Puddleducks Childcare

Inspection of Puddleducks Childcare 106 High Street, YARM, Cleveland TS15 9AU

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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

The standards of care, learning and safety at the nursery are poor and have a significant impact on children's development and well-being. The manager has failed to ensure all staff and students have sufficient understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, specifically in regard to procedures for the storage of mobile phones, transporting children in vehicles and knowledge of potential signs of abuse. This has a significant impact on children's safety. Staff do not promote children's good health. This is because they do not safely store children's personal food, drink and comfort items. This increases the likelihood of cross-contamination and puts children at risk of having an allergic reaction if they have food intolerances.

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The provision is inadequate

Some staff have low expectations for children and their teaching does not provide effective levels of support and challenge. The curriculum for children is weak and does not offer opportunities for them to make good progress across all areas of their learning or build secure foundations for the future. Staff do not complete or use accurate assessments to identify delay in some children's learning. This means gaps increase and children are at risk of being left behind before they start school. Overall, children are happy to come into the nursery and show confidence around staff. Despite this, some children remain upset as they do not have a key person and some staff are unsure of how to meet their individual care needs.

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need to do better?

n Children's safety and welfare is compromised. There are several breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements which have led to enforcement action. For example, the provider has failed to ensure that all staff who transport children in vehicles are adequately insured and suitably qualified. Some staff have a poor understanding of safeguarding issues and are unable to identify signs of potential abuse. Furthermore, the procedures for the storage of staff's and student's mobile phones are ineffective. n The manager, who is also the provider, has failed to obtain vital information from parents and/or carers about children's individual needs. She does not provide all children with an identified key person to enable them to create a unique bond with. Some babies who are newer to the setting remain upset for extended periods of time, and are unable to feel settled and secure. In contrast, some babies who have attended for a longer period of time have close bonds

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need to do better?

with staff and cuddle in close. n Staff do not consistently promote children's good health, and the standards of hygiene in the nursery are inadequate. For instance, staff leave bottles containing formula milk unattended and other children drink from them. This poses a serious risk to children's health and does not minimise cross-infection.

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need to do better?

9 December 2021 Staff do not wash babies' dummies after they have been on the floor before allowing them to put them back in their mouths. In contrast to this, older children wash their hands before lunch and use clean cups to independently access fresh drinking water. n The manager does not have sufficient knowledge of the learning and development requirements. This has an impact on her ability to guide children's development and support staff to develop high standards of education for children. For example, she has failed to identify weaknesses in staff's teaching and does not have a clear vision for the curriculum. n Overall, children's behaviour is positive, and staff use words of praise to help them understand the things they have done well. Children begin to develop self- confidence and social skills. Recent improvements made to the resources on offer inside the setting have enabled children to make independent choices

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need to do better?

about their play. n Children do not have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. For example, some staff who work with young children do not provide activities which help them develop in the prime areas of learning, such as their communication and language. Toddlers run around and climb. However, staff do not extend this to provide opportunities for physical development. Staff who work with older children plan confusing activities, which do not match their individual learning needs. For instance, children are given a rectangular piece of paper to stick green paper onto create their earth, however, most children do not know what the earth is. n Staff have access to a range of professional development opportunities and online training courses. However, they do not use these effectively to develop their teaching skills or knowledge of child development. For instance, some staff complete progress checks when children are aged between two and three years

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need to do better?

but have failed to make accurate assessments of their development. This means children who have delay do not have targeted programmes for their development and gaps increase in their learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Due to the significant weaknesses in safeguarding, children's safety is compromised. The manager has failed to ensure that staff and students have sufficient knowledge of the setting's child protection policies and procedures. For instance, some staff are unable to identify signs of potential abuse, including those associated with county lines and neglect. Some staff who collect children from school do not have a current paediatric first-aid certificate or adequate vehicle insurance. This has a significant impact on children's safety. Furthermore, the manager has not ensured the procedures for the storage of mobile phones are effective and some personal mobile telephones are present in playrooms with children.

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Due date

ensure that every person who has sole care of children for any period of time, including transporting children, holds a current paediatric first-aid certificate 17/12/2021

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Due date

ensure that all staff members who transport children in vehicles are adequately insured 17/12/2021

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Due date

provide every child with an identified key person who can ensure that their individual needs are met 17/12/2021

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Due date

ensure that information about children's dietary needs is gathered from parents before a child is admitted to the setting, specifically in regard to babies' feeding times 17/12/2021

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Due date

ensure children's good health and hygiene is maintained, this relates specifically to the storage of babies' bottles and to ensure no child consumes food or drink which is not their own 17/12/2021

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Due date

ensure all staff and students adhere to the setting's mobile phone policy, with specific regard to the safe storage of staff's personal mobile phones 17/12/2021

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Due date

ensure that all staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding procedures, so they are competent to identify, record and report concerns about children's safety and well-being. 17/12/2021

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Due date

9 December 2021 improve the quality of education for children who attend and develop a curriculum which is sequenced, broad and appropriate for all children 01/02/2022

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Due date

develop staff's understanding of children's typical stages of development, so they understand how to plan activities which meet children's individual learning needs and help them to make good progress 01/02/2022

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Due date

complete accurate assessments of children's progress when they are aged between two and three years, in order to identify gaps in their learning and develop targeted plans with parents and other professionals 01/02/2022

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Due date

improve your own understanding of the learning and development requirements to guide the development of children, raise the standards of teaching and lead staff effectively. 01/01/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY461331 Local authority Stockton-on-Tees Inspection number 10216446 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 48 Number of children on roll 58 Name of registered person Puddleducks 106 Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01642791895 Date of previous inspection 9 January 2020

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Information about this early years setting

Puddleducks Childcare registered in 2013 and is located in Yarm, Cleveland. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an early years qualification at level 5, one holds a qualification at level 4, and four hold qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round, except for bank holidays. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for three-year-old children.

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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 setting and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector held a discussion with the manager, who is also the provider, in relation to the leadership and management of the nursery. She looked at relevant documentation, such as evidence of recruitment, staff's qualifications and their suitability to work with children. She discussed children's learning and development with the staff team and the nursery manager. n A joint observation was completed by the inspector and manager. n The inspector spoke to parents and obtained feedback for the inspection.

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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

9 December 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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