Marlow Day Nursery Ltd

Inspection of Marlow Day Nursery Ltd Sandygate Road, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 3AZ

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate 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

The provider and manager do not assure the safety of children. Staff fail to identify and effectively risk assess all possible hazards to children. The provider and manager do not effectively monitor practice or compliance with requirements. They do not have an effective understanding of the nursery's strengths and weaknesses and where requirements are not being met. Additionally, staff do not have a strong enough understanding of the procedures for safeguarding. This compromises children's safety and well-being.

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The provision is inadequate

The quality of learning experiences children receive are variable. The youngest children's needs are well met. However, the experiences for toddlers and older children are not as good. Therefore, their learning is not supported as well as it could be. Staff do not have a clear or precise understanding of what they want children to learn. Consequently, they do not ensure children make good progress.

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The provision is inadequate

On the whole, children are happy and eager to join in with activities. They enjoy opportunities to be physically active outside. For example, older children take part in an obstacle course designed to support their large-muscle skills. Younger children enjoy making marks with chalk and playing with water. Children are keen to greet their friends and play with them. Children behave well and staff offer gentle reminders effectively of their behavioural expectations.

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need to do better?

n Overall, leadership and management of the nursery are weak. The provider and manager do not monitor staff practice effectively. Staff do not fully understand expectations for their roles. Additionally, they do not always access appropriate training to support their knowledge and skills. Therefore, staff are not able to fully ensure the safety and welfare of all children who attend. The provider has failed to make effective notifications to Ofsted, especially in relation to the management of the nursery. This is a breach of requirements. n Risk assessments are ineffective. The provider and manager do not ensure the premises are safe, especially the outdoor area. For example, they do not remove large amounts of standing water or rotten wood, which is a risk to children. Additionally, one of the outdoor spaces is insecure and children can access broken toys in the bin store. Young children play in an area where there is small

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need to do better?

gravel left on the floor, posing a risk of choking. Consequently, this does not assure children's safety. n The designated safeguarding managers for the nursery have failed to ensure that all staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding practice. Some staff have not received relevant training to support their understanding. Not all staff are aware of the appropriate action to take if they have a concern about a child.

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need to do better?

22 February 2022 Furthermore, they are unaware of how to report concerns about a colleague's practice. This has a significant impact on children's safety and well-being. n Staff do not have high enough expectations for all children. The curriculum is poorly planned and implemented, particularly for toddlers and older children. Staff do not understand what all children need to learn. Therefore, they do not implement experiences effectively and ensure these have a positive impact on children's learning. As a result, they are not able to support children's learning effectively. n Some staff do not extend activities further, to successfully support the most able children. Additionally, some staff do not use questions effectively enough to extend and challenge children's thinking. This has a negative impact on children's progress. In addition, staff do not plan group times in the pre-school room well. Consequently, some children are not able to engage and they lose

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need to do better?

focus. n Staff generally know the children well. They build loving and caring relationships with them. Interactions with younger children are effective and support their developing skills, especially in relation to language. For example, when younger children are exploring toy animals, staff carefully model the names and sounds they make. Children enjoy attempting to say these for themselves. n Toddlers and older children engage in the activities available to them. Staff relate the activities to children's interests to encourage them to explore. Children enjoy investigating textures with farm animals and making marks with vehicles. n Parents speak positively about the nursery; they comment they were well supported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents say they receive regular information and feedback about the nursery and their children's learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider and manager do not ensure that effective risk assessments are undertaken to identify and minimise hazards to children. This includes risks in the outdoor area and from propping fire doors open throughout the setting. Consequently, this compromises children's safety and well-being. The provider and manager do not ensure that all staff understand the nursery's safeguarding policies and procedures. Some staff have a poor knowledge of how to respond to concerns regarding children or adults who work with them. This places children at risk of harm if staff need to act swiftly when they have a safeguarding concern. Despite this, the procedures for staff recruitment and checking ongoing suitability are effective.

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Due date

improve the monitoring of staff practice, to ensure they have a secure understanding of the expectations of their role to support children's learning effectively 25/03/2022

p.4

Due date

ensure all risks and hazards to children's safety are identified and removed or minimised 25/03/2022

p.4

Due date

improve the provider's knowledge and understanding of the changes that must be notified to Ofsted 25/03/2022

p.4

Due date

ensure all staff understand the safeguarding policy and have up-to-date safeguarding knowledge, including how to respond and report any concerns to agencies with statutory responsibilities 25/03/2022

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Due date

improve staff's knowledge of the curriculum intent to ensure it is reflective of all children's needs, particularly the toddlers and older children, in order to maximise their learning. 25/03/2022

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should:

n support staff to develop the strategies used for questioning children as they play, to further challenge and support their thinking skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 116696 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 10225490 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 57 Number of children on roll 68 Name of registered person The Marlow Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01628 488 114 Date of previous inspection 14 November 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Marlow Day Nursery Ltd registered in 1997. It is located on the outskirts of Marlow town centre, in Buckinghamshire. The nursery is open each weekday, from 8am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. It also offers bookable early drop off from 7.30am. The nursery is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 13 staff. The manager is qualified at level 6 and six other staff hold early years qualifications at level 3.

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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 the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children told the inspector about their friends and what they like to do when they are at nursery. The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke with the nominated registered individual about the leadership and management of the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation during outdoor play. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working 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

22 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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