Little Miracles Day Nursery

Inspection of Little Miracles Day Nursery 58 Friday Hill East, London E4 6JT

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement 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

Children are not safeguarded well enough. The manager, who is also the designated person for safeguarding, does not always follow the correct procedures to ensure children's safety and well-being. Despite these weaknesses, children, including babies, develop secure relationships with staff, who welcome them warmly as they arrive at nursery. Staff are mostly attentive and responsive to children's emotional and care needs. However, at times, this is compromised when staff who are key persons to children are not able to respond swiftly enough when children are showing signs of distress. This is due to trying to meet the needs of a large group of children.

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The provision is inadequate

Children generally behave well and listen to instructions. They show confidence when choosing resources and deciding where they want to play. They are beginning to learn to take turns and share with each other. Staff are sensitive role models and demonstrate considerate behaviour. They calmly negotiate any minor disagreements between children. However, staff are not always able to consistently promote children's sense of security and well-being, particularly in the pre-school room. This is due to the deployment of staff, which is compromised at times due to staff absences. As a result, some children who require extra support are not receiving this. Staff do, however, work very hard to acknowledge children's interests and provide activities that they will enjoy. Older children are increasing their independence skills. They are keen to help at tidy-up time and when clearing their own plates after lunch. They confidently count, recognise numbers and learn

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The provision is inadequate

about different letters and sounds. Toddlers and babies are happy and settled. They cheerfully greet visitors and quickly build attachments with the staff caring for them.

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need to do better?

n The management team does not consistently implement safeguarding procedures to follow up on concerns about children's welfare. They do not ensure that all identified safeguarding concerns are recorded, monitored and acted on in line with local safeguarding procedures. n Managers are aware that some areas of practice need to be improved. They are making efforts to recruit permanent staff and are ensuring that they have cover staff organised to ensure ratios are met. However, they have not considered the levels of attention that some children need when deciding how many children staff are able to support effectively. This hinders staff's ability to provide good- quality support at all times and compromises staff's ability to meet their key- person responsibilities for all children. At times, poor staff deployment impacts on children's behaviour, and the needs of all children are not consistently met.

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need to do better?

n Parents share positive feedback about the nursery. All parents spoken to on the

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need to do better?

22 February 2022 day of the inspection spoke highly of the staff team. They comment that they can see how much their children are developing and learning at nursery. They say that their children are very happy to attend and that staff keep them well informed about their children's development. They are looking forward to when they can be welcomed back into the setting to take part in activities and celebrations with their children. n Staff are good role models. Their aim is to teach children to respect one another and play in cooperative ways. Children mostly feel valued because staff offer meaningful praise. However, not all children are able to get the attention they need from staff at all times when the quality of adult interaction is inconsistent. This is because staff do not always notice when children need further support. However, partnerships with other professionals are helping to strengthen the

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need to do better?

support that is given to children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are developing strategies to support children with additional needs, but this is being impacted on, particularly at transition times, by poor deployment and the inability of key persons to work closely with their key children. n Staff place a strong focus on developing children's communication and language. They talk to children and ask questions to encourage their thinking skills. Staff sit with young babies on the floor to encourage their participation. Staff support children's language skills well, including those children who are learning English as an additional language. For example, they listen to children carefully, give them time to think and respond, and teach them new words. n Staff make every effort to ensure that the environment is inclusive to all children. They promote children's independence well during activities. Children

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need to do better?

sit together during snack and lunch and enjoy the social aspect, engaging in conversations with other children and staff. They benefit from healthy snacks and meals, which they very much enjoy. n Children spend time outside every day. They explore with enthusiasm and enjoyment as they confidently communicate with visitors and staff. They balance on crates, practise on wheeled toys, and enjoy mark making with jumbo chalks. They learn about nature when looking for bugs and watching for the birds in the natural woodland area. They are independent as they explore the environment and initiate their own play, taking measured risks as they climb and balance while being closely supervised by staff. n Children learn about numbers through counting and measuring as they make play dough. Staff engage children as they play, teaching and extending their understanding of these mathematical concepts well. Staff fully engage children

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need to do better?

in developing their imagination during role play. Children are animated and expressive as they use their imaginations to turn the garden playhouse into an aeroplane and fly to Jamaica. n Staff are successful in teaching children about how to keep themselves safe. For example, children listen well and follow the rules when they line up to negotiate the stairs down to the outside play area. Children quickly learn that they need to wait for staff to call their names and complete a headcount when going back inside from outdoors. This teaches children valuable skills in preparation for school.

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need to do better?

22 February 2022 n The provider takes effective action to ensure the premises indoors and outdoors are clean and risk assessed. This includes taking swift action to make the outdoor area safe following strong winds. Accidents are monitored and shared with parents both verbally and in writing.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have recently completed child protection training and most have a satisfactory understanding of the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child's welfare or an adult's behaviour. The provider implements secure vetting procedures to ensure staff's suitability to work with children. However, children's welfare is not promoted adequately at all times. Managers who hold lead safeguarding roles have not followed their procedure, including for reporting concerns to local safeguarding partners. This compromises children's safety.

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Due date

improve the lead practitioner's child protection knowledge and understanding to ensure that correct procedures are followed in the event of a safeguarding concern 08/03/2022

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Due date

improve the arrangements for monitoring safeguarding issues to ensure that appropriate action is taken at all times 08/03/2022

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Due date

ensure that an effective key-person system is in place to provide a settled relationship for children, so that children's welfare, emotional development and individual learning needs are addressed effectively 08/03/2022

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Due date

22 February 2022 ensure that staff deployment is fully effective to meet the individual needs of children, particularly those children who need additional support. 08/03/2022

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Due date

ensure staff receive effective support and supervision so that they are able to carry out their roles and responsibilities, including providing consistently good interactions to support children's care and learning. 22/03/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY468365 Local authority London Borough of Waltham Forest Inspection number 10222000 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 50 Number of children on roll 62 Name of registered person M&S Management Services Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 02085244700 Date of previous inspection 10 May 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Little Miracles Day Nursery registered in 2013 and is located in Chingford, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. The provider is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The provider employs 14 members of staff, who hold early years qualifications from level 2 to 6. Two members of staff hold qualified teacher status.

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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 A joint observation was carried out by the inspector and the manager to observe the organisation of transition times prior to and during lunchtime. n The inspector held discussions with children, staff and parents at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The inspector and the manager carried out a learning walk across all areas of the nursery to understand how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n The inspector looked at a sample of documentation. This included staff suitability checks and children's registration documents. n This inspection was carried out following Ofsted's risk assessment process.

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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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