Innovations Nursery

Inspection of Innovations Children's Centre and Day Nursery Innovation Childrens Centre, Cousin Lane, HALIFAX, West Yorkshire HX2 8DQ

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is inadequate

The setting has recently experienced a turbulent period. There have been a high number of staff changes, resulting in the key-person system being ineffective. Although staff complete regular assessments of children, they do not share information they gather from their assessments with new key persons. This means that children are frequently cared for by different members of staff who are unfamiliar with their needs. As a result, some staff do not understand how to use the activities to support and extend all areas of children's development. Furthermore, children are exposed to a number of risks due to staff's poor supervision of them. Children are frequently left unsupervised, including when playing outside. Parents are not currently able to go into the nursery at drop-off and collection times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff share some information with parents as they collect their children at the door. However, this information is

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The provision is inadequate

mainly about children's routines, such as what children have eaten and the times that they have slept. This does not help parents to support their children's learning at home.

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety and welfare are compromised due to significant weaknesses in some staff's knowledge and understanding of safeguarding practice and procedures. Nevertheless, children show confidence in the nursery and older children form friendships with their peers. Children develop their independence. Young children learn to feed themselves, and older children know where to put toys when they tidy away.

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need to do better?

n Managers have failed to notify Ofsted of a serious event. Staff fail to implement the nursery's risk assessment procedures. They do not ensure that children are within sight or hearing at all times. Leaders and managers do not check that staff deploy themselves adequately to ensure children's safety and to meet their individual needs. This puts children at risk of harm. n Some areas of partnership working are positive. Staff work in partnership with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists and the inclusion support team. The manager uses additional funding appropriately to further enhance the provision for those children who are eligible. However, new staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not understand what children know and can already do. This is having a significant impact on the progress children are making. Consequently, these children are

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need to do better?

not prepared for their next stage in learning. n Parents say their children are happy to attend. However, some parents are unaware of their child's key person or the role they have. As a result, these parents do not know their child's next steps in learning and how to support their

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need to do better?

17 December 2021 child's learning at home. n At times, children have some positive learning experiences. For example, toddlers explore the ice outside and are fascinated as they watch it melt. Children explore the different textures and are encouraged to make predictions. However, at other times, children become bored and wander away from activities because they lack staff interaction. As a result, children lose focus and do not have a positive attitude towards learning. n Staff successfully introduce songs with actions, such as 'Dingle dangle scarecrow' and 'Jingle bells'. This allows all children to participate in the rhyme without using the spoken word. Children who speak English as an additional language have some opportunities to extend their vocabulary. Staff use some key phrases to support children to communicate their needs and interests. However, staff do not consistently make the best use of opportunities to engage

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need to do better?

in conversation with children. For example, on occasions, staff ask questions that require one-word answers, or ask several questions in quick succession. As a result, children often fail to respond. This has an impact on children's language development. n Leaders and managers have made some action plans to make continuous improvements to staff practice. However, the effect of these plans is not yet evident in improving the quality of education and outcomes for children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers do not have enough understanding of reporting procedures. Therefore, they fail to notify Ofsted of serious incidents. The management team does not monitor staff's knowledge and understanding of safeguarding effectively enough. For example, some staff lack knowledge of the 'Prevent' duty and are not aware of how to recognise signs that may indicate that children are at risk of extremist views. Not all staff know the procedure to follow if they have concerns about a child or a colleague. These weaknesses compromise children's safety and welfare.

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Due date

improve leaders' and managers' knowledge and understanding of significant events that must be reported to Ofsted 07/01/2022

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Due date

17 December 2021 develop staff's knowledge and understanding of safeguarding matters with regard to reporting concerns about children who may be at risk of harm, reporting concerns about a colleague harming a child, and who the designated safeguarding lead is 07/01/2022

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Due date

put systems in place to check that all staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the signs that might indicate children are at risk of harm, including the 'Prevent' duty guidance 07/01/2022

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Due date

ensure the key-person system is effective in order to help ensure that every child's care and learning meets their individual needs 14/01/2022

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Due date

raise the quality of teaching and curriculum delivery to ensure all children are fully supported to engage in challenging activities that build on what they know and can already do 14/01/2022

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Due date

ensure that staff develop the skills and knowledge needed to promote children's communication and language skills effectively 14/01/2022

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Due date

improve partnerships with parents in order to share information about children's learning and development, and support parents to extend children's learning at home 14/01/2022

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Due date

put arrangements in place to monitor the deployment of staff to ensure children are within sight or hearing at all times and that they consistently benefit from high-quality interactions. 14/01/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY382695 Local authority Calderdale Inspection number 10215993 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 56 Number of children on roll 93 Name of registered person North Halifax Partnership Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 014222 48222 Date of previous inspection 6 January 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Innovations Children's Centre and Day Nursery registered in 2008. The day nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications: eight at level 3 and one at level 6. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 8am to 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 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 We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n A sample of documentation was looked at by the inspector, including staff's suitability records and policies and procedures. n The inspector observed the quality of interactions between staff and children, and evaluated the impact that these had on children's learning and development. n During a joint observation, a senior room lead and the inspector evaluated the quality of education together.

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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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