The Valley Nursery and Kids Club

Inspection of The Valley Nursery and Kids Club New Road, Team Valley Trading Estate, GATESHEAD, Tyne and Wear NE11 0JU

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate 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's safety is compromised. This is because the management team has not identified that there are significant weaknesses in practice. Staff working with children do not always ensure that they can see what is happening and what other children are doing. This results in a disorderly environment, particularly in the pre- school room. Some children find it difficult to manage their behaviour and this puts other children at risk. However, children come into nursery happily. They greet their key person in the foyer enthusiastically. Babies explore the environment with confidence.

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The provision is inadequate

Children's progress is poor, particularly for those children in receipt of funding or for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some children become bored in the nursery because staff do not plan activities that support their age or stage of development. Despite the weaknesses, there are times when children demonstrate reasonable concentration. Younger children enjoy exploring different balls in a ball pool. Older children demonstrate their understanding of words that rhyme as they put rhyming objects into a 'silly soup'. However, there is a negative impact on their learning as children stand up, so they can no longer see the objects.

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need to do better?

n Staff do not always supervise children well enough to make sure they are consistently safe. During the inspection, there were times when staff did not supervise children adequately, though appropriate ratios were being maintained. For example, children who were running indoors or climbing on furniture were not noticed. In addition, staff supervising a table in the dining room, did not notice children at the table jabbing themselves with forks. This puts children at risk of harm. n The behaviour of some older children is poor. There are too many occasions when children's poor behaviour goes unnoticed. For example, staff do not notice children pushing other children or punching them. In addition, children often put themselves in danger, as they run around or drag other children across the floor. This disorderly environment contributes to children having accidents and sustaining injuries. When staff notice what children are doing, they remind

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need to do better?

children of their expectations. This is not effective in ensuring that children learn how to consistently behave. n Staff do not consider children's age or stage of development when planning activities. They plan activities that they think children will enjoy. However, these activities do not provide an appropriate level of challenge because they are not pitched at the right level. For example, staff working with two-year-old-children dress up to engage them in stories. However, some children quickly lose interest

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need to do better?

24 March 2022 and distract other children because the activity is not appropriate for their level of understanding. In addition, staff do not give sufficient thought to planning routine activities, such as lunchtime and group times. This means that children spend a long time sitting and waiting for things to happen. This results in children becoming bored and, for some older children, this results in unwanted behaviour. n The manager's monitoring is weak. She does not observe her staff's practice adequately so has not identified the poor practice in the nursery. She is not aware that there are weaknesses in how well staff supervise children. She has failed to identify that there are significant weaknesses in the way children act and behave. She has not taken effective action to address the number of incidents that have occurred in the pre-school room, particularly those caused by other children. The manager has not acted swiftly enough to address

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need to do better?

weaknesses in teaching. n Staff provide opportunities for children to improve their language development. For example, staff working with babies use single words, such as 'shake', as they play with them. Staff working with toddlers continue to introduce single words and then expand them to form two-word-phrases. For example, they introduce 'ball', then 'blue ball'. n Staff support children with dietary requirements well. Children enjoy fresh air and exercise and enjoy healthy home-cooked food. n Staff develop partnerships with parents and other professionals. Parents know what their children are doing and say they are happy with the nursery. Staff work with the local authority to get advice on how to support children with SEND. However, due to weaknesses in teaching and supervision, the support for these children is poor.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Weaknesses in relation to behaviour management and supervision mean that children are not kept safe in the nursery. Despite the weaknesses, there are good procedures in place to keep the premises secure. For example, doors into the children's rooms have key codes to prevent unauthorised visitors gaining entry. The manager and her staff team have a good knowledge of signs that may indicate possible abuse to children. They know the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child. Staff attend a range of training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date.

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Due date

24 March 2022 ensure that children are effectively supervised at all times to meet their needs and ensure their safety 14/04/2022

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Due date

ensure that behavioural expectations are consistently reinforced, so that children learn to manage their own behaviour and understand the impact of their behaviour on others 14/04/2022

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Due date

ensure planning considers the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of individual children; use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all areas of learning 21/04/2022

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Due date

improve supervision and monitoring of staff's practice and support them to undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities, to ensure they offer good quality care, learning and development experiences for children that continually improve. 14/04/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY320833 Local authority Gateshead Inspection number 10220102 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 158 Number of children on roll 137 Name of registered person Team Valley Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 0191 4915050 Date of previous inspection 19 September 2016

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Information about this early years setting

The Valley Nursery and Kids Club registered in 2006. It is situated in Team Valley. The nursery employs 23 members of childcare staff. Of these, 23 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including two with early years professional status or early years teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday and all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager showed the inspectors around the nursery and talked to them about their curriculum and what they want children to learn. n The inspectors observed staff and children and the quality of their interactions. n Parents met with the inspectors to share their views of the nursery. n The inspectors talked to children and staff at appropriate times during the inspection. n The manager showed the inspectors a range of documentation, including documents relating to staff suitability. n The inspectors spoke to the manager and provider about the leadership and management of 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

24 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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