's ongoing developmental needs, as too many opportunities in learning are overlooked. For example, staff busy themselves with setting up rooms and carrying out routine chores rather than playing with the children. Staff plan some next steps for children's learning. However, these are not accurately based on their observations and the children's most significant learning needs. For example, younger children who are struggling with forming relationships have next steps planned to develop their sensory skills for art and design. Older children who are not yet

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

confidently speaking have next steps to develop strategies for managing their feelings, rather than offering them support to develop their communication and language skills. This fails to support children in the key skills they need in readiness for their next stage in learning. The management team checks children's tracking records. However, it does not notice that next steps are not matched to children's individual needs, particularly in the prime areas of learning. Although the management team has identified key gaps in communication and language development for the majority of children, it has failed to act robustly to help close these gaps. Therefore, children do not meet expected levels of development in readiness for school.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Children's well-being is compromised by weaknesses in safeguarding practice. Staff fail to ensure all hygiene practices are followed to ensure children's good health. For example, staff do not ensure all children wash their hands prior to snack, despite them being covered in mud. They place cutlery for children to eat with on dirty picnic benches. This compromises children's health and puts them at risk of infection. The chef and staff provide children with nutritious and healthy cooked meals. All food is checked in accordance with environmental health standards. Staff provide a suitable environment for the children. For example, their creative work is nicely displayed and children are often seen at the floor-level window waving goodbye to their parents. Children enjoy daily experiences for fresh air and exercise in an enclosed and suitable garden area. However, the deployment of staff means that their play is not always supported. For example, some

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

children are left on the slide calling for help, as they cannot negotiate their legs around the top to get down. Staff promote positive behaviour well and manage challenging behaviour appropriately. For example, staff encourage children to share and they reward manners with praise. Suitable procedures, risk assessments and plans are in place for children who struggle to manage their behaviour to help the staff and parents work in partnership.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Staff fail to support children's learning and this has a negative impact on the progress they make. Staff's lack of interaction results in some children being bored, restless and uninterested in activities. Consequently, some children wander around aimlessly. However, some children do enjoy being creative, using media and materials such as paints and chalk to make marks.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY552948 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 1125636 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 75 Number of children on roll 100 Name of registered person Shepherds Spring Pre-School Nursery CIO

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01264 362534

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reference number

Shepherds Spring Pre-School Nursery in Andover, Hampshire opened in the current premises in 2010 and re-registered in 2017. The nursery is open from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. There are 18 staff, 12 of whom hold relevant early years qualifications. The setting receives funding 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

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