Offerton Farm Day Nursery

Inspection of Offerton Farm Day Nursery Offerton Farm, Hindlip Farm, Worcester, Worcs WR3 8SX

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is inadequate

Children's feelings of security and safety are not regarded well enough. Managers and staff have a weak understanding of some safeguarding matters and processes for risk assessment are not effective. This puts children at risk from harm. That said, children are settled throughout the nursery. They build positive relationships with key staff who are familiar to them. Overall, key staff know their children and ensure their care needs are met. Children generally behave well. Staff promote the nursery golden rules. Children show some willing to follow the nursery routines; they mostly listen to staff and they are polite when prompted.

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The provision is inadequate

Children do not consistently make good progress in their learning. The nursery has an ethos of being an outdoor provision. They aim to provide a child-centred curriculum based on planning in the moment. However, throughout the nursery, there is inconsistent implementation of the nursery ethos and intended curriculum. Teaching and general staff interaction with children is not consistently good. In the main, activities and experiences provided lack purpose. That said, overall, children have fun and appear to enjoy attending. For example, babies enjoy building with brightly coloured blocks. Toddlers enjoy exploring physical apparatus outside. Two- to three-year-old children enjoy making cakes from leaves, mud and twigs, and hunting for bugs in the Forest School. Pre-school children enjoy finding out about, tasting and cooking mince pies.

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need to do better?

n Recently, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nursery has been experiencing a turbulent time. There is high staff turnover, meaning managers and varied staff are deployed to cover between the rooms as needed. These staffing issues cause inconsistency in the quality of what is provided. Managers reflect on practice, they have identified some key areas for development, including stabilising staffing, and they are fully accepting that they need to build on practice and improve. n Managers and staff do not fully understand all aspects of safeguarding. They are not alert to all recent updates in child protection guidance. New staff members lack sufficient understanding of the nursery safeguarding policy and the procedures they should follow if they have any concerns. This does not help to ensure children are fully protected from harm. n Managers do not ensure efficient record keeping that helps support the smooth

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need to do better?

running of the nursery. Information about new staff, staffing changes and staff suitability are not kept up to date. This includes the details required to evidence that all new staff have been subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks. n Risk assessments are not always effectively implemented in practice. For example, in the pre-school room on the day of the inspection, staff had

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need to do better?

13 December 2021 reorganised the role play to a farm shop. However, they had failed to secure a shelving unit they had moved, meaning it was easily knocked down into the middle of the room by a child leaning on it. The potential for this to have caused serious injury to a child had not been identified or managed by staff. n The processes for staff support are not embedded in practice. Managers do not ensure inductions for new staff are routinely carried out. Furthermore, the processes for supervision and mentoring of existing staff are not being well utilised. In general, some staff are lacking confidence and they are unable to build on their professional development, which does not help maintain good standards. n Staff observe children and assess their abilities. However, throughout the nursery, there is a lack of clear purpose and intent behind the activities provided. Staff do not always skilfully link educational experiences to what

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need to do better?

children know, can do, and need to learn next. Overall, children are not provided with good enough levels of challenge and support to help them reach their full potential. n Staff's teaching skills and their general interactions with children are inconsistent. Staff working with young children are sometimes unclear in the messages they are delivering, or routine changes take too long. Staff working with older children are sometimes overly formal in their approach, and the timings of some whole-group activities are not well considered. Children sometimes wander without clear direction, they occasionally lack enthusiasm to join in and struggle to fully concentrate during the times required. Therefore, children are not securing all the skills they need for future learning. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with communication and language difficulties, benefit from some targeted

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need to do better?

intervention. However, the support provided is inconsistent due to the identified weaknesses in staff teaching practice. That said, those with additional funding benefit from their interests being considered in decisions regarding how this is spent. n Children develop some literacy skills. They have opportunities to access books and hear stories being read to them. They also develop an enjoyment in mark making from a young age. n Healthy lifestyles are promoted. Staff working with babies and young children ensure they are kept clean and dry, and those working with older children promote independence in self-care, including hygiene practices. The menu is nutritious and well balanced. Staff are fully aware of children's medical and dietary needs and ensure these are well managed. n Staff work with parents using varied methods. Despite the recent staffing issues, parents' comments are positive about this nursery and overall, they are happy

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Managers and long-term staff have some knowledge of general child protection

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Safeguarding

13 December 2021 issues, however they are not fully alert to all government guidance as they do not proactively keep themselves updated. Furthermore, new staff's safeguarding knowledge and understanding is lacking due to weak induction processes. There is a recruitment process in place. However, in relation to new staff and staffing arrangements, record keeping is not well maintained to ensure the safe running of the setting. This particularly relates to information about staff suitability. The premises are secure generally. However, risk assessments are not always well enough considered to ensure children's safety within their rooms, particularly in relation to changes in the environment when new activities are provided.

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Due date

ensure managers and staff fully understand all aspects of safeguarding and are alert to any updates in government child protection information and guidance 31/01/2022

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Due date

ensure all staff are confident about the nursery safeguarding policy so they know the procedures they must follow if they have any concerns about children's welfare 31/01/2022

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Due date

improve record keeping and ensure that information about new staff, including their Disclosure and Barring Service checks are kept up to date 31/01/2022

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Due date

ensure that effective risk assessments are implemented, specifically ahead of new activities being provided 31/01/2022

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Due date

improve the support for new staff and ensure they receive a thorough induction 31/01/2022

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Due date

enhance the use of routine supervision and mentoring processes to build on staff confidence and further their professional development to help them improve. 31/01/2022

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Due date

ensure the curriculum has a clear purpose, and activities planned have focused learning intentions to offer all children good levels of challenge and support 31/03/2022

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Due date

improve staff's teaching skills to ensure consistently good-quality implementation of the nursery ethos and intended curriculum to help all children make good progress. 31/03/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 205227 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 10216916 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 69 Number of children on roll 103 Name of registered person Weston, Rosemary Sarah

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reference number

Telephone number 01905 757779 Date of previous inspection 20 April 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Offerton Farm Day Nursery registered in 1996. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7.45am until 6pm, all year round, except for one week at Christmas and two weeks at the end of August. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff. Of these,13 hold appropriate early years qualifications between level 2 and level 6. 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 manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n The inspector observed the quality of the curriculum and teaching during activities indoors and outside. She assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector completed two joint observations of activities provided with the manager of the nursery. n The inspector spoke to staff and held a meeting with the nursery management team. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and checked evidence of the

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Inspection activities

suitability of managers and staff working in the nursery. n The inspector spoke to children and 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

13 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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