Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool

Inspection of Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool 117 Grove Road, Hithcin SG4 0AA

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is inadequate

The provider is in breach of multiple requirements of the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage. Children's safety is significantly compromised. For example, management and staff fail to check the suitability of some agency staff before they have contact with the children. They do not follow their own procedures to induct agency staff, to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to undertake their role and responsibilities. Staff fail to risk assess some play areas adequately. They do not identify possible and developing risks of harm to children or take immediate action to remove recognised hazards. Staffing arrangements, particularly at the start of the day, do not meet the needs of the children. Staff are frequently caring for more children than they can manage. While staff are kind and care about the children, staff are frequently overwhelmed and are unable to respond to children's individual needs. During the morning session, babies and

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The provision is inadequate

young children become distressed, frequently cry, and some children demonstrate poor behaviour in their chaotic environment. This significantly has an impact on children's emotional well-being and their ability to make meaningful developmental progress. Later in the day when babies are moved to their own room, their care improves and staff are able to support a smaller group of children.

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The provision is inadequate

Some younger children are not consistently supported to develop a positive attitude to their learning. Staff working with toddlers frequently overlook opportunities to extend children's interests and to build on what they already know and can do. These children often lack well-planned and meaningful experiences. They do not demonstrate high levels of curiosity or engagement. Nevertheless, older children in the pre-school age range, engage in activities and experiences that interest them. They enjoy singing songs, such as 'five fat sausages sizzling in the pan', engage in pretend play, paint pictures and create constructions out of wooden blocks.

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need to do better?

n The nursery is under recent new ownership. New leaders and managers recognise the improvements that are required to improve the quality of the nursery. However, they are experiencing significant setbacks, including difficulties in recruiting and retaining suitable, permanent members of staff. They are already implementing plans to make the necessary improvements but these have yet to take their full effect. n Management and staff fail to check the suitability of some agency staff before they have contact with the children. They do not check that all agency staff have undergone required enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Additionally, some agency staff are unaware of emergency evacuation procedures, safeguarding procedures, child protection arrangements and are not alert to health and safety issues. This undermines their ability to protect children

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need to do better?

17 November 2021 in their care. n Risk assessment procedures are poor, and staff do not use these to ensure the safety and welfare of the children. For example, staff recognise that children are at potential risk of harm from a trailing electrical cable leading from a music player. However, they take no action to remove the hazard. Additionally, staff fail to minimise potential trip and slip hazards, and allow a child to climb on a wooden unit with a toy in their mouth. n Staffing arrangements, particularly at the start of the morning, do not meet the needs of the children, including those who need more support. Staff struggle to cope and are unable to respond to the children's individual needs. Management fails to ensure required adult to child ratios are maintained, and the key-person system does not work effectively to support children's emotional well-being. Staff state that they feel overwhelmed with the number of key children they are

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need to do better?

responsible for, and variations of the staff working with the children have a detrimental effect on the children's care and development. n Overall, children are not provided with a curriculum that challenges and extends their learning and development. The curriculum is poorly implemented. Activities provided for younger children do not consistently stimulate or expand their learning. Where interesting activities are provided, some young children's concentration and interest in their chosen activity is quickly lost. The deployment of staff is poorly organised, they are frequently required to prioritise children's ongoing care routines over the quality of the education provided. n Management do not have effective enough procedures in place to monitor staff practice. Staff do not receive adequate support, coaching and training to enable them to perform their roles and responsibilities to a consistently high level.

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need to do better?

When staffing levels are higher, children's experiences improve as staff are not so overwhelmed. At these times, for example, staff help younger children, including babies, to explore stories, rhymes and songs. Babies enjoy 'sing and sign' sessions that help them to link words and actions to support their early communication skills. n Management has failed to ensure that that a deputy manager is in place and able to take charge in the absence of the manager. This significantly compromises the effective management of the provision. n Staff do not consistently implement effective behaviour management procedures. They struggle to manage incidents of children's poor behaviour effectively, which further hampers children's ability to engage and make progress. Younger children are not supported to manage their behaviours and emotions, to share and play cooperatively together. n Staff implement effective hygiene practices. Older children know that they need

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need to do better?

to wash their hands before lunch and understand that they do this to remove germs. Children enjoy healthy food options and are encouraged to develop self- care from an early age. Older children learn to take responsibility as they serve their own food and clear away their own utensils after lunch. n Staff and management form suitable partnerships with parents, and carers. Parents receive regular newsletters, daily feedback and electronic contact to keep them up to date.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Management and staff do not take all reasonable steps to ensure children are kept safe. Risk assessment procedures are weak and some agency staff are not sufficiently checked to ensure their suitably to work with children. Management and staff have an appropriate knowledge of child protection. They are aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse and know how to make a referral to the relevant agency with statutory responsibility.

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Due date

take steps to ensure that all persons working with children are suitable for their role, this is with specific regard to reviewing required information about the suitability of staff from agencies, including the Disclosure and Barring Service check 06/12/2021

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Due date

ensure induction procedures are implemented consistently so that all persons who work with children, including staff from agencies, are aware of their role and responsibilities 06/12/2021

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Due date

ensure all reasonable steps are taken to remove and minimise risks of harm to children 06/12/2021

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Due date

make sure that staff assess children's individual needs, interests, and stage of development accurately, and use this information to plan challenging learning experiences to build on what children know and can already do; this includes any child who needs more support 31/01/2022

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Due date

17 November 2021 make sure staffing arrangements, including the deployment of staff, meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety at all times 06/12/2021

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Due date

ensure secure arrangements are in place for the supervision of all staff who work directly with children, this includes staff receiving effective support, coaching and training opportunities to improve their practice 05/01/2022

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Due date

ensure a named deputy is in place to take charge in the manager's absence 05/01/2022

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Due date

improve the key-person system so that all children's care and learning is tailored to their individual needs and to provide each child, including those who need more support, with a settled relationship 05/01/2022

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Due date

make sure that staff have the skills and knowledge to implement the setting's behaviour management procedures, so that children's behaviour is consistently managed in an appropriate way. 05/01/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2638111 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10214302 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 95 Number of children on roll 65 Name of registered person The Childcare Corporation Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01462 642666 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool in Hitchin registered in 2021. The nursery employs 18 members of staff. Of these, 14 members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications ranging from level 3 to qualified teacher status. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday, for 50 weeks per year, from 8am to 6pm. The nursery provides funded education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n This inspection was carried out following the risk assessment process where concerns had been raised about the nursery. n The manager and staff discussed with the inspectors how the early years curriculum is organised. n The inspectors observed staff's interactions with the children during indoor and outdoor activities, and assessed the impact this has on the children's progress and achievements. n The regional manager, manager, staff and children engaged in discussions with the inspectors at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager and discussed the children's progress and achievements. n A sample of the nursery documents were reviewed by the inspectors. This

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Inspection activities

included evidence of staff suitability and training. n The inspector spoke to a number of 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

17 November 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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