Baby Bears Day Care

Baby Bears Day Care 128 Dunthorne Way, Grange Farm, Milton Keynes, MK8 0LW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 April 2018 24 November 2016

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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

 Children's safety and welfare are significantly compromised. Leaders and staff have a poor understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children and of the 'Prevent' duty guidance. Leaders do not act promptly when staff raise concerns about children's welfare, and do not notify Ofsted of significant events in a timely manner.  Staff are not effectively supported and do not have the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their roles appropriately. Appropriate adult-to-child ratios are not consistently maintained and suitably qualified staff are not deployed effectively.  Staff do not manage children's behaviour appropriately. Some staff threaten older children with actions that undermine their self-esteem and confidence.  Staff do not ensure that the premises are clean and that children can follow suitable personal hygiene routines. They do not have effective risk assessment arrangements.

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This provision is inadequate

These weaknesses in practice present a risk to children's health and safety.  Leaders fail to identify the poor quality of teaching and the insufficient progress children make in their learning. Staff working with babies and younger children do not help them gain key skills. Staff do not provide challenge or stimulation for older children. Children do not have daily access to the outdoors.  The key-person system is ineffective. There are frequent changes to children's key persons. Staff do not make accurate assessments of children's progress and plan for the next steps in their learning. Staff do not build effective partnerships with parents.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff provide children with nutritious and varied meals and snacks.

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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

 take all necessary steps where there are safeguarding concerns about a child, including keeping accurate records and liaising with the Local Safeguarding Children Board, to protect children from harm 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 ensure that all those working with children have a good understanding of all safeguarding matters, including the 'Prevent' duty guidance, to keep children safe from harm 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 improve knowledge and understanding of the requirements to notify Ofsted of significant events that may affect the ongoing suitability of any persons caring for children 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 monitor practice effectively and ensure all staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out the requirements of their roles, with particular regard to those who work with babies and very young children 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 ensure that correct staff ratios, including those relating to qualified staff, are followed at all times, so that children are appropriately supervised and supported 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 ensure all staff take a consistent and effective approach to managing children's behaviour and that staff do not threaten children with punishments that may damage their self-esteem 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 ensure that the premises are suitable, clean, hygienic and fit for purpose, to promote children's good health 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 take all necessary steps to identify and minimise potential risks to children's safety 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 establish effective key person arrangements so that children's individual needs are met and build supportive partnerships with parents 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 ensure outdoor activities are planned and taken on a daily basis. 16/05/2018 To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 improve the overall quality of teaching so that all children receive the challenge and support they need to make good progress 16/05/2018

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Due Date

 use observation and assessment effectively to identify any gaps in children's development, and identify and plan for the next steps in children's individual learning. 16/05/2018

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Inspection activities

 This inspection was carried out following Ofsted's risk assessment process.  The inspector observed children's activities inside and outside, and evaluated how staff interacted with them.  The inspector talked to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. She carried out a joint observation of an activity and an interview with the management team.  The inspector looked at a sample of documents, which included children's progress records.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective. Leaders do not keep accurate records when staff raise concerns about children's welfare and they do not refer these concerns to their local children’s social care team as a priority. They have not provided staff with the training they need to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. Leaders have a poor understanding of when to notify Ofsted of significant events that may affect the ongoing suitability of staff. Consequently, children are at significant risk of harm. Leaders do not deploy suitably qualified staff well enough to ensure that children are kept safe and that their needs are met. Additionally, the required adult-to-child ratios are not consistently maintained. Staff do not follow procedures to keep children safe. For example, they do not recognise the risk to children's safety of leaving doors open to rooms where there are potential hazards, such as recently boiled kettles within reach of children. The quality of

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

the provision and teaching has significantly deteriorated since the last inspection. Leaders have failed to recognise or address this through their use of monitoring or self-evaluation. Leaders do not effectively support staff to improve the quality of teaching, and staff have limited opportunities to attend training to improve their skills and knowledge. Leaders do not monitor children's progress adequately, including the progress of children for whom they receive additional funding. Leaders fail to ensure that staff build effective partnerships with parents to help support children's learning and welfare. For example, they do not ensure that parents are informed of the frequent changes to key-person arrangements. This means that parents do not always know which staff are responsible for ensuring that the needs of their child are being met.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

The lack of qualifications and poor staff knowledge impact negatively on children's progress and their enjoyment of learning. Staff in senior roles within the baby rooms have a poor understanding of child development. This leads to a lack of focus on helping these children to develop the expected key skills for their age, such as early communication and physical skills. Older children tell visitors that they are bored. They find the limited resources on offer uninspiring. They engage in repetitive play that does not stretch or challenge their learning. For example, they push cars up and down the floor and move around with little purpose. Staff do not provide older children with a positive experience of learning. For example, staff stand around outside and watch children and then tell them not to jump in the puddles, even though they are wearing waterproof boots, as they do not want to have to change children’s clothing. Staff do not make accurate assessments of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

children's learning. For example, because some staff have a poor understanding of the value of play in children's development, they miss opportunities to recognise when children are developing new skills. Furthermore, children do not have daily access to the outdoors.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The weaknesses in leadership and management significantly compromise children's safety and welfare. Children's good health cannot be assured as staff do not maintain suitable standards of cleanliness. For example, children play on dirty floors and staff do not check to ensure that there is toilet paper for children to use. Staff do not promote children's personal, social and emotional development adequately. They humiliate children as a means of managing their behaviour, which undermines children’s self-esteem and confidence. For example, during the inspection a member of staff told an older child that if she eats like a baby then she will have to go and sit with the babies. The lack of challenge for older children leads to deterioration in their behaviour and staff are quick to reprimand children. Staff do not help children to understand what is expected of them. For example, children are frequently told to 'sit nicely' without any further explanation as to what this

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

means. However, staff working with babies and younger children offer lots of cuddles and smiles. Staff supervise sleeping children closely.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Younger children make insufficient progress with their physical and communication skills due to the lack of focus from staff in supporting these key areas of development. Children's rates of progress deteriorate further as they progress through the nursery. Staff are unaware of which children will soon be starting school and children do not gain the skills or dispositions that they need to manage this move well. Children do not develop a positive attitude towards learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY437179 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 1133681 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 60 Number of children on roll 42 Name of registered person Baby Bears Day Care Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 24 November 2016 Telephone number 01908501032

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reference number

Baby Bears Day Care registered in 2011 and is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. The provider employs 15 staff who work with the children, nine of whom hold appropriate qualifications at level 2 or above. 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

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