Welcome Nurseries @ Stalybridge

Inspection of Welcome Nurseries @ Stalybridge Ridge Hill Children's Centre, School Crescent, STALYBRIDGE, Cheshire SK15 1EA

p.1

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

p.1

The provision is inadequate

The provider has taken swift action to fill management and practitioner posts left vacant by the sudden departure of several employees. However, significant weaknesses in practice mean that children's learning and development needs are not met and their welfare is not promoted effectively.

p.2

The provision is inadequate

The recent staff changes mean that not all children have a key person. The impact of this is made worse when pre-school children and older toddlers are grouped together because some staff work during the school term only. Staff do not provide engaging and worthwhile activities for this group of children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pre-school children devise their own energetic games and this puts younger children at risk. Staff's attempts to distract and settle the older children are ineffective. Older toddlers are left to wander and some cry because they want to return to the baby area. Staff in the baby area offer some activities that interest younger children. Younger toddlers concentrate well as they squeeze paint onto bubble wrap and mix colours together.

p.2

The provision is inadequate

Children's safety is compromised because staff do not recognise and minimise risks. Younger toddlers play unsupervised with sharpened pencil crayons. Staff do not discourage the toddlers from carrying the crayons, pointing upwards, in their hands. The toddlers run and fall and are at risk of injury. Pre-school children eat apples from the role-play area as they run about. This poses a risk of choking. The apples are not clean because they have been played with. This poses a risk of illness.

p.2

The provision is inadequate

Staff meet parents and children at the door. This is due to COVID-19 arrangements and children are now used to the routine. Parents report that children look forward to attending the nursery.

p.2

need to do better?

n The provision is disorganised and this compromises hygiene. The washing machine works, but is concealed behind piles of laundry that have become unmanageable. Staff take bed sheets and other items home to wash them. Cleaning cloths are left dirty. Managers do not organise or monitor cleaning routines well enough. The childcare areas, including bathrooms, are dirty. Scattered toys are not picked up from the floor. Toys, sand and other items gather next to and under furniture. This adds to the disorderly appearance of the room. n Staff's supervision of children is, at times, poor. This has an impact on safety and hygiene. Children eat crisped rice that is put out to be played with. They lick play dough and put it back on the table. Staff do not notice or take effective

p.2

need to do better?

21 February 2022 steps to prevent this. Children, therefore, risk illnesses and infections that are avoidable. n The provider has procedures for assessing the quality of staff's practice. However, managers do not follow the procedures and significant weaknesses grow. Individual staff do not have measurable professional targets that they are accountable for. Recent actions to improve practice have been ineffective. For example, senior managers show the nursery team how they want resources to be presented and explain why. However, managers and staff do not follow the advice and coaching. The impact is that practice remains poor. n Pre-school children often test out staff's boundaries for their behaviour. For example, they bite several pieces of foam from a loaf of bread intended for role play. They chew the foam and spit it onto the floor. Staff do not attempt to address this with them and children's behaviour deteriorates further. The

p.2

need to do better?

boisterous behaviour of older children means that younger children in the room are at risk of injury. n Staff do not promote children's language development well enough. For example, they serve lunch to the older group of children but do not initiate conversations with them. They do not ensure that children hear familiar and new vocabulary as part of the daily routine. This does not help children to extend their vocabulary and learn to speak. In another example, staff frequently ask very young children questions about a limited range of factual knowledge, such as the colour of items they are playing with. Children do not have the knowledge and words they need to respond. They learn that what staff say is not interesting or meaningful to listen to. This hinders children's progress towards becoming confident communicators. n Children do not make good progress. Staff do not know the contents of the individual education plans for children with SEND. Consequently, the plans are

p.3

need to do better?

not implemented and reviewed. Specialist professionals provide resources to support children's learning, but these get lost. The provider does not review or measure the impact of funding, such as the early years pupil premium. Gaps in children's development and progress widen. n Staff carry out the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. However, when the checks identify concerns about children's development, managers do not act on the findings. Managers report delays in children's development to parents. However, they cannot demonstrate the accuracy of their assessments, or give an account of any interventions to support the children's progress. This means that children, potentially, fall further behind month by month. n Staff caring for the youngest children make sure that children's care needs are met. Babies have time and opportunity to feed themselves and this helps to

p.3

need to do better?

promote their independence. Staff give cuddles and comfort to children as they prepare for sleep. This helps to make them feel secure. Children of all ages play outside every day. This helps to promote their health and well-being.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

21 February 2022 Weaknesses in leadership and management mean that children's health and safety are compromised. That said, the provider ensures that managers and staff complete safeguarding training and refresh their knowledge regularly. Managers know what to do if staff report concerns about the behaviour of a colleague towards children. Managers gather information from parents about children's allergies to particular foods. They check that new staff know the dietary needs of individual children.

p.3

Due date

ensure that children are adequately supervised 21/03/2022

p.4

Due date

take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection 21/03/2022

p.4

Due date

use risk assessment effectively to identify any potential risks to children's safety; take prompt steps to remove or minimise these 21/03/2022

p.4

Due date

implement an effective system for supervising managers and staff that leads to continuous improvement in the quality of their practice 21/03/2022

p.4

Due date

establish and teach consistent expectations for children's behaviour, so that children develop self-control 21/03/2022

p.4

Due date

name a key person for every child and ensure that children's care and education are tailored to meet their individual needs 21/03/2022

p.4

Due date

ensure that the curriculum provides children with knowledge and meaningful experiences that promote their good progress 21/03/2022

p.4

Due date

21 February 2022 enable staff to meet the unique needs of children with SEND, so that they make the best possible progress 21/03/2022

p.4

Due date

improve knowledge and understanding of language development in order to ensure that activities and interactions help children to extend their vocabulary and communicate confidently 21/03/2022

p.5

Due date

gain a secure understanding of the progress check for children aged between two and three years, so that completing it promotes children's progress effectively. 21/03/2022

p.5

should:

n improve systems for measuring the impact of additional funding on children's outcomes.

p.5

Setting details

Unique reference number 2606978 Local authority Tameside Inspection number 10221891 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.6

Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

p.6

inspection

Total number of places 85 Number of children on roll 52 Name of registered person Welcome Nurseries Ltd

p.6

reference number

Telephone number 0161 303 2393 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

p.6

Information about this early years setting

Welcome Nurseries @ Stalybridge registered in 2020 and is situated with Ridge Hill Children's Centre in the grounds of Silver Springs Primary Academy. The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, one member of staff holds a qualification at level 6, five members of staff hold qualifications at level 3 and two at level 2. 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.

p.6

Inspection activities

n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. 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 her evaluation of the provider. n A regional manager and the inspector completed a learning walk of the nursery. They conducted a joint observation of practice. n Meetings took place between the nursery manager, two regional managers and the inspector. n The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection. She spoke with parents and took account of their views. n Examples of documentation were sampled and reviewed by the inspector. She checked evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

p.7

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.

p.7

Inspection activities

21 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.

p.7

Inspection activities

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspection activities

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk

p.8

Inspection activities

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspection activities

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8