The Willows, Toad Hall Nursery

Inspection of The Willows, Toad Hall Nursery Toad Hall Nursery, 705 Wharfedale Road, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 5RB

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is inadequate

Children's welfare and safety are compromised. Leaders and managers do not ensure that all staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. Staff's attention to children's health and safety is ineffective because they do not consistently implement effective risk assessments. For example, staff working with babies do not consider potential risks to children and, as a result, provide unsuitable activities that could put children at risk of choking, such as playing with small pieces of raw vegetables.

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The provision is inadequate

Some staff in the baby room fail to ensure children's emotional needs are met. Babies are frequently left to cry while staff carry out everyday tasks, such as cleaning table mats and taking the snack trolley to the kitchen. Some babies show signs of distress and others are frequently left to occupy themselves or spend long periods being carried around by staff, without anything to do. This hinders the progress children make as they are unable to explore and investigate their environment.

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The provision is inadequate

Older children enjoy listening to stories. They remain focused during story time and contribute to the questions asked by staff. They join in with simple actions while singing familiar songs. This helps to extend their vocabulary. However, staff are not all aware of children's home languages, and therefore children are not encouraged to develop their home language during their play and learning.

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need to do better?

n Staff working with babies do not recognise that some activities are not suitable for the age and stage of the children. For example, staff give them chopped raw vegetables to use during role-play activities and do not check if these could become a choking hazard. Babies as young as 12 months were observed putting circular pieces of raw carrot into their mouths, while others were observed eating other raw vegetables, including courgettes. n Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff's professional development is promoted effectively. Current supervision arrangements are not robust. They do not identify under-performance of staff in order to raise teaching and improve practice. Staff working with babies do not understand their responsibility to promote children's safety and well-being. n Leaders and managers do not ensure that staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children, to enhance their learning and maintain their safety and well-

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need to do better?

being. The deployment of staff is not effective in the baby room to ensure that children's emotional needs are met. Staff interactions are not consistently good enough to help children to feel safe and secure. Some staff do not fully understand their key-person responsibilities. For example, they carry out routine

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need to do better?

6 January 2020 tasks, in preference to tending to children who are upset or tired. n Staff miss ways to embed children's self-care skills. For example, they do not encourage children to recognise when their noses need to be wiped and support them to do this independently. Nevertheless, overall, staff promote children's health and well-being effectively. Children benefit from healthy, nutritious meals and snacks and have regular fresh air and exercise. For instance, they play in the well-resourced garden. Their individual dietary needs, such as allergies and preferences, are taken into consideration. This helps to protect children from foods that may harm them. n Well-established partnership working with other professionals and parents has a positive impact on children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the support they need to help them to progress. Parents comment that their children enjoy attending the nursery and staff keep them

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need to do better?

well involved in their children's learning and development. This enables them to support their children's learning at home. n Older children behave well. Staff support their positive behaviour effectively, and consistently remind them of their high expectations. Children participate in interesting activities and discussions to help them to understand feelings and how their behaviour impacts on others. n Children enjoy the time they spend outdoors and show high levels of imagination as they use the mud kitchen and act out their own experiences, such as preparing meals with their friends. They use the available resources, such as stones in the garden, to represent meatballs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Breaches in the safeguarding and welfare requirements compromise children's safety and welfare. Policies and procedures to promote children's safety and well- being are not consistently implemented across the nursery. Although staff complete daily risk assessments, some staff fail to recognise when some activities are hazardous. Staff complete regular safeguarding training and most have a secure understanding of the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. However, some staff are unclear of the procedures to follow if they report a concern about children's welfare within the organisation, and appropriate action is not taken. Leaders make sure staff are suitable to work with children through robust recruitment procedures.

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Due date

6 January 2020 ensure all staff fully understand and implement the setting's safeguarding policies and procedures, including how to respond in the event that those with lead responsibility do not take appropriate action 10/01/2020

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Due date

implement rigorous risk assessments to ensure that all activities are age- appropriate and any potential hazards are identified and removed to maintain children's safety 07/01/2020

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Due date

ensure that staff working with the youngest children are deployed effectively to meet children's care and learning needs and promote their welfare fully 10/01/2020

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Due date

improve arrangements for the supervision and monitoring of staff, to ensure that staff fully fulfil their responsibilities to provide good-quality care and learning experiences for all children 24/01/2020

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Due date

improve the key-person system to make sure the emotional needs of babies are always fully supported 10/01/2020

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Due date

ensure that staff are made aware of children's home languages in order to provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning 17/01/2020

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Due date

ensure staff have a good understanding of the age and stage of children and provide safe activities. 17/01/2020

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should:

n provide further opportunities for children to consistently develop their independence with all aspects of their self-care.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY471521 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 10066990 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 to 4 Total number of places 72 Number of children on roll 74 Name of registered person Careroom Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01189 692525 Date of previous inspection 24 May 2016

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Information about this early years setting

The Willows, Toad Hall Nursery registered in 2013 and operates from a purpose- built building in Winnersh, Berkshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm all year round, except for bank holidays. Staff can offer care from 7.30am by arrangement. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. It employs 22 staff who work with the children. Of these, 14 hold relevant early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds a level 6 qualification.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and the children and considered the impact on their learning. n The inspector asked the staff questions throughout the inspection to establish their understanding of how to safeguard children. n The inspector sampled documentation, including staff qualifications, children's records and evidence of paediatric first-aid training. n A joint observation was completed with the deputy manager, and the inspector asked her to evaluate the teaching. n The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views.

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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

6 January 2020 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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