Dobwalls Nursery

Inspection of Dobwalls Nursery Duloe Road, Dobwalls, Liskeard, Cornwall PL14 4LU

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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

Staff do not plan a curriculum that builds on what children know and addresses what they need to learn next. Consequently, most children are not sufficiently challenged or stimulated and do not make good enough progress in their learning. Weaknesses in staff deployment result in some babies and toddlers receiving little attention and interaction for extended periods of time. For example, toddlers are placed in a row of high chairs at mealtimes while staff tend to other duties, so these children eat and play with their food silently.

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety is put at risk. Leaders do not understand safeguarding procedures and do not recognise when to refer safeguarding concerns to the appropriate agencies. Leaders and staff do not identify hazards at the nursery, meaning children are exposed to resources and equipment that are unsafe. For instance, staff encourage babies and toddlers to play with cosmetic products that are not safe for children to play with, and staff do not notice when they put this in their mouths.

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The provision is inadequate

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, parents drop off and collect their children from the nursery entrance. Nonetheless, children enter the nursery happily and greet staff warmly. Overall, children are polite, play together well and follow staff's instructions.

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need to do better?

n Leaders do not monitor the quality of practice and, as a result, they do not have an accurate picture of what is happening at the nursery. A lack of targeted support and coaching for staff's professional development means that practice is weak. n Although leaders and staff assess children's development accurately, they do not use what they know about most children to plan an ambitious and challenging curriculum. Consequently, children lose interest and become distracted during adult-led activities. For instance, they pull their trousers down, snatch toys from each other, repeatedly get up and they talk to their friends. This creates an overly noisy and chaotic environment, which prevents children from concentrating and developing a positive attitude to learning. Staff have unrealistic expectations for children's learning and plan inappropriate activities, such as trying to develop pre-school children's reading skills by showing them

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need to do better?

written sentences. n Leaders ensure there are sufficient staff for the number of children present. However, they do not monitor the organisation of all staff. For instance, staff working with babies do not give them enough attention and interaction. They leave babies on the floor to crawl and shuffle around and to find things that

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need to do better?

18 November 2021 interest them. Although the babies are not upset, they are not engaged in purposeful play. n There are weaknesses with the key-person system. Due to several staff changes in the pre-school room, staff are not clear who the key person is for some children and what their next steps in learning are, so cannot provide targeted support for their needs. At other times, staff do not share what they know about their key children with each other to enable consistency in children's learning. For example, key persons identify the need for toddlers to practise their speaking skills as often as possible, but other staff allow the children to use their dummies unnecessarily during the day. n The curriculum for communication and language does not meet the needs of all children. Staff working with pre-school children support children's language development appropriately. For instance, they ask children questions to support

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need to do better?

their thinking and speaking skills, and model language effectively, such as talking about plants that 'wilt'. However, the quality of staff's interactions with babies and toddlers is not consistent. At times, they use signing to support children's early communication skills and wait for children's response to questions. In contrast, they sometimes sit babies on their laps for long periods with the babies facing away from them and do not interact with them. n Although leaders and staff do not plan quality learning experiences for children overall, they provide more effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who require additional support. They adapt activities well for these children's interests, preferences and stage of development. n Leaders and staff do not always communicate with parents effectively. Staff do not keep parents informed about children's next steps in learning and do not

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need to do better?

obtain enough information about learning that takes place at home. Staff do not attempt to find out if children attend other childcare settings. This means staff cannot provide consistency for children's care and learning. n Children are independent in their self-care skills. Pre-school children wash and dry their hands, pour drinks when thirsty and get a tissue to try to wipe their nose.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding procedures are inadequate and risk assessments are not effective. Staff do not take appropriate measures to ensure children are safe. For example, toddlers eat slices of fruit that other children have been playing with in the water tray. Older children enter the kitchen without staff's knowledge and are exposed to risks. Leaders and staff have completed appropriate child protection training. Staff know how to recognise the potential signs of abuse and neglect, and to report these to leaders. However, leaders, including the designated safeguarding lead, do not understand what action to take when staff share concerns that indicate children may be at risk of harm. They do not make referrals to appropriate agencies to enable them to protect children. Children's safety is compromised, due

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Safeguarding

18 November 2021 to staff's ineffective risk assessment of the premises and resources. Leaders implement recruitment and vetting procedures appropriately to ensure all staff are suitable to work with children.

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Due date

ensure leaders, including the designated safeguarding lead, have sufficient knowledge and understanding of safeguarding to enable them to take appropriate action when there are concerns about a child's welfare 17/12/2021

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Due date

improve risk assessments and ensure staff identify and manage potential risks to children's health and safety 17/12/2021

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Due date

improve the monitoring of staff's practice and provide support and coaching for their professional development, to identify and address weaknesses in staff's knowledge and skills 17/12/2021

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Due date

improve the quality and consistency of staff's interactions with children to support babies' and toddlers' communication and language skills 17/12/2021

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Due date

ensure staff deployment is effective and babies and toddlers are provided with support and attention more consistently throughout the day 17/12/2021

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Due date

improve information sharing between staff to ensure they know who their key children are, so they can provide support for children's individual learning needs 17/12/2021

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Due date

18 November 2021 exchange more detailed information with parents about children's learning and development and find out if children attend other settings, to enable consistency in children's experiences. 17/12/2021

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Due date

plan a broad and challenging curriculum that builds on individual children's knowledge and skills, to help them make good progress in their learning. 17/12/2021

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY464459 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 10209100 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 42 Number of children on roll 93 Name of registered person Hicks, Tracy Diane

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reference number

Telephone number 01579320777 Date of previous inspection 6 December 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Dobwalls Nursery registered in 2013 and operates from a purpose-built unit in the grounds of Dobwalls Community Primary School, in Liskeard, Cornwall. It is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm, all year round. The nursery receives funding for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 11 staff, nine of whom hold early years qualifications at level 2 and 3.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting 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 setting. n Leaders spoke with the inspector about the curriculum, what they want children to learn and the nursery's policies and procedures. n The inspector observed children and staff during adult-led activities, children's self-chosen play and routine tasks, such as mealtimes. n The inspector spoke with children and parents to take their views into consideration. The inspector also took account of parents' written feedback. n Discussions were held with staff throughout the day to assess their knowledge of the children and the nursery's procedures. n The inspector viewed a selection of documentation, including staff's suitability checks, qualification certificates and paediatric first-aid certificates.

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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

18 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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