Little Walkers Day Nursery Coseley

Inspection of Little Walkers Day Nursery Coseley st John Fisher Roman Catholic Church, Yew Tree Lane, Coseley, West Midlands WV14 8RF

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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

Children are failing to thrive. They are not provided with activities tailored to their individual interests or developmental needs. The management and staff do not have high enough expectations for children's learning and development. This negatively impacts on children's development in all areas of learning. Consequently, children make inadequate progress.

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety and welfare in the setting is compromised. Staff do not have a good enough knowledge of the signs or symptoms, which may indicate a child is suffering or at risk of harm. Children display disruptive and unsafe behaviour. They are unkind to each other and cause injury as they hit or throw toys at one another. Children are bored while waiting for their lunch, and rub table knives inside their mouths. Staff lack the knowledge and understanding of how children learn to be able to effectively manage their behaviour. This leads to a chaotic environment where children develop a negative attitude towards their learning.

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The provision is inadequate

Children enjoy spending time outdoors. They kick balls and use wheeled toys with skills and confidence. That said, there is little opportunity for children to follow their interests. Resources are limited and staff do not help children use them to their full potential. There is guttering fixed to the fence, but no resources, such as balls or water to use with it. There is a play kitchen and house but no accessories to ignite children's imagination. Consequently, children become disengaged and start to throw stones.

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need to do better?

n Leadership and management are inadequate. The provider has employed a manager who has insufficient experience and lacks knowledge of the early years foundation stage. There is a lack of effective training or coaching provided to support her. As a result, the manager has not provided staff with the appropriate supervision or support for them to be confident in their roles and responsibilities. They do not understand how to provide an ambitious curriculum, to support children's progress in all areas of learning. n The key-person system is not effective. There is a high staff turnover. Arrangements to cover staff absence and staff deployment are poor. This does not help children to develop strong bonds with their carers to support them to feel emotionally secure and safe. Parents also report they do not know who their child's key person is. n The manager and staff demonstrate a lack of knowledge of child development.

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need to do better?

They do not know enough about the children they look after. Staff do not know what children can do, or what they already know. Staff complete assessments on children's progress, however, these are inadequate and not effective, as gaps

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need to do better?

17 December 2021 in learning are not identified. This results in staff not being able to accurately identify children's next steps in learning and children do not make the progress they are capable of. n Activities are not age appropriate for children's different stages of development, and do not take account of children's interests. Teaching is poor. For example, children are asked to take turns to write letters of their names and a number. Some children have not yet developed their pencil grip and some cannot count, or recognise numbers or letters. They become restless, disengaged, roll around, throw cushions and are, generally, disruptive. This has a significant negative impact on children's learning and development. n Staff are not equipped to manage children's challenging behaviour. They do not teach children to gain an understanding of right and wrong to learn appropriate ways to behave. Because of this, children do not develop the necessary attitudes

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need to do better?

and skills for future learning, including for their eventual move on to school. Staff spend a lot of time dealing with disruptive behaviour and treating injuries arising from some children hurting their peers. Documentation completed for injuries show that over half of the accidents recorded relate to injuries that result from inappropriate behaviour of some children. However, not all injuries have been recorded and parents have not been informed. This fails to keep children safe. n Staff do not promote older children's communication and language skills well, especially those who speak English as an additional language. Staff miss opportunities to engage with children, question them to challenge their thinking or lead simple conversations. Staff fail to support children who do not have a full understanding of the English language. As such, children become frustrated and upset that they cannot communicate their needs effectively.

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need to do better?

n Children are told to sit down for story time. A child chooses a book for the staff to read and tries to hand it to them. However, staff tell the child they have already chosen the story. Staff do not acknowledge the negative impact this may have on children and their feelings. n Self-evaluation of the provision is not effective, as leaders fail to identify key weaknesses in the provision. Plans for improvement focus heavily on lists of resources to purchase and not on the quality of teaching and curriculum. n Babies are provided with appropriate activities and experiences. Staff in the baby room sing songs and constantly talk to them to promote their early communication and language skills. They place toys around the room to encourage children's developing mobility. Older children gain some personal skills. They can go to the toilet independently and wash their own hands. n Parents report that they receive information about their child's day in the

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need to do better?

nursery, through the online application used by the staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider does not ensure all staff have a good enough understanding of how to safeguard children. Newly appointed staff have not yet been provided with the

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Safeguarding

17 December 2021 necessary training and support to ensure they understand all safeguarding procedures. Staff do not know how to identify the possible signs and indicators of abuse, such as girls at risk of harm from certain cultural practices. This means that staff are unable to protect children from potential harm. Recruitment and vetting procedures are not robust. Appropriate references have not always been obtained. Managers ensure the setting is secure and only authorised persons can enter.

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Due date

ensure all staff, including the manager, receive training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities 21/01/2022

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Due date

implement an effective key-person system to ensure that each child's learning is tailored to meet their individual needs and keep parents informed 21/01/2022

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Due date

ensure all staff receive training to manage children's behaviour in an appropriate way that helps them to understand how their actions affect others 21/01/2022

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Due date

keep a written record of all accidents and injuries to children and ensure parents and carers are informed on the same day 21/01/2022

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Due date

ensure all staff have an up-to-date knowledge and understanding of safeguarding 21/01/2022

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Due date

implement rigorous recruitment procedures to ensure the suitability of those employed to work with children 21/01/2022

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Due date

17 December 2021 train and support staff to use accurate assessments to identify children's next steps and to plan suitably challenging and enjoyable experiences for each child, in all areas of learning and development, to ensure they make consistently good progress. 21/01/2022

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Due date

plan and deliver a clear curriculum for children with activities that help to promote children's interests and engage them in appropriately challenging activities 04/03/2022

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Due date

help staff to develop the skills and knowledge needed to raise the quality of teaching to support children's communication and language skills 04/03/2022

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Due date

improve staff practice to ensure they identify any gaps in children's learning to enable effective support to be put in place. 04/03/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2579056 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 10216991 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 52 Number of children on roll 47 Name of registered person Firewalker (UK) LTD

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reference number

Telephone number 07802797558 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Walkers Day Nursery Coseley registered in 2020. The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 to level 6. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-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 provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk to understand how the setting operates and how the curriculum is organised. The manager and the inspector carried out a joint evaluation of an activity together. n The manager and the inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector held discussions with the provider, manager and staff throughout the inspection. She looked at relevant documentation, including qualifications and first-aid certificates, and checked evidence of the suitability of those working

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Inspection activities

with children. n The inspector took account of parents spoken to on the day. She also spoke to children about their experiences in the nursery.

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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 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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