Bees Knees Nursery

Inspection of Bees Knees Nursery 20 Park Street, Bootle, Merseyside L20 3DG

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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

Due, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has recently been a significant change to staffing and management. This includes the appointment of a completely new management team, with the nursery manager only being in post for a few weeks prior to the inspection. This has had an impact on the quality of children's care and learning, which has declined for two- and three-year-old children. Due to significant staff changes, some children do not have a key person who knows them well enough to help ensure that their care and learning meet their individual needs. However, in the baby room, where staffing has been stable, relationships between staff and babies are sensitive and responsive. Staff know the babies well and extend their learning successfully as they play.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff talk to children about keeping safe. For example, they talk to toddlers about brushing up spilt sand so that nobody slips. However, children are not supported consistently to learn about how their actions affect others to help them to take responsibility for their behaviour. Children mainly occupy themselves. They happily decide where they want to play, and some incidental learning takes place. For example, children manipulate dough and play in sand, which helps to develop the muscles in their hands required for later writing. They paint freely at the easel. Older children make circular movements with paintbrushes in a tray of foam and glitter, which helps them to gain more control over their movements. Staff provide some themed activities, which children take part in. However, these activities are not sufficiently planned or resourced to meet children's needs and abilities. As a result, children are not engaged or challenged. They leave the activity and do not

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The provision is inadequate

make sufficient progress in their learning.

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need to do better?

n The key-person system is not effective. Due to significant staff changes, some children have a key person who does not know them well. This limits their ability to tailor care and learning to meet children's needs, or support their parents and/or carers in guiding their child's development at home. n Staff do not have a clear view of each child's abilities. They do not clearly identify what children are to learn or how the activities they are planning build on what children already know and can do. As a result, they do not challenge children appropriately through the activities offered and children do not make sufficient progress in their learning. n Information provided by parents and gathered from other professionals is not shared effectively with key staff working with the children. Therefore, it is not used effectively to provide continuity in children's care and learning. The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is

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need to do better?

7 February 2022 n Although required, an assessment and written summary of each child's development when they are aged between two and three years is not available. Consequently, it is not known how well children are progressing or whether they need additional support. This puts all children, including those with SEND, at a significant disadvantage. n When incidents occur, such as hair pulling, staff do not challenge the behaviour sufficiently. They do not build opportunities into the curriculum to teach children how their actions have an impact on others. Children are not supported sufficiently to regulate their behaviour. n Children independently access bathrooms and develop good hygiene routines. They know to wash their hands before having snacks and meals. Although drinking water is available, staff do not remind children to have a drink. This limits children's awareness of how drinking water regularly keeps them hydrated

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need to do better?

and supports a healthy lifestyle. n Children develop well physically. Babies have safe space to crawl and they stop to investigate objects that they find. They pull themselves up to stand at the table and reach for interesting items placed purposefully for them to find. Older children develop good coordination, control and movement. They manoeuvre wheeled vehicles and ride tricycles outdoors with increasing control. They eagerly take part in races involving skipping and running, linked to the Winter Olympic Games. n The new leadership and management team demonstrates a strong knowledge of the setting and the ability to evaluate it and make improvements. Informal conversations are taking place with staff, which are helping the management team to begin to address weaknesses in the provision. Managers are working closely with staff, who are kind and caring to the children, to help raise the quality of education.

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need to do better?

n There is a newly devised system to meet with individual staff regularly to discuss observations of their practice to identify their training needs and where improvements need to be made. However, this is in the early stages of implementation. Therefore, staff are not currently receiving all the relevant professional support to make them fully effective in their role.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Robust recruitment and vetting procedures help to check the suitability of staff working with children. However, induction processes and procedures for keeping staff's knowledge of safeguarding refreshed have lapsed. Staff know basic signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm and have access to appropriate telephone numbers to report concerns. However, some staff are less aware of other safeguarding concerns, such as radicalisation and extremism. A full safeguarding audit has been started. This is beginning to help the leadership and management team to identify the level of staff knowledge and formulate a training plan to close any gaps. Indoors and outdoors, staff supervise children closely for safety when using the climbing equipment and slide.

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Due date

assign each child a key person to help ensure that their care is tailored to meet their individual needs in order to help the child become familiar with the setting, offer a settled relationship for the child, and build a relationship with their parents 28/02/2022

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Due date

devise a curriculum that builds on what children know and can do and is ambitious for all children, including those with SEND 28/02/2022

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Due date

work more closely with parents and other professionals involved with children to exchange information to promote continuity in their care and learning 28/02/2022

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Due date

complete a progress check when children are aged between two and three years and provide parents with a written summary of their children's development, including any areas where their progress is less than expected 28/02/2022

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Due date

build opportunities into the curriculum to teach children how their actions have an impact on others and help them to regulate their behaviour 28/02/2022

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Due date

implement the new supervision of staff arrangements and ensure they receive all the relevant support, coaching and training to make them fully effective in their role. 28/02/2022

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should:

7 February 2022 n raise children's awareness of how drinking water regularly keeps them hydrated and supports a healthy lifestyle.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY474875 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 10220209 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 109 Number of children on roll 53 Name of registered person Parkland Partnership

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reference number

Telephone number 01519333596 Date of previous inspection 5 June 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Bees Knees Nursery registered in 2014. The nursery employs 15 members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2, 11 at level 3 and one has early years teacher status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks per year. 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 The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together. n Two joint observations were carried out by the inspector and the manager. n The inspector held discussions with staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector looked at a sample of the nursery's documents. This included evidence about staff suitability and training.

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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

7 February 2022 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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