Skallywags Day Nursery

Inspection of Skallywags Day Nursery 1 Conigree Lane, Priors Park, TEWKESBURY, Gloucestershire GL20 5TF

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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

Children do not receive the support that they need. Staff do not use their knowledge of children's needs to target their support effectively. Some children lack confidence. They spend the majority of their time simply watching other children play because staff do not help them to build relationships with their peers. Not all staff have a good enough understanding of safeguarding children and do not know what to do if they have a concern about a child's welfare. This also includes wider safeguarding matters such as female genital mutilation. Although there are systems in place to record children's attendance, records are not updated in a timely manner when children arrive. Additionally, staff are unable to identify attendance patterns that may give rise to concerns.

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The provision is inadequate

Children enjoy plenty of fresh air and exercise as they benefit from using the garden throughout the day. They climb and enjoy being physical but staff do not supervise children well enough to ensure they are kept safe. Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff greet parents and children at the door and parents do not go into the nursery. Staff provide parents with information about their children's day. However, they do not share information about children's learning and what children need to learn next. This does not ensure that parents can support children's learning at home. Children are kind and they behave well. They are able to share and take turns with the resources.

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need to do better?

n Leaders do not ensure that staff fully understand the procedures that are in place to safeguard children. Not all staff are aware of the indicators that may suggest that a child is at risk of harm. They do not understand how to act on their concerns or how to report concerns outside of their organisation. n Staff do not use the procedures that are in place to record and monitor children's attendance. At times, staff are unaware of how many children are in the nursery as they have forgotten to record when children have arrived. n While staff monitor children's progress, they do not have a good enough understanding of children's capabilities and their expectations of what children can achieve are not high enough. As a result, the curriculum does not provide all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with the support and challenge they need to make progress. Children are not

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need to do better?

independent or motivated to learn and are not prepared well enough for school. n Children explore the equipment in the garden. They enjoy trying to balance as they walk across a plank of wood, pretending there is a crocodile underneath. Older children climb the tree using the rope ladder. Staff encourage children and praise them for their achievements. However, on occasions, staff walk away leaving children unsupervised around this equipment; this puts children at risk of

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need to do better?

26 August 2021 harm. n Leaders do not offer staff the support and coaching they need. They fail to recognise weaknesses in staff practice, such as weak staff interactions with children. Some staff simply sit and watch children and do not know how to interact with them and to support them in their learning. n Parents say that they are happy with the nursery and the care that their children receive. Parents comment positively on the healthy varied meals that their children are provided with. However, staff do not ensure that they work with parents to share information about children's learning. Information shared is only about children's care routines, and is not focused on supporting children to make better progress in their learning. n Leaders use additional funding to provide children with additional sessions. However, the weaknesses in the quality of education does not ensure that funding is used to close gaps in children's learning. During the COVID-19

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need to do better?

pandemic, the manager set up a food bank and parents had access to ingredients for healthy meals. n Staff working with the younger children provide a nurturing environment. Babies develop secure relationships with the adults caring for them. Staff working with the babies gather information from parents to understand children's routines and to help them to settle and to feel secure.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders do not ensure that staff implement the procedures that are in place to keep children safe. Not all staff are able to identify the indicators that may mean that a child is at risk of harm. Staff understand that they should share any concerns that they have about children's welfare but they do not know how to escalate their concerns, if information that they report is not acted on.

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Due date

ensure all staff fully understand and follow the safeguarding procedures, including who they should report concerns to outside of the organisation 30/09/2021

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Due date

ensure staff understand how to recognise indicators that may suggest that a child is at risk of harm 30/09/2021

p.3

Due date

26 August 2021 ensure staff develop an accurate understanding of what children can do 30/09/2021

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Due date

improve the support given to children by targeting learning more precisely 30/09/2021

p.4

Due date

ensure staff deploy themselves to ensure that children are supervised appropriately 30/09/2021

p.4

Due date

provide staff with support, supervision and coaching to raise the quality of interactions with children and to help them to fulfil their roles 30/09/2021

p.4

Due date

improve information sharing with parents to ensure that they are well informed about their children's progress 30/09/2021

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Due date

ensure that staff follow the procedures in place to record and monitor children's attendance. 30/09/2021

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY446722 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10205553 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 37 Number of children on roll 77 Name of registered person Skallywags (Tewkesbury) Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01684 294 244 Date of previous inspection 21 October 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Skallywags Day Nursery re-registered in 2012. It operates from a detached house in a residential area in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. The nursery opens each weekday, from 8am to 6pm, except for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. It is in receipt of funding for free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs seven members of staff. Of these, two members of staff hold qualifications at level 6, two at level 3 and one at level 2.

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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 The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The inspector spoke to parents and took their views into consideration. n A meeting was held with the leaders, and the inspector sampled documentation. n The manager took the inspector on a learning walk and discussed how she delivers the curriculum. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the manager.

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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

26 August 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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