Ashbourne Day Nurseries At Central Milton Keynes

Inspection of Ashbourne Day Nurseries At Central Milton Keynes Oldbrook House, 19 Boycott Avenue, Oldbrook, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK6 2PN

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision requires improvement

Children are happy and enjoy their time at this socially and culturally diverse nursery. They behave reasonably well and build positive relationships with staff and each other. Staff are caring and friendly. They sensitively support children to separate from their parents and use what they find out about children to help them to settle in. However, some weaknesses in senior leadership and staffing have a negative impact on the quality of the provision.

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The provision requires improvement

Children help themselves to the limited range of resources on offer, but the variability of staff interaction and engagement does not ensure that all children remain purposefully involved in play and learning. Staff set out their intention for learning but do not effectively plan appropriate activities to support this. Consequently, some children's attention deteriorates, or they wander about looking for something else to do.

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The provision requires improvement

The senior management team does not monitor the curriculum content and its implementation closely enough. The manager is leaving and does not monitor staff practice effectively. Nevertheless, the newly appointed manager is extremely experienced and demonstrates the capacity to improve teaching rapidly. She is keen to model positive teaching and build a strong staff team. She has high expectations of what individual children can achieve and is committed to raising standards quickly.

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need to do better?

n The quality of staff interaction with children over two years of age is variable. It is not consistently good enough to help children to make appropriate progress in their learning. Some staff do not model correct use of language or extend children's vocabulary in an effective way. n Some staff do not fully understand their key-person responsibilities. They busy themselves with domestic tasks in preference to attending to children's needs. A member of staff comforts a child who is struggling to leave their parent, but then later leaves the unsettled child alone while she goes to wipe up a milk spillage. n Staff created a nursery beach in the outdoor area to provide a unique experience for children who are not having a holiday this year. A background mural of sea, sand and palm trees added to the authentic scene, completed with sun chairs, sand moulds, buckets and spades. Despite acknowledging that children are still interested in this activity, staff have not capitalised on its

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need to do better?

success. They have abandoned the remaining sand and resources in the corner of the garden. n Newly appointed staff ensure that younger children competently feed

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need to do better?

10 September 2019 themselves and are developing good social skills at mealtimes. However, children over two years old find it hard to eat jacket potatoes with a fork and staff do not provide extra cutlery. Therefore, older children do not learn the personal skills associated with good table manners and being ready for the next stage of their learning. n Senior management is not sufficiently aware of the pressures on staff. For example, due to a shortfall in resources, such as the lack of a mop and bucket, staff undertake duties such as cleaning the floor of the children's toilets with paper towels. This has a negative impact on workload and takes staff away from their responsibilities to children. n Staff know what they want children to learn, based on what they know children can already do. They describe how they intend to refresh older children's existing knowledge of handwashing routines. However, the planned focus

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need to do better?

becomes muddled as staff talk about staying clean, the effect exercise has on the body and how to wash, dry and care for dolls. Some children do not benefit from this teaching as staff did not think to provide simple visual aids, such as soap and towels. n Children enjoy playing in the outdoor area. Older children successfully negotiate the home-made obstacle course made from low-level planks and stepping stones. They test their skills of coordination as they ride the wheeled toys and throw and catch balls with staff. Younger children fill and empty containers with bark chippings. They learn to care for living things and plant peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of how to safeguard and protect children. Overall, they have a good knowledge of all aspects of safeguarding matters. This knowledge is updated on a regular basis through training and staff meetings. The training manager checks staff knowledge by asking questions and presenting them with scenarios to test out what they would do. Robust recruitment procedures help to ensure that staff are suitable. Staff complete regular risk assessments on the environment to identify and act on any hazards.

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Due date

10 September 2019 improve the levels of staff interaction to a consistently good quality to provide effective support for children's speaking and listening skills 01/10/2019

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Due date

ensure that each key person provides effective support to offer a settled relationship for the child and enable them to become familiar with the nursery. 01/10/2019

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should:

n provide age-appropriate tools and support for older children at mealtimes so that they develop good social skills and independence in feeding themselves n take account of the pressures on staff to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities to children n present learning clearly to children and help staff to consistently plan and sequence activities in a coherent way so that children benefit from meaningful learning across the curriculum.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2518457 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 10120229 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 to 4 Total number of places 80 Number of children on roll 63 Name of registered person Ashbourne Day Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07968486908 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Central Milton Keynes registered in 2019. The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, 14 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector and the manager completed a learning walk in the nursery to gain an understanding of how this early years provision and the curriculum is organised. n A joint observation was carried out by the inspector and the manager. n The inspector held discussions with staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection. n Observations were shared with members of the senior management team throughout the inspection. The inspector held discussions about the management of the nursery with the provider. n Some documents were looked at. This included evidence about staff suitability and training.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

10 September 2019 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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