Jam Kangaroo Nursery, Pre-school & Kids Club

Inspection of Jam Kangaroo Nursery, Pre-school & Kids Club Jam Kangaroo Nursery, Old School House, School Street, SOUTHAM, Warwickshire CV47 1PL

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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 are not fully safeguarded. Deputy managers and staff lack secure safeguarding knowledge to help protect children from all types of harm. Due to staffing issues, not all children have been allocated a key person. This means some children are unable to form meaningful bonds with key staff. Children do not benefit from the most positive experience. That said, the environment is fairly inviting, with bright colours and lots of age-appropriate toys, indoors and outside. Overall, the majority of children are fairly happy and generally settled. Staff manage children's behaviour in an appropriate way. Children demonstrate typically positive behaviours and they cooperate with routines.

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The provision is inadequate

Children's education is not well supported. The curriculum is not well designed or sequenced in order to build on children's learning and help them acquire new skills. Nevertheless, children are self-sufficient and independent. They demonstrate interest in some of the resources available and display willingness to play and explore, particularly by themselves or with peers. All children enjoy outdoor play, including access to physical equipment. However, the limited learning that takes place is coincidental based on resources that are accessible, as staff do not understand how to implement an effective educational programme. Therefore, children do not make good progress.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff interactions and quality of teaching is not good enough. For example, babies do not benefit from the introduction of new and exciting activities, and they occasionally wait too long between transitions. Toddlers are exposed to a very formal approach to education as staff try to extend their knowledge of colours, shapes, numbers and letters in a repetitious manner using flashcards, which is beyond their abilities. Pre-school children's creativity is restricted by too much focus on the end product during painting activities. At times, they become bored and restless when staff are pre-occupied with managing personal breaks and cleaning up after routines, such as lunchtime.

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need to do better?

n The provider, who was also the manager, has sold the company and relinquished all her responsibility for the nursery. She has failed to inform Ofsted, despite still being accountable for the registration. This has resulted in persons unknown to Ofsted under this registration taking responsibility for the nursery without the relevant checks. n Due to the swift nature of the takeover, some parents and staff are not aware of who is actually in charge of the day-to-day running of the nursery. The new management team have recruited a new manager but have not yet had sufficient time to put them in place.

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need to do better?

17 March 2022 n Due to high staff turnover and ongoing staffing issues, the arrangements for staffing are not always appropriate. For example, in the baby room, there are only level 2, unqualified staff or agency staff available to work with children. Furthermore, those working with babies have not received necessary training that gives them the specific skills they must have to work with children under the age of two years old. This does not help meet children's needs. n The key-person system is not embedded and not every child has a designated key person. This does not help to ensure children and their parents build positive and meaningful relationships with key staff allocated to them. This also does not help promote children's learning and development in the most targeted way. n The curriculum is weak and there is limited intent behind the educational programme. Staff lack secure understanding of how to implement an effective

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need to do better?

curriculum. They make some observations of children's achievements but do not know how to accurately assess their development, identify meaningful next steps and monitor their progress. Overall, the activities provided do not build on what children know and can do. This limits children's learning and does not equip them for the future. n The quality of staff's interactions with children are not good enough. Staff do not always promote children's communication and language well. They do not consistently talk to children to engage them in meaningful conversations. Staff share some stories with children, but these are sometimes rushed. The environment and activities provided are not rich enough in this specific area. Therefore, gaps in children's communication and language attainment do not close and some children benefit very little from attending. n The provider was the special educational needs coordinator and took full

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need to do better?

responsibility for identifying and providing support to those children requiring it. Therefore, due to the swift takeover, this role has not yet been allocated to someone suitable by new managers. Overall, despite some links with the local inclusion team and other agencies, such as speech and language, the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is weak. These children do not benefit from focused support and targeted action plans. This puts them at risk of falling further behind. n Previous supervision arrangements for the staff team have been weak. The provider failed to consistently upskill staff and support them in their roles. This means staff are lacking in confidence and they do not have the knowledge and skills they require to fulfil their responsibilities. The new management team are in the process of putting together new performance management, supervision, support and training arrangements for staff, including training and new

