Bushytails Pre-School

Inspection of Bushytails Pre-School Kingsthorpe Village Primary School, Knights Lane, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN2 6QL

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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 Good

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The provision is inadequate

The quality of practice has declined significantly since the last inspection. Children's welfare is not fully assured. Recruitment processes are not effective in ensuring that all staff are suitable to work with children. Staff and members of the committee do not all have a good understanding of their roles and responsibility to safeguard children. The key-person system is not effective in tailoring learning to children's individual needs.

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The provision is inadequate

Children's learning experiences are not always positive and the learning environment is noisy and chaotic at times. This means that children are not able to concentrate and learn effectively. For example, children take part in an activity where they wash their hands using liquid soap and sponges. Staff ask some simple questions about what they are doing. However, their interactions do not maintain the interest of the children and they quickly lose interest and wander off.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff do not have high expectations for children's behaviour and attitudes. They are not deployed effectively enough to ensure that children receive the attention and support they need. Children are not inspired to engage in meaningful play. They become bored quickly and this results in children becoming disengaged from their learning. Staff do not implement consistent strategies to manage children's behaviour. At times, children are left to run around unsupervised which results in frequent bumps and accidents.

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need to do better?

n Staff deployment is weak and children are not always supervised effectively. Staff do not recognise when they need to adjust what they are doing to support the needs of the children. Staff do not teach children to understand expectations and boundaries. On several occasions during the inspection, the inspector identified risks to children's safety that the manager and staff did not see. For example, staff do not always notice when children hit others or respond when they throw toys. They fail to address negative behaviour effectively and this impacts on children's play and learning. n Children are generally happy to attend and most separate from their carers without fuss. Staff welcome parents and children with a smile when they arrive. However, not all staff are skilful or proactive in engaging children in play. Some quieter and less-confident children are left to wander from one activity to another with little interaction from staff. This does not support children's well-

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need to do better?

being. n Parents spoken to on the day of inspection comment that their children are settled and happy to attend. However, key persons do not always share important information with parents, to help them understand their children's

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need to do better?

12 March 2020 level of development. Appropriate complaints procedures are not followed in response to concerns raised by parents and any action taken is not recorded. n Staff provide children with opportunities to play outdoors and develop their physical skills. For example, children build walkways with crates and demonstrate their balance and coordination skills as they walk across them. However, staff often stand and watch the children as they play. Their lack of meaningful interaction does not support children to extend their learning. n Children are confident communicators. They enjoy engaging in conversations with visitors about what they are doing. For example, they are keen to describe the 'rainbow' they are painting and can name some of the colours. Other children are confident to ask them for paper, so that they can paint a picture too. n Staff provide children with healthy snack choices and support them to wash their

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need to do better?

hands before eating. Children help themselves to raisins and chopped-up apple from bowls on the table using their fingers. However, staff do not notice when children put some of their food back. This does not support good hygiene practice and children risk cross-contamination as they pick up foods that other children have already touched. n Lunchtime is not a positive or sociable experience for children. Staff are often preoccupied attending to routine duties. As a result, children engage in disruptive behaviour and noise levels become very high. Some children cover their ears with their hands and others become upset and anxious. Although staff see what is happening, it is the manager who intervenes and comforts the child who is crying. The lack of support from staff affects children's enjoyment and does not support their individual needs. n Leaders and managers fail to recognise significant weaknesses in practice. They

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need to do better?

do not have effective systems in place to evaluate and monitor the quality of the provision. Since their last inspection, there has been a number of changes to the committee. This has resulted in an unsettling time for the manager and the staff team. The new chairperson of the committee and the manager demonstrate a positive attitude towards working together to address any necessary improvements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Weaknesses in leadership and management mean that children's safety is not assured. Safer recruitment procedures are not followed to check that staff are suitable for their role. Identity and vetting checks are not always completed. Staff inductions do not include safeguarding or child protection training. Some staff and committee members do not have a good understanding of safeguarding. This means that they do not have the knowledge to respond appropriately to any concerns about children's welfare, or to an allegation made against a member of staff. Staff implement effective systems to ensure the premises are secure.

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Due date

ensure the committee, managers and staff are trained to understand and implement the safeguarding policy and procedures, in particular their knowledge and understanding of how to respond and report allegations against a member of staff 27/04/2020

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Due date

ensure robust procedures are in place for recruitment, including detailed records about the identity and vetting processes, to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children 27/04/2020

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Due date

ensure induction procedures are rigorous, and that staff are trained to understand and implement the safeguarding policy and procedure 27/04/2020

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Due date

ensure staffing arrangements provide children with adequate supervision to meet their learning and welfare needs 27/04/2020

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Due date

ensure the key-person system is effective in meeting the learning and care needs of all the children and that parents are fully informed of their children's progress 27/04/2020

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Due date

ensure that strategies used to manage children's behaviour are effective and consistently support children to learn to manage their feelings and gain an understanding of how their behaviour can have a negative impact on others 27/04/2020

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Due date

implement effective practices to ensure children's good health and hygiene, with particularly regard to minimise the risk of cross contamination at snack time 27/04/2020

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Due date

12 March 2020 keep a written record of any complaints made, including the actions taken 27/04/2020

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Due date

ensure the arrangements for monitoring staff practice are effective and provide support, training and coaching to improve interactions with children and engage them in purposeful play to promote their learning 27/04/2020

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY271062 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 10073269 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 Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 31 Name of registered person Bushytails Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07765 970 912 Date of previous inspection 14 April 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Bushytails Pre-School registered in 2003. The pre-school is located on the site of Kingsthorpe Village Primary School, Northampton. The pre-school employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, four members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or 5. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, during term time. Sessions are from 8.45am until 11.45am and from 12.30pm until 3.30pm with a lunch club on Monday to Thursday from 11.45am until 12.30pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector completed a learning walk with the manager and discussed how the early years curriculum is organised. n The inspector held discussions with staff and spoke with children at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager and looked at relevant documents, including evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre- school and members of the committee who have responsibility for overseeing the running of the provision. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection 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

12 March 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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