Highfield House Nursery

Highfield House Nursery 100 Galley Lane, Milton Keynes MK17 9AA

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Inspection date 25 April 2019 Previous inspection date Not applicable

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Not applicable Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4 Outcomes for children Good 2

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This provision is inadequate

n The provider has not ensured that agency staff have an adequate understanding of the safeguarding policy and procedures. Agency staff do not understand how to act on child protection concerns or disclosures made by children. They are not familiar with Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. This has an impact on children's safety and well-being. n The provider has not effectively ensured that agency staff can identify the different types of abuse and their potential signs and symptoms. They do not understand how to identify children at risk of radical and extreme views. This puts children at risk of harm. n Managers are developing more-robust procedures for monitoring staff performance and raising the quality of teaching. However, this is still in progress. n Managers have recognised that procedures for partnership working with staff at other settings that children attend are not fully embedded.

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It has the following strengths

n Teaching is strong. Staff provide plenty of opportunity for children to think for themselves. For instance, they challenge children to decide what ingredients to put in mixing bowls as they make play dough. n Staff manage children's behaviour well. They provide lots of positive praise. They sing songs to children at routine times of day. This helps children understand rules and expectations. Children are well behaved. n Staff support children's care needs well. This is demonstrated as they prepare and settle children for their sleep time, following their routines from home. n Children are keen and enthusiastic learners. They make good progress from their starting points.

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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 ensure all agency staff understand the nursery safeguarding policy and procedures, and have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues, including how to respond to any child protection concerns or disclosures in an appropriate and timely manner 26/05/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

provide training, support, advice and guidance to any staff on an ongoing basis on safeguarding issues as required 26/05/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure that all agency staff know how to identify children who are at risk from radical and extreme views, in order to keep children and their families safe. 26/05/2019

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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 refine processes for monitoring staff practice and raise the quality of teaching to an even higher level n enhance partnership working with staff at other settings that children attend and help to ensure a consistent approach to children's learning and development.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

n The inspector had a tour of the setting. n The inspector carried out an evaluation of teaching with the manager, following a planned activity. n The inspector met and held discussions with the provider. The inspector met with managers, including the operations manager. She discussed self-evaluation and plans for further improvement. She looked at relevant documentation, such as policies, procedures and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n The inspector spoke to the staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is not effective. Although directly employed staff have a secure knowledge of how to keep children safe, agency staff have a poor understanding of safeguarding. For example, they do not know how to respond to concerns about children's welfare and they are not aware of different types of abuse and their signs and symptoms. They have a weak understanding of how to recognise and protect children who are at risk from extreme views and behaviour. Through discussion with the inspector, they demonstrate that they fail to understand how to keep children safe within the setting. The provider and managers have not recognised their responsibility to provide support and advice to agency staff on safeguarding issues. They have not ensured that agency staff fully understand the safeguarding policy and procedures. This puts children at risk of harm. Nevertheless, managers have a positive approach to further improvement. They involve

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

all staff in the creation and review of their nursery development plan. This helps staff to work together to make the provision better.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff know their key children well. They plan exciting learning opportunities which link to children's next steps and interests. For example, staff invite children to make play dough. They challenge children to decide what ingredients they need to use and children make independent choices. They scoop their own flour and measure water in jugs. As children mix ingredients together, staff describe what they are doing using words, such as 'stir', 'add', 'more' and 'pour'. This helps to develop children's language. Children cooperate with each other, taking turns to mix ingredients. They enjoy exploring their end product, squishing dough between their fingers and using tools to create shapes and patterns. Managers monitor and compare the achievement of groups of children effectively. This is demonstrated when they compare the performance of groups of children and identify appropriate action to help to improve children's achievement. For instance, managers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

identified children were making less progress in mathematics. They organised professional development opportunities for staff to share and implement ideas for increasing opportunities to engage children in mathematical learning. Staff now observe more children showing an interest in mathematics and this is having a positive impact on outcomes.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Weaknesses with regard to safeguarding demonstrate that the provider and managers do not have fully effective procedures in place to ensure children's safety and welfare. However, staff support children well to develop their independence. This is illustrated when they encourage children to persevere and put their own aprons on before creative activities. The oldest children serve their own food at lunchtimes and select cutlery for their meals. Staff build positive partnerships with parents. They liaise with them closely during children's settling-in visits. This helps them to support children's routines when they start at the setting. For instance, staff help children to settle at sleep time well. They use calm voices and tuck children in with their soft toy from home. This promotes children's emotional development. Staff provide suggestions for parents to help them to support their children's learning at home, such as termly home-learning ideas. Staff

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

regularly seek the views of parents. Following feedback, the nursery chef provides recipes from the daily menu which children enjoy cooking at home. Children have plenty of opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air. This helps to promote children's good health.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children are gaining the key skills in readiness for school. Older children develop strong physical skills. They hold pens with control and draw wiggly worms on the paper. They pour and scoop water carefully down tubes and funnels. They show great interest when exploring spaghetti and select and push long pieces down tubes. The youngest children develop their communication and language skills well. They show an interest in visitors, smiling and waving their hands as they babble with excitement. They begin to handle books and enjoy listening to stories. They sing songs with their friends and begin to use number names in their play.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY545595 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 10101320 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 78 Name of registered person Aktiva Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 020 3198 6114

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reference number

Highfield House Nursery re-registered in 2017 under a new company name. It is run by Aktiva Nurseries Ltd. It is located in Great Brickhill, near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. The nursery is open on weekdays from 7.30am until 6pm, throughout the year. It receives funding for the provision of free early education for children age two, three and four years. The nursery employs 19 members of staff. Of these, 17 work with children and 16 of these hold appropriate early years qualifications between level 2 and level 6. The nursery employs two temporary members of staff through an agency.

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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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