Little Lights Nursery

Little Lights Nursery Rock Church Ministries, 336 338 High Street, Rochester ME1 1BT

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Inspection date 24 May 2019 Previous inspection date 31 May 2018

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Good 2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate 4 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4 Outcomes for children Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

n Children's welfare is compromised. The lead practitioner has not attended a mandatory child protection training course. This has impacted on staff training, as all staff do not have a secure knowledge in relation to how to identify, understand and respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse and neglect. n The provider has not ensured that at least half of all staff working at the nursery hold a full and relevant level 2 childcare qualification. As a result, staff working with children do not have the required knowledge and skills to keep children safe and ensure they offer good quality teaching and learning experiences. n The provider does not have sufficiently robust recruitment procedures in place to ensure that all staff working with children are suitable. n The provider does not have a named deputy in place who has the required qualification and capacity, to enable them to take charge in the manager's absence.

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This provision is inadequate

n The provider does not ensure they have clear written permission from parents and /or carers to administer to children any medication stored on the premises. n The provider has not informed Ofsted of a change of management at the nursery, which is a statutory requirement. n Most staff working at the nursery do not have sufficient knowledge and skills to enable them to carry out regular assessments of children's learning. As a result, staff are not able to identify any gaps in learning and children do not make sufficient progress in their learning and development.

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It has the following strengths

n Staff communicate well with the children. For instance, they reinforce words with actions to help increase children's vocabulary.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action: We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to: Due date ensure that the lead practitioner has attended an appropriate child protection training course, to enable them to support and guide staff in understanding their role in keeping children safe 10/06/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure that at least half of all staff hold a full and relevant level 2 childcare qualification to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to fully support children's learning and development 10/06/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure there are robust recruitment procedures in place to ensure the suitability of all people looking after children 10/06/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure there is a named deputy in place who has the required qualifications and capacity to enable them to take charge in the manager's absence 12/07/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure any medication (both prescription and non-prescription) is only administered to a child where written permission for that particular medicine has been obtained from the child's parent and/or carer 10/06/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure they inform Ofsted of any notifiable changes to the nursery, such as employing a new manager. 10/06/2019

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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 carry out regular assessments of children to monitor individual children's progress, to ensure they effectively plan to meet children's next steps and ensure all children make sufficient progress in their learning and development. 24/06/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspection was carried out following a risk assessment conducted by Ofsted. n The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including safeguarding policies and procedures, children's development folders and staff files. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector had a tour of the nursery both indoors and outside and held discussions with the provider and manager about how they maintain children's safety and well- being. n The inspector observed the interaction between staff and children and spoke to staff and children to gain their views.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

This inspection was brought forward following concerns raised to Ofsted in relation to staff recruitment and retention, staffing ratios, risk assessments and hygiene. At this inspection, it was found that safeguarding is not effective. The provider has not ensured that there are sufficient qualified staff working with the children to meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage. Therefore, children's well-being is compromised, and they are not adequately challenged and engaged in their play. Staff fail to support children's learning to enable them to make the progress they should. The provider is unable to have a named deputy in place with the required qualification, as there are insufficient qualified staff at the nursery. The safeguarding officer has not completed mandatory training to enable them to keep up to date with their role. As a result, not all staff are fully aware of safeguarding procedures and understand their role

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

in keeping children safe. The provider does not maintain accurate records of staffs' suitability to work with children. For instance, the provider does not obtain references and check previous work history of all staff working with the children. The provider does not have written permission to administer all medication stored at the nursery. The documentation in place for other medication to be administered by staff is not sufficiently clear to ensure the correct dosage of medication is given. The provider has neglected to inform Ofsted of a change in manager at the nursery, which is a statutory requirement. The provider has not ensured that staff have a secure understanding of how to assess children's progress. For example, most staff do not have sufficient knowledge of child development to enable them to identify if a child is making progress in their learning and development. As a result of the lack of monitoring of children, the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

provider does not have sufficient information to enable them to track individuals and groups of children. Therefore, children do not receive the support they need. The provider has established strong links with other professionals and parents to provide children with a continuity of care.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Overall, the quality of teaching is weak. Not all staff have the appropriate knowledge and understanding to enable them to monitor children's progress and sufficiently plan for their next steps in learning. Staff fail to recognise when children are not engaged in purposeful play. They do not consistently support children to develop their mathematical skills, such as learning to compare size and explore numbers through counting. Older children are not given sufficient opportunities to practise their early writing skills to develop their interest in literacy. Staff make use of praise to support children to explore using their senses. For example, children enjoy sticking boxes together and decorating with glitter to explore different materials.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

Children's behaviour is appropriate to their age. The children have a range of activities to engage in. However, these are not sufficiently challenging to focus children's attention, which results in a lack of engagement in activities. All staff do not have the skills needed to enable them to implement consistent strategies to develop children's understanding of taking turns and sharing. Staff do not appropriately set out activities in the outside area to maintain children's safety. For instance, they position tabletop activities in the middle of the play area where children are riding scooters and running around, as well as being in direct sunlight. Staff provide children with healthy snacks and are aware of how to meet the needs of children who have food intolerance or allergies. Staff provide children with opportunities to exercise, such as riding tricycles and scooters in the enclosed outside area to develop their physical skills.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Children do not receive quality teaching and learning experiences to ensure that they are adequately challenged and motivated to learn. Children are not adequately monitored to ensure they are making the progress they are capable of in their learning and development. They do not have sufficient opportunities to prepare them for the next stage in their learning and eventual move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY494219 Local authority Medway Inspection number 10107127 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 0 - 4 Total number of places 39 Number of children on roll 30 Name of registered person The Word House Christian Ministries Trustees

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 31 May 2018 Telephone number 01634829765

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reference number

Little Lights Nursery registered in 2016 and operates in Rochester, Kent. It is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6.30pm for most of the year. The provider receives funding for free early education to children aged two, three and four years. There are eight members of staff working at the nursery, including the provider and cook. Of these, one holds a relevant early years qualification at level 2 and the manager holds a level 6 qualification.

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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.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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