The Wendy House

Inspection of The Wendy House 5 Brockhampton Road, HAVANT, Hampshire PO9 1NU

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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

Weaknesses in the provider's recruitment processes compromise children's safety. However, children demonstrate that they feel safe in the care of staff, who are warm and caring. For example, babies enjoy cuddles when having a bottle of milk. Children are happy and settled and staff know their interests. They enjoy a welcoming environment, where they feel at ease and develop their confidence. Children mainly behave well. Some children show awareness of others. For example, being kind to children younger than themselves.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff do not always implement some areas of the curriculum well enough. This includes variable support for children's communication and language development. At times, some children, including those that need extra support, do not receive sustained and effective interactions from some staff. However, at other times, children enthusiastically join in with activities that support their language development. For example, toddlers joined in with actions and words to familiar songs, which they helped choose.

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The provision is inadequate

Despite some weaknesses in how the curriculum is implemented, children enjoy engaging in interesting activities. For instance, pre-school children listened to a story, and afterwards took part in an activity, where they explored weighing scales and used their knowledge of numbers. At times though, some staff lead activities too rigidly. This means children's own ideas and thoughts are not always considered, to help build on these. All children enjoy spending time outside. They learn to take appropriate risks and challenge their physical skills. For example, children carefully walked across planks balanced on crates.

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need to do better?

n The provider lacks knowledge and understanding of safer recruitment processes. There are weaknesses in the provider's procedures and staff's suitability is sometimes not robustly checked. This does not safeguard children from potentially being cared for by staff, who may not be suitable to work with them. This is also a breach of the Childcare Register requirements. n The quality of teaching is variable, not all staff have a consistently good understanding of the curriculum. This does not enable all staff to provide effective teaching and support for children's learning. Additionally, some staff do not engage effectively with children to promote their learning. This includes promoting children's learning through their own ideas. n At times, staff do not speak and interact with children consistently. In addition, on occasion, some staff do not model language using correctly pronounced words to children. This does not support children who need extra help to catch

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need to do better?

up well enough. However, there are times when children with special

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need to do better?

8 March 2022 educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate help. For instance, they take part in focused small group activities to help support their language and social skills. n The management team has a caring approach to the staff, parents and children. Staff report that managers support their well-being effectively. They have regular supervision and team meetings to help support them in their work. Staff have access to online training. Although, there are good processes in place, there are some gaps in staff practice. These impact on the overall quality of the provision. The management team, despite the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, has taken steps to improve aspects of the nursery. This includes the environment such as the garden. Due to the impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic, the provider has reduced the number of children attending currently. This ensures that required ratios of staff to children are met.

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need to do better?

n The nursery's special educational needs coordinator ensures that she puts in place individual education plans to help target children's needs. She offers good support to children. However, not all staff consistently continue this support in their daily interactions. Effective links and communication with other professionals and parents help to provide consistency in meeting children's needs. Where additional funding is received, this is used appropriately. For example, to support children's learning through books to use at nursery and at home. n Children mostly behave in a suitable manner. Staff generally provide appropriate explanations to help guide them. Staff raise children's awareness of healthy practices. They talk to children about taking care of their teeth and eating the healthier contents of their packed lunch first. n Positive parent partnerships are a strong focus of the nursery. Staff and

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need to do better?

management build an effective rapport with parents. In particular, the management team and staff have maintained this very well throughout limitations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents praise the staff highly and their children's experiences at the nursery. They highlight the effective support they receive about their children's individual needs and how to support these. Staff support children's learning at home through a library system, to borrow books to read at home on a weekly basis.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The provider has failed to robustly check all staff's suitability to work with children. As a result, some staff have been working with children without having references obtained or their identity checked. New staff are supervised with children, which does help to minimise risks when they first start. Staff know how to recognise potential concerns about children's welfare or other staff's behaviours. They understand their responsibilities to report any concerns. There are clear evacuation routes in the event of an emergency. Staff check the premises daily for possible hazards and risks. The indoor environment is ventilated and appropriately heated. This helps to keep children safe and promotes their well-being.

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Due date

implement robust recruitment processes that securely check staff's suitability, including verifying their identification and ensuring references are obtained for all staff 26/04/2022

p.4

Due date

develop staff's understanding of the curriculum, to support and develop children's communication and language development, to provide more effective teaching across all areas of the nursery. 26/04/2022

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should:

n build on the monitoring of staff practice to provide more guidance and support to staff, in particular their knowledge of the curriculum and how to implement this in their practice, to help raise the overall quality of the provision n enable children to explore and express their own ideas and to use these in their play and activities, to help extend their own learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY363957 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10229197 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 Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 34 Number of children on roll 45 Name of registered person Logan, Wendy Jeanette

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reference number

Telephone number 02392479099 Date of previous inspection 26 February 2019

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Information about this early years setting

The Wendy House registered in 2008 and is located in Havant, Hampshire. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm for 50 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays and is closed for two weeks at Christmas. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are eight staff, including the owner. All staff hold relevant early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The manager holds an early years foundation degree.

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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 explained the curriculum intentions to the inspector and took the inspector on a learning walk and tour of the nursery premises. n An activity was observed and evaluated by the manager and inspector. n The inspector gained some views from parents about the nursery. n Meetings and discussions were regularly held with the manager and provider throughout the inspection. n Children interacted with the inspector and the inspector observed their play, activities and interactions with staff.

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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

8 March 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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