Victoria's Nursery

Inspection of Victoria's Nursery 121 Burnley Road, Padiham, Burnley, Lancashire BB12 8BA

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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

Weak leadership and an unacceptable standard of care have resulted in this setting failing to provide children with a good level of education. There are many identified breaches to requirements. Some of these have been raised with the provider before. These failings place children at significant risk of harm and severely impacts on their health, safety, well-being and their learning and development. Expectations for what children can achieve are not high enough.

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The provision is inadequate

There are not enough staff present to keep children safe and to ensure their care and learning needs are met. The key-person system is weak and does not support the emotional well-being of all children. Children that are new to the setting are very upset and unsettled. Staff do not know enough about these children to help to settle them in and make them feel comfortable and reassured. Children who have attended the setting for longer wander around, lack concentration, and are not engaged in meaningful learning opportunities. This, in turn, has a negative impact on their behaviour. Staff fail to engage with children appropriately to support their learning and help them understand instructions. This means children become easily frustrated. Staff do not help children understand their own and other's feelings. Staff place too much emphasis on the need for children to apologise, rather than helping children understand the consequences of their actions. This does not help

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The provision is inadequate

children develop an awareness of unacceptable behaviour.

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need to do better?

n Leadership and management are inadequate. The provider, who is also the manager, does not have a sufficient understanding of how to meet the learning and development or the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the early years foundation stage. n There are insufficient staff on the premises to meet the needs of the children. As a result, the environment is disorganised, chaotic and noisy. These significant weaknesses do not support children's learning or their emotional well-being. More established children do demonstrate they feel secure, as they happily enter the setting. However, the distinct lack of interaction from staff means they become boisterous and engage in less meaningful play. For example, they stand on toys and slide across the floor. During the inspection, a baby is left in a car seat for a prolonged period because staff are busy with other tasks. n The provider and staff do not take all necessary steps to minimise risks to

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need to do better?

children, both indoors and outside. This places children at extreme risk of harm. In the pre-school room, there are trailing wires from plugged-in appliances where children play and a large fridge-freezer that children can easily access. The baby room safety gate is not secure and could fall on a child. Despite carrying out a risk assessment in the garden, staff fail to notice or act to remove

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need to do better?

20 September 2021 visible hazards. These include items such as an unravelled hosepipe, mouldy toys and resources, and plastic wrappers. In addition, staff and visitors' safety is also compromised. This is because the office, which is also the route to the staff toilet, is cluttered with equipment and resources. There is a dismantled outdoor swing and lengths of cable which pose a trip and fall hazard. n The indoor fire exit is obstructed with children's bags, car seats and a pushchair. The outdoor fire escape exit and staircase are obstructed. This does not allow for the safe evacuation of children and staff in the event of an emergency. Furthermore, the exit gate is locked with no accessible key. These identified hazards place children and staff at significant risk of harm in the event of an emergency. n The provider does not ensure that the children's bathroom in the pre-school room is safe. Staff know a toilet seat is loose but fail to act to stop children

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need to do better?

accessing it. Staff fail to notice or act when children remove toilet rolls from the bathroom. This means that children are not able to address their own personal hygiene needs. Although staff replace paper towels, these are placed on a high windowsill and not in the paper-towel holder. This means some smaller children cannot reach them and, therefore, cannot dry their own hands. This does not support good handwashing procedures that minimise the potential spread of germs. n The provider and staff do not ensure children's good health. These extremely concerning risks place children at immediate risk of harm. The floor in the 'Tweenie' room is ripped and has not been replaced, despite the provider and staff having identified this some time ago. The damaged flooring harbours food waste which has not been removed. Children are observed playing on the floor which is unhygienic. The pots used to house children's personal belongings, such

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need to do better?

as their dummies and cups, are not kept clean. The inspector found that a child's dummy was placed next to a dirty sponge. In addition, these uncovered items are exposed to flies that are present in the room. Babies' high chairs are not thoroughly cleaned by staff after use. Other items, such as the water dispenser, are not kept in good clean condition and are not fit for use by the children. n During the inspection, the kitchen bin was overflowing with food waste from the previous day. As a result, it produced an unpleasant odour and there were flies in the food preparation area. The kitchen is unhygienic and not kept in a condition suitable for the safe preparation of children's meals. Staff allow children to have orange juice in bottles, which does not promote their oral health. Staff fail to notice that there are no cups by the water dispenser. This means older children cannot help themselves to fresh drinking water as is

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need to do better?

required. They must wait for staff to provide them with a drink. n The lack of experienced and qualified staff massively affects the smooth running of the setting and does not support children's emotional well-being. When staff become aware that children maybe infectious and are feeling unwell, the acute lack of staff means they are not able to help and support children at this time. Furthermore, staff do not take steps to ensure that these children do not pose a risk of cross infection to others. Children are left unattended even though they are extremely upset.

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need to do better?

20 September 2021 n The provider has failed to ensure there is a suitable person to take on the role of deputy while the current deputy manager is on leave. The provider takes and collects older children from school. This means there are periods when the setting is left with no manager or deputy on site. This, in turn, leads to a severe lack of communication among the team. For example, children who are not expected that day are allowed in by staff. This means the minimum qualification and ratio requirements are not maintained. This significantly impacts on the level of care children receive. n Children are not provided with a curriculum which meets their learning needs. Activities are not purposefully planned and are not implemented well enough to build on what children already know and can do. For example, staff simply watch children as they play. They do not engage with children to help extend their learning. Staff place more emphasis on the activity, rather than what they

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need to do better?

want children to learn. This means some children quickly lose interest. Children are not supported to make the progress they are capable of. Furthermore, they are not gaining the knowledge and skills they need in readiness for their future move to school. n The focus on children's communication and language development is insufficient. Staff do not model words and do not provide children with the correct vocabulary. For example, as children count aloud, they say 'twenty teen'. Staff do not correct children to help them learn the correct number term. Staff allow children to use dummies and do not always recognise that dummies prevent children from developing effective communication skills. Too often, staff do not engage children in conversations. Some staff do not interact with children, to extend their speaking skills and vocabulary. As a result, children's speaking is not developing as well as it could.

