Little Seeds

Inspection of Little Seeds Haughton St. Giles School, Prince Avenue, Haughton ST18 9ET

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety is not assured because the provider significantly lacks oversight of the quality of provision. Managers and staff do not receive the support and guidance they need from the provider to make improvements. Systems for monitoring possible child protection concerns about children are not implemented effectively so staff are unable to identify any patterns or links that could indicate a child is at risk of harm.

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The provision is inadequate

That said, children mostly arrive happily to the nursery. They receive a friendly welcome from staff and independently put their belongings away. They arrive eager to learn and show respect to staff as they follow requests. Children find their name card and sit down on the carpet. Staff plan and provide children with a stimulating learning environment. However, the provider's expectations of staff are too high. Staff are preoccupied with housekeeping tasks and are required to take children to the bathroom within the school premises. This takes them away from children and means that they are unable to spend enough time engaging with them and teaching them new skills. Some children spend a lot of time wandering around the environment aimlessly. They do not consistently show a positive attitude towards their learning and staff are not alert to this. Other children spend their time playing with their friends and do not benefit from adult interactions. As a

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The provision is inadequate

result, children do not make the best possible progress in their learning and development.

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need to do better?

n The provider has an inadequate oversight of the quality of provision. The registered person does not visit the setting frequently enough to support managers and recognise weaknesses in practice. Self-evaluation is weak and there are a number of breaches to the requirements of the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'. This impacts on the care and safeguarding of children. n Managers show commitment to the nursery and are eager to give children the best experiences. However, they are not well enough supported. Managers have been appointed into roles without thorough recruitment and induction processes being completed to check that they are suitable and confident to fulfil their responsibilities. n The provider fails to ensure that staff and managers receive the support, coaching and guidance they need to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Although managers receive opportunities for supervision, they do not receive

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need to do better?

help or time to complete tasks and implement systems. This includes systems for recording and monitoring child protection information. Difficulties that managers encounter are not addressed. As a result, they face significant

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need to do better?

3 May 2022 pressures in their role and are unable to spend enough time monitoring the quality of teaching to raise it to a good level. n Although there are enough staff available and present, the deployment of staff does not always meet the needs of children. Staff try their best to meet children's needs. They frequently need to take children to the bathroom when they wish to go to the toilet. Managers and staff are required to complete housekeeping tasks and maintain records while working directly with children. There are no additional staff available to cover staff to take appropriate rest breaks. This means that staff are frequently taken away from children, which impacts on the quality of care and education that children receive. n There are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. Staff and managers demonstrate an understanding of the curriculum and know what they want children to learn. They plan and provide interesting and challenging activities for

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need to do better?

children in the environment. However, they are unable to spend enough time with children to complete these. Therefore, their learning intentions are not achieved to help children make good enough progress in their learning and development. n Children are assigned a named key person when they start at the nursery. Staff generally form good relationships with children and are caring towards them. However, when there are staff absences, other staff do not always know enough about these children's needs. Staff do not respond to children who continuously yawn and struggle to engage in any play or learning. This means that children are not well enough supported because their care and learning do not meet their individual needs. n Managers use assessments of children to identify gaps in their learning. They liaise with other professionals to gain support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Managers and staff identify suitable targets

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need to do better?

for children to help them make progress in their learning. However, they do not implement these effectively to ensure that children do not fall further behind in their development. n Children are generally respectful towards each other and staff. They follow staff's instructions and understand the expectations for their behaviour. At tidy- up time, they encourage their friends to return to where they were playing to clear away their toys. n Partnerships with parents are not well enough embedded to promote secure relationships. Parents speak positively about the staff who work with children. They praise the information they receive about their children's care and enjoy receiving photographs of children completing activities. However, parents do not always receive clear and prompt information from the provider about changes in the setting.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff complete regular training, which enables them to understand signs that could indicate a child is at risk of abuse or neglect. However, systems for recording and

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Safeguarding

3 May 2022 monitoring child protection information do not allow staff to identify patterns of possible concern about children or make links. While staff and managers know the procedures to follow if concerns arise about children, weaknesses in record-keeping mean that they may not recognise such concerns to report these and keep children safe. Risk assessment is used effectively to reduce hazards in the environment.

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Due date

ensure that systems for recording and monitoring possible child protection information are effectively implemented in order to review patterns, make links and identify concerns about children 19/05/2022

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Due date

improve the deployment of staff so that staff are able to fulfil their roles and responsibilities and meet the needs of all children 19/05/2022

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Due date

ensure that there is effective provider oversight to improve the quality of the provision and keep children safe and well 19/05/2022

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Due date

ensure all managers are appropriately recruited, suitable and confident to fulfil the requirements of their role 19/05/2022

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Due date

ensure all staff are fully inducted into their roles, particularly those with management responsibility, and benefit from effective supervision that offers support, coaching and training to raise the quality of teaching and improve the quality of the provision 19/05/2022

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Due date

ensure that the key-person system is effective to provide every child with tailored care and education that meets their individual needs 19/05/2022

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Due date

3 May 2022 improve the arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities 19/05/2022

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Due date

improve the two-way flow of information with parents so that they receive sufficiently clear and prompt information about the setting. 19/05/2022

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Due date

ensure that planning is implemented effectively so that children consistently benefit from enjoyable and challenging activities to help them make progress in their learning and development. 14/06/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2593671 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 10237798 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 24 Number of children on roll 20 Name of registered person Springfields Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01785851710 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Seeds registered in 2020. The nursery is located within Haughton St. Giles School, in Staffordshire. The nursery opens from 7.30am until 6pm, Monday to Friday. They offer wrap-around provision for children attending the school. There are three members of childcare staff employed. The manager holds qualified teacher status, and two staff hold appropriate qualifications at level 3. 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 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 deputy manager and inspector completed a learning walk to gather information about how the provision and curriculum are organised. n The deputy manager and inspector carried out a joint observation to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching. n Parents spoke to the inspector and gave their views of the nursery. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching indoors and outdoors, to assess the impact of this on children's learning. n The inspector held a meeting with the deputy manager and looked at relevant documentation and evidence of staff suitability.

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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

3 May 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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