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need to do better?

procedures for safeguarding. However, the impact of these new systems is not yet known as they have not had sufficient time to embed these. n Overall, parents comment positively on the nursery. Parents admit they were not informed about the recent takeover but do not feel this detracts from the quality of the nursery. Although some parents do not yet know enough about the new management team, they accept this is the early stages. However, due to weaknesses in the curriculum, staff do not share the most valuable information with parents about their children's development. This does not help to foster the best continuity between the nursery and home.

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need to do better?

17 March 2022 n Children's health and well-being are promoted in some ways. The arrangements in place to manage COVID-19 help to prevent the spread of infection. There are a suitable number of staff with first-aid training and appropriate accident procedures are in place. Children's care needs are met through some positive practices, including regular nappy changing. A nutritious menu of freshly cooked meals is provided. The nursery temperature is regulated, and comfortable sleeping arrangements are in place. n The provider has failed to maintain good standards. However, the new management team are reflective and highly critical. They can identify all key weaknesses. They have ambition for the nursery and there are clear targeted plans to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The safeguarding culture within the nursery is not good enough. Deputy managers and staff have not had routine access to training in this area and their knowledge is outdated. They do not understand the 'Prevent' duty guidance so are not alert to the risk of children and their families being exposed to radicalisation. They are not aware of the threat of extreme illegal cultural practices that can cause harm to children. They are also not alert to local area concerns, including the risk of county lines, which includes involvement in gangs and distribution of illegal substances. The new management team are knowledgeable about safeguarding and fully accept that deputy manager's and staff's knowledge need to improve. They have rewritten the nursery safeguarding policy and are in the process of inducting and training all staff on this. Managers and staff have been recruited robustly to the new company and they are suitably vetted. Recently, a new mobile phone policy

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Safeguarding

has been successfully implemented. The premises are secure and the new management team have carried out fresh risk assessments to minimise potential hazards. Staff supervise children efficiently during their time at nursery. This goes some way to keeping children safe.

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Due date

put in place a manager who is available to run the setting day to day and ensure that all parents and staff are aware of who this person is 29/04/2022

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Due date

17 March 2022 improve deputy manager's and staff's safeguarding knowledge to ensure they are alert to all types of harm 29/04/2022

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Due date

ensure staffing arrangements are appropriate, specifically in the baby room, and that those working with children under the age of two have received necessary training in this area 29/04/2022

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Due date

embed a key-person system to ensure every child has an allocated key person 29/04/2022

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Due date

allocate a special educational needs coordinator and improve the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including implementing targeted support that focuses on narrowing attainment gaps 29/04/2022

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Due date

share more valuable information with parents about their children's learning and development to promote better continuity between nursery and home 29/04/2022

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Due date

embed the new supervision, support and training arrangements for staff to help build on their confidence and help them upskill. 29/04/2022

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Due date

improve the curriculum so that the intent for learning is clear and activities provided build on what children know and can do 27/05/2022

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Due date

help staff gain a secure understanding of how to implement an effective educational programme and monitor the impact of this on children's progress 27/05/2022

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Due date

17 March 2022 improve the quality of staff's interactions with children, specifically focusing on developing communication and language support within the nursery. 27/05/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY298560 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 10231284 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 44 Number of children on roll 50 Name of registered person Jam Kangaroo Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01926 813 815 Date of previous inspection 10 August 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Jam Kangaroo Nursery, Pre-school & Kids Club registered in 2005 and is located in Southam, in Warwickshire. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including one with a relevant degree qualification and one early years teacher. The nursery operates all year round. Sessions are available Monday to Friday, from 8am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year- old children.

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Inspection activities

n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. 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 a representative for the new company and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n A representative for the new company joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. 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. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke with a representative for the new company about the

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Inspection activities

leadership and management of the setting. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of management and 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

17 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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