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need to do better?

n The provider does not ensure that new staff, particularly apprentices, undergo an effective induction to help them understand the responsibilities of their role. Staff are not provided with regular coaching or supervision to help them improve their practice. For example, at times, staff use inappropriate language when speaking to children. This is highly unprofessional and does not help children to build on their existing speaking skills. In addition, these phrases are not challenged by the provider to help staff to rectify their practice. The provider does not keep her own professional development up to date. Her own teaching is weak and she is not able to model effective practice to staff. This means teaching across the setting is inadequate. n Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, parents do not enter the setting. Some children who have attended the setting for longer periods of time adapt

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need to do better?

well and enter happily. The provider and staff took some meaningful steps to keep in contact with children and their families when the setting was only open to some children due to COVID-19 restrictions. For example, they sent out learning pack activities for children to complete at home, to help support their continued development. n Children enjoy spending time in the sensory room. Children practise their physical skills as they scale and climb in the safety of the soft-play area. This room also gives those children that need it, the space to relax and spend some quiet and calming time with the staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider, who is the designated safeguarding lead, does not have a secure understanding of the procedures to follow should an allegation be made about a member of staff. Staff do not keep accurate records of children's hours of attendance. This means they are unable to account for all children in the event of an emergency. The provider does not demonstrate that she has the capacity to maintain safe, clean, and hygienic standards across the setting. This is because some of the identified breaches have been raised before. The provider has not taken all reasonable steps to ensure that all staff are suitable to be in regular contact with children. Although the provider understands the need to carry out safe recruitment checks, including obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service check for all staff, this has not been done in a timely way. Furthermore, she has not undertaken other checks to ensure staff are suitable, such as obtaining references

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Safeguarding

and checking identification. As a result, the suitability of staff cannot be verified, which compromises children's safety and well-being. This places children at significant risk of harm. Staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding and know what action to take should they have concerns about a child or a colleague. All staff hold a valid paediatric first-aid qualification.

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Due date

implement robust recruitment and vetting checks for all staff, including obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, and record that these have been completed for all staff members 08/10/2021

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Due date

ensure that the designated safeguarding lead understands the procedures to be followed in the event an allegation is made against a member of staff 08/10/2021

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Due date

20 September 2021 demonstrate how you will ensure that there are enough staff working directly with the children to provide adequate supervision and meet the care and learning needs of all children 08/10/2021

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Due date

ensure all fire exits are free from obstruction and that fire exit gates can be easily opened in the event of an emergency 08/10/2021

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Due date

ensure good hygiene standards are maintained in the kitchen, with particular regards to the kitchen bin 08/10/2021

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Due date

ensure that children's equipment is kept in a clean and hygienic condition, including high chairs, the water dispenser, and storage pots that are used to house children's dummies and cups 08/10/2021

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Due date

demonstrate how children who are unwell will not pose a risk to others and take steps to ensure that poorly children receive the care and attention they need 08/10/2021

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Due date

ensure that children's toilets are in full working order and that children have what they need, such as toilet rolls and paper towels, so they are able to maintain their own personal hygiene needs 08/10/2021

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Due date

demonstrate how you will ensure that fresh drinking water is always available to children and what steps you will take to support children's good oral health 08/10/2021

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Due date

ensure that risks to children, both indoors and outside, are identified and swift action is taken to minimise and remove these to keep children safe 08/10/2021

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Due date

ensure areas used by staff and visitors, such as the office and toilet, are free from hazards and do not pose a trip or fall risk 08/10/2021

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Due date

20 September 2021 demonstrate how you will ensure that accurate registers of attendance are maintained so that staff can account for all children in the event of an emergency 08/10/2021

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Due date

demonstrate how you will ensure there is always a manager or suitable deputy on site when children are present 08/10/2021

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Due date

ensure new staff have a thorough induction and that all staff receive regular coaching and supervision to help them fulfil the responsibilities of their roles, improve their practice, and strengthen their teaching skills. 08/10/2021

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Due date

ensure staff develop the skills and knowledge needed to promote children's communication and language skills effectively 08/10/2021

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Due date

demonstrate how you will implement an effective key-person system that supports the needs of all children and encourages positive relationships with parents and staff. 08/10/2021

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY545360 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 10206806 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 70 Number of children on roll 56 Name of registered person Just For Children Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01282775166 Date of previous inspection 9 May 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Victoria's Nursery registered in 2017 and is located in Padiham, Burnley. The nursery employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, one staff member holds an early years qualification at level 4, three staff hold a qualification at level 3 and one staff member holds a qualification at level 2. Two members of staff are unqualified. The nursery operates from Monday to Saturday, all year round, except for seasonal holidays. Sessions are from 7am until 6pm.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n This inspection was carried out following the risk assessment process. n The inspector conducted a learning walk and discussed the curriculum with the manager, who is also the provider. n The inspector spoke to the children and the staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The inspector checked relevant documents.

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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

20 September 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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