Little Stars Nursery

Little Stars Nursery 2a Devonshire Road, Gravesend, Kent DA12 5AA

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Inspection date 30 January 2019 Previous inspection date 8 May 2017

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Good 2 Effectiveness of 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

n The provider, who is also the manager, has failed to risk assess all aspects of the provision sufficiently. Staff do not take all reasonable steps to ensure that children are safe and secure in the nursery. n The provider repeatedly fails to ensure that staff are well deployed to enable them to fully meet children's individual needs. In addition, at times, she does not organise staffing to ensure staff hold the correct level of qualification in all of the rooms. n Staff do not assess or monitor children's progress well enough, to ensure that accurate and appropriate information is used to support their ongoing learning and development. n At times, some staff do not encourage children to share their ideas, thoughts and knowledge about things that interest them, to help build on their learning. n Staff do not engage all parents consistently to encourage them to share information and contribute to their children's learning.

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It has the following strengths

n Staff are kind and caring. They develop appropriate attachments with children from the start. Children settle quickly and they actively seek staff's interactions throughout the day. Parents comment that children are 'happy' to come to the nursery. n Staff use simple techniques to develop children's early communication and language skills. For example, they consistently model how to use language and words when speaking to children. This helps to support all children, in particular those who learn English as an additional language. n Staff provide a welcoming environment. Children of different ages have access to an appropriate mix of resources, which they freely explore.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date review the risk assessment process and take action to ensure that the premises are secure and all risks to children's safety are minimised effectively minimised 05/03/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

improve staffing arrangements to ensure that children are adequately supervised and their care and learning needs are consistently met 05/03/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

improve the assessment procedures to ensure that staff accurately monitor children's progress and use this information to plan effective activities and support, in order to help all children make the best progress 05/03/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure that the correct staff qualification ratios are maintained. 05/03/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

n develop staff's awareness of consistently responding to and extending children's interests to promote their learning further n explore more ways to encourage all parents to contribute to and support their child's learning.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector viewed interactions between the staff and children in the inside space and the outdoor environment. n The inspector gained feedback from parents and considered their views. n The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including the nursery's policies and staff records. n The inspector spoke to the provider at different times throughout the inspection to discuss practice, and invited her to complete a joint observation. n The inspector spoke to staff and looked at developmental records for individual children.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective. The provider does not ensure that staff are vigilant about keeping children safe. They fail to maintain a safe and secure environment for children. For instance, on occasions when staff let themselves out of the front door, they fail to inform other staff. This means that the front door is left unlocked and unsupervised. The provider has failed to identify the risk of a child opening the door and leaving the premises unsupervised. However, staff do have a knowledge and understanding of current safeguarding issues and requirements, and of the relevant procedures to follow if they have any concerns. Although required staff ratios are met, the organisation of staff means that children's needs are not supported effectively. For example, at times when the numbers of children are low, only two staff work in the nursery and they are not deployed effectively. The youngest children are left in the care of a member of staff who

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

does not hold an appropriate level 3 qualification as required. The other staff member is left to care for older children in a separate room, downstairs. The provider acknowledges that staff are stretched, and at times, they have to leave children unsupervised for short periods, for example to open the front door to welcome and chat to parents and other children arriving at the nursery. The provider works with her deputy to mentor and support the staff team to develop its skills. However, this has not had a significant impact on improving outcomes for children. Some self-evaluation takes place. However, the provider has not recognised or addressed breaches of requirement and significant weaknesses in practice.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff complete some observations of children during their play. However, they do not consistently reflect on their observations and assessments to help them recognise what children can do and plan meaningful next steps to support children's learning. The provider acknowledges that monitoring processes are not currently being used to track children's progress to help identify any gaps in development. The information staff gather from parents when children start is focused on children's care needs. Staff do not gather sufficient detail to help inform their initial assessments and planning, to provide support for children's learning from the start. They talk to parents daily and discuss the activities children have participated in. However, they do not consistently exchange information with parents to help encourage continuity in children's learning at home and at the nursery. Some staff do not consistently interact and support children's learning,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

including asking them questions to help enhance their interests and improve their learning. However, some staff provide exciting experiences and support children's learning well. For example, staff used questions to encourage children to talk about how uncooked pasta feels and how this could be made soft. Children showed a good understanding as they talked about how they needed to boil the pasta to 'make it soft so they can eat it'.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The significant weaknesses in leadership and management have an impact on children's care and safety. Insufficient staffing arrangements means that at times, the supervision of children is inadequate. However, overall, children are supported to learn to cooperate and respect each other and their environment. For example, when children accidentally dropped pasta on the floor, other children immediately came to help. They worked together to use a dustpan and brush to clean up the mess.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children are making some appropriate progress in their learning and development. For example, babies start to use their developing grip to hold and shake maracas. Older children use cutlery with coordination as they cut fruit and feed themselves at snack time. However, children do not make the progress they are capable of due to weaknesses in teaching.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY331503 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10079059 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 16 Name of registered person Tuitt, Leiza Veronica

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 8 May 2017 Telephone number 01474 354720

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reference number

Little Stars Nursery registered in 2006 and is located in Gravesend, Kent. It is open Monday to Friday from 7am to 7pm for 50 weeks of the year. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are six members of staff, all of whom hold relevant early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The provider holds an appropriate level 4 early years qualification and one of the deputies holds qualified teacher status.

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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.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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