Childcare on Domestic Premises, Full day care in Blackburn with Darwen

Report for childcare on domestic premises

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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The provision is inadequate

The provider and manager do not have a secure enough understanding to meet all requirements of the early years foundation stage. This has led to several breaches of requirements and some have a significant impact on children's care and learning.

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The provision is inadequate

The quality of education is not consistently good, and some is poor. Some staff do not have a suitable understanding of the curriculum and how to put into effect high-quality learning experiences for children. This means children are not always supported to make good progress. Some recent reflection on practice is beginning to highlight areas for development. However, not enough is being done to ensure good-quality care and education are consistently maintained.

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The provision is inadequate

Children enter happily and warmly greet the staff and their friends. Overall, children enjoy their time with staff and have established close bonds with them. Children particularly enjoy small-group activities, such as playing board games and taking part in 'music and movement sessions'. These help to extend children's social and physical skills. Children also enjoy playing in the well-resourced outdoor area where they ride tricycles, negotiate obstacles and enjoy the freedom of running around.

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need to do better?

n The provider has failed to inform Ofsted about new members of staff. This means full suitability checks have not been obtained for these individuals. This places children at risk of harm. That said, the manager has seen Disclosure and Barring Service checks that have been carried out for these individuals at previous places of work. This reduces some of the risks to children. n The provider has failed to notify Ofsted about a recent fire at the setting. Ofsted accept that, on this occasion, the notification of this significant event was an oversight and not done intentionally to deceive Ofsted. n The monitoring of practice and the quality of education is not good enough. Consequently, this has led to several breaches of requirements. The provider does not always ensure that there are enough qualified staff to work with children and that all staff are deployed effectively. This has a significant impact

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need to do better?

on the quality of care and education children receive during this time. For example, in the mornings, children of all ages are kept in one classroom. This is because staff are yet to start their shifts, are busy with other tasks, such as office work, or are out on the school run. During this time, the room is chaotic and disorganised and leads to many children becoming upset and unsettled. n There are procedures in place to risk assess the premises. However, these are not consistently carried out by staff. Potential hazards, such as exposed wires

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need to do better?

12 December 2019 and plugs in the exploratory room, have not been removed. In the toddler room, staff fail to notice children who wrap long lengths of hanging string around themselves. Additionally, in this room, children are left to wander around with food in their mouths. In the pre-school room, children run around and jump on furniture while eating. Furthermore, these poor interactions at mealtimes do not support children to develop their behaviour and social skills. n Hygiene practices are not consistently implemented. The manager does not ensure that protective clothing, such as disposable aprons, is always available for staff to wear when changing nappies. This leaves staff and children open to potential cross infection. In the baby room, staff fail to notice when babies' dummies trail on the floor and do not act quickly to address this and ensure they are clean. n Although some staff plan some meaningful activities and interact well with

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need to do better?

children, some staff do not. Some staff lack a firm knowledge of how young children learn. Therefore, they do not implement consistent good-quality teaching. Interactions with children are often weak and do not challenge children to make the good progress they are capable of. Additionally, planned activities do not always capture what children need to learn next. This means that gaps in some children's learning are not closing as quickly as they could. n The manager works in the rooms most of the time and offers some basic support to all staff. However, not enough is being done by the manager to supervise and coach staff and provide them with effective feedback to enhance the quality of education provided for children. Training is not prioritised to help staff gain the skills needed for their role and help raise the quality of teaching to the highest level. n Some useful self-evaluation is in place. For example, more information is now

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need to do better?

shared with parents about their child's progress, their time at the setting and how parents can extend children's learning at home. However, not enough is being done to improve the setting and ensure all requirements are consistently met. n Partnerships with parents are positive. Staff make good use of daily conversations and parents' evenings to share useful information with them about their child's time at the setting. Parents comment that they are happy with the setting and that staff are 'lovely' and 'friendly'. n Staff work in partnerships with other agencies and professionals when needed. This means children with special educational needs and/or disabilities get the support they need. The manager is trained in a sign language programme. She offers some support and strategies that help children to extend their communication and language skills.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The weaknesses in leadership and management and some staff's practice place children at significant risk of harm. That said, staff do have a firm understanding of what to do should they have a concern about a child's welfare. Additionally, staff

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Safeguarding

12 December 2019 know what to do if they have concerns about the conduct of a colleague or a member of the leadership team. Staff have attended first-aid training. This means they have the skills needed to deal with an emergency. Some risk assessments to the premises are effectively used. For example, the secured main door provides some protection for children.

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Due date

improve knowledge of the requirements of the early years foundation stage to ensure that all legal requirements are met 31/01/2020

p.4

Due date

ensure staff are always deployed effectively to meet the minimum required qualifications and maintain the correct adult-to-child ratios 31/01/2020

p.4

Due date

improve risk assessment in the toddler room and exploratory room to identify and remove potential hazards and risks to children 03/01/2020

p.4

Due date

improve hygiene routines, particularly around nappy changing procedures, and ensure dummies are kept clean at all times 27/12/2019

p.4

Due date

improve interactions with children, particularly at mealtimes, to ensure they are not placed at risk of harm and are provided with support to extend their behaviour and social skills 27/12/2019

p.4

Due date

strengthen teaching to ensure all staff have a deep understanding of the curriculum and support high-quality interactions with children that challenge them in their development 31/01/2020

p.4

Due date

12 December 2019 ensure all staff plan effectively to help children build on what they already know and can do and help children make the progress they are capable of 31/01/2020

p.4

Due date

provide staff with effective coaching and supervision so they are supported to improve their teaching and personal effectiveness to the highest levels. 31/01/2020

p.5

should:

n strengthen systems for self-evaluation to identify areas of weak practice and improve outcomes for children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2509130 Local authority Blackburn with Darwen Inspection number 10133093 Type of provision Childcare on 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 11 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 53

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Stars registered in 2019. The setting employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, four staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 to 5. Four members of staff are unqualified. The setting opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 7pm, all year round. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This inspection was prioritised following concerns received by Ofsted. n A learning walk of the provision was carried out with the manager. The inspector observed activities, indoors and outside, and assessed the impact these have on children's learning. n A meeting was held with the provider and manager. The inspector looked at relevant documentation and checked evidence of the suitability of staff. n The manager took part in a joint observation with the inspector. n During the inspection, the inspector spoke with the provider, manager, staff and children. n The inspector spoke with some parents and took account of their views.

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Inspection activities

12 December 2019 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

12 December 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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