Sunflowers Day Nursery

Inspection of Sunflowers Day Nursery 82 HIGH STREET, CREDITON, DEVON EX17 3LA

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety is compromised by weaknesses in the staff team's safeguarding knowledge. Leaders, including those with key safeguarding responsibilities, and some staff are not clear about when to raise and report concerns. However, children feel happy and comfortable in the care of the welcoming staff. Children arrive at nursery eagerly, explore the good range of resources with interest and engage in play with their friends.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff know the children well and have high expectations for what they can achieve overall. For example, they help pre-school children to develop their ability to recall and retell a favourite story. The children use the illustrations as a prompt and talk about the order that things happen, supported by staff to use language such as 'first' and 'next'. This helps children to understand sequences of events and to develop their early interest in books. Babies benefit from well-planned resources that motivate them to investigate and explore using their senses. For instance, they use their arms and hands to learn about the texture of flour. They thoroughly enjoy moving it around and covering themselves in it playfully. Children develop a positive attitude to learning and make good progress.

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need to do better?

n Although leaders and staff attend relevant training, some do not have a secure understanding of safeguarding to enable them to take appropriate action in the event of a concern. Their knowledge and practice are not in line with the local safeguarding partnership procedures. This means they cannot prioritise children's safety. n Staff assess children's progress accurately and plan a broad curriculum, taking account of children's interests. Children are motivated to take part in activities. Two-year-old children listen well to stories and confidently share their thoughts about what is happening in the books. Pre-school children investigate how to release toys from blocks of ice, such as by scratching and throwing it, before trying to melt it with their hands and commenting excitedly on their success. n Staff encourage children to use their own ideas to lead their play. For example, with reassurance from staff, children decide to tip soft pom-poms into the water

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need to do better?

tray. They enjoy scooping the pom-poms out with their hands and talk about the change in how they feel. Staff support babies who do not like to get dirty to explore the paint using tools and utensils, so their hands remain clean. This helps to develop children's confidence to try new things. n Leaders provide some professional development opportunities for staff, such as encouraging them to complete additional training. Staff enjoy working at the setting and comment on the positive relationships they have with each other and the leaders.

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need to do better?

10 March 2022 n Overall, staff promote children's communication and language development well. For example, they make good use of questions during activities to challenge the pre-school children to think and share their ideas. Children are confident to initiate discussion and express themselves clearly. n Partnerships with parents and other settings attended by children are effective to enable consistency in children's care and learning. Leaders and staff provide particularly good support to parents and children regarding potty training, to help children become independent in their self-care from a young age. n Staff support children to understand the routines and expectations. For example, they give children a warning shortly before changes in activities to allow them the time to end their play in their own way. Children enjoy taking on additional tasks to help staff, behave well and are friendly. Pre-school children work

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need to do better?

together to try to lift and move the heavier toys out of the way at the end of the session. n Children are settled and form close relationships with staff. New babies receive good support and attention to help them feel emotionally secure and they quickly adapt to and follow nursery routines. Staff give children plenty of praise to build their self-confidence.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of staff's safeguarding knowledge. As a result, leaders have not identified that some staff do not have a secure understanding of when and how to report concerns about children and staff. Furthermore, leaders with key safeguarding responsibilities do not have a thorough knowledge of how to manage concerns about staff. Leaders implement robust recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure all staff are suitable for their roles. Staff's risk assessment of the children's play areas is effective to ensure the premises are safe and secure.

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Due date

10 March 2022 ensure all staff, including the designated safeguarding lead, have a secure knowledge and understanding of safeguarding to enable them to raise concerns about children and staff appropriately and in a timely manner 31/03/2022

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Due date

ensure those with lead safeguarding roles understand the action to take in the event of an allegation against staff, in line with the local safeguarding partnership procedures. 31/03/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY334284 Local authority Devon Inspection number 10126011 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 73 Number of children on roll 72 Name of registered person Sunflowers Day Nursery LLP

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reference number

Telephone number 01363 777020 Date of previous inspection 11 November 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Sunflowers Day Nursery registered in 2001 and re-registered under the present ownership in 2006. It is located near the centre of Crediton, in Devon. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm. There are 18 staff who work with the children. Of these, 14 hold a level 3 qualification or above in early years. The nursery also employs a cook and a cleaner. The nursery is in receipt of funding for children aged two, three and four years.

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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 The manager took the inspector on a learning walk to discuss their curriculum and what they want the children to learn at the nursery. n The manager and the inspector observed some adult-led activities together to evaluate the impact of the curriculum on children's learning and development. n The views of children and their parents were taken into account. n The inspector spoke with staff during the inspection, including about children's needs and nursery routines. n The inspector and leaders held a meeting to discuss the day-to-day running and the nursery's policies and procedures.

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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

10 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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