Child 1st Day Nursery

Inspection of Child 1st Day Nursery 41 Broom Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 2EW

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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

There are significant weaknesses across the setting. Managers and staff do not ensure that all children's individual needs are met. Children do not learn that some of their behaviours are unacceptable. This leads to a disorderly environment and some children become upset. Children frequently hit others and throw toys at them. They hide under a table when staff want them to sit down and swing on the door handle of the fire escape. This has a significantly negative impact on the well- being of children in the toddler room and the progress they make.

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The provision is inadequate

The provider's poor curriculum means children do not make the progress they should. The learning needs of children in the older pre-school room are not met well, this includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children are, generally, content and occupied. However, there are insufficient staff in the room to ensure that children engage in purposeful learning experiences. This means that children quickly lose interest and become restless. They are not challenged well or prepared for school.

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The provision is inadequate

Children are not protected from harm and their health is not prioritised. The area where babies sleep is not safe. Babies who wake from their sleep can leave their cots, and access a room with numerous hazards. This includes electric leads, cleaning products and open storage cupboards. Children's safety, health and well- being is compromised.

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The provision is inadequate

All children benefit from spending time outdoors in all weathers. Older children have the opportunity to experience forest school activities. They gain some independence, such as dressing themselves in waterproof clothing. Children talk about butterflies they have seen in the garden. They congratulate each other's accomplishments, such as managing to take their shoes off without help. Babies are supported by staff and form strong relationships. Babies giggle as they explore vinyl records fastened to the wall. Staff encourage this and interact with babies in a nurturing way.

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need to do better?

n The provider has failed to identify and address weaknesses in management and staff practice. The quality of the nursery has significantly declined. Children do not receive an acceptable quality of education. n Although leaders have addressed some recent actions, they have failed to act effectively on all weaknesses. They have not identified all risks to children. Leaders do not ensure that staff complete effective risk assessments relating to hygiene. This has resulted in the levels of hygiene at the nursery being poorly maintained. The areas children use and play in are not clean. Children's health is

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need to do better?

6 July 2021 not prioritised. Although they have considered some effective ways to minimise the spread of infection relating to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, cleaning routines are insufficient. Some surfaces that staff and children touch regularly are not cleaned. n Leaders have not identified that the room where babies sleep is unsuitable. Babies are not safe when they are in this room and unsupervised by staff. Staff cannot guarantee that they are aware when a child has left their cot. This means that babies can freely explore the room and be exposed to considerable risk of injury. n Leaders do not ensure that all written records are completed for the safe and effective management of the nursery. Documents for staff to use relating to risk assessments, records of concerns about children and the actions taken are not sufficiently completed. This does not keep children safe. n Although the manager monitors staff this has not been effective in identifying

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need to do better?

and addressing weak areas of staff practice. The quality of teaching is variable and children do not consistently receive good teaching and learning experiences. Staff working with babies have a stronger understanding of how to support their learning. Babies confidently explore the well-planned learning environment. They eagerly crawl after a ball and are motivated to pull themselves up to a standing position. They use their senses to learn about their immediate environment. Children in the younger pre-school room concentrate and solve problems as they balance objects to build bridges. However, the provision for children in the toddler room and older pre-school room is poor. n Staff do not have a high expectation of children's behaviour and do not help them to learn about boundaries. They fail to help children learn how to use resources with care. Staff do not help children learn to manage their feelings

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need to do better?

and behaviour or consistently provide them with positive role models. On occasion, some staff use an aggressive tone of voice when they speak to children. As result, children do not always behave well. n The provider does not ensure that staffing arrangements in the older pre-school room meet the needs of all children, including those with SEND. Although ratios are met, the number of staff is insufficient to provide all children with the support they need to receive quality learning experiences. Additional funding is available to support children with SEND, however leaders have decided not to use this. Staff know what they need to do to support children with SEND but cannot implement the targeted teaching due to insufficient staffing levels. This has a negative impact on the progress that older pre-school children and those with SEND make. n Overall, staff know children well, however, not all staff use their observations of

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need to do better?

children to help them to build on what they know and can do. Staff working in the toddler room do not prioritise the learning on the areas that children most need. They do not give children the opportunity to help with dressing themselves to support their independence. n The manager and staff work closely with parents. This helps staff to gather information about children's interests. They regularly talk to parents to exchange information about children's achievements. Parents report they are happy with the care their children receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Although the safeguarding policy has recently been updated, leaders and staff do not ensure this is implemented effectively. This leaves children vulnerable and at potential risk of harm. The manager, who is also the designated safeguarding lead, has not ensured timely action is taken to refer safeguarding concerns about children to external agencies without delay. In addition, some staff do not know how to escalate and report concerns for themselves. Children's safety is not prioritised. The manager and staff do not keep accurate written records relating to concerns about children. Information is missing and there is no clear record of what action was taken and when. Children are not adequately protected from harm. Risk management is ineffective within the setting. Leaders fail to ensure that staff complete necessary checks to identify and eliminate all potential risks to children and babies. This puts children at significant risk of harm. There are

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Safeguarding

appropriate recruitment procedures in place for new staff to ensure they are suitable to work with children.

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Due date

implement the safeguarding policy to ensure concerns about children are reported to the agencies with statutory responsibilities without delay 06/08/2021

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Due date

ensure all staff know how to report concerns to the agencies with statutory responsibilities for child protection, if they are worried about children in their care 06/08/2021

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Due date

implement effective risk assessments relating to hygiene and safety to ensure indoor spaces are safe and clean for children to use 06/08/2021

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Due date

6 July 2021 ensure records which are kept for the safe and efficient management of the setting are fully completed, particularly records relating to risk assessments and concerns about children. 06/08/2021

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Due date

implement effective monitoring and professional develop for staff to identify and address weak areas of practice, and raise teaching to a good level 06/10/2021

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Due date

ensure that all staff know how to effectively manage the behaviour of children and do so in an appropriate way 06/10/2021

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Due date

ensure staffing arrangements in the pre- school room meet the needs of all children, especially those with SEND 06/10/2021

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Due date

implement an ambitious curriculum that helps children to build on what they know and can do, in order for them to make good progress 06/10/2021

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Due date

use information gained from observations of children's achievements, to plan and implement learning experiences that challenge all children. 06/10/2021

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY396797 Local authority Stoke-on-Trent Inspection number 10199037 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

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inspection

Total number of places 119 Number of children on roll 121 Name of registered person CHILD 1ST (STOKE) LTD

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reference number

Telephone number 01782 911919 Date of previous inspection 5 May 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Child 1st Day Nursery registered in 2009. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold an early years qualification at level 5, 12 hold a qualification at level 3 and two hold a qualification at level 2. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the setting and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The inspection was completed following a risk assessment of concerns received about the setting. n The manager and the inspectors completed a learning walk together to discuss the curriculum and how this is implemented. n The inspectors observed teaching practices and considered the impact these have on children's learning. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager and evaluated the quality of teaching and learning.

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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 July 2021 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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