Puddle Jumpers Nursery

Inspection of Puddle Jumpers Nursery 33 Three Colt Street, Limehouse E14 8HH

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is inadequate

Changes to the leadership and senior staff have led to a great deal of uncertainty amongst parents regarding the management of the setting. Parents report that children enjoy attending and staff look after them well. However, they raise concerns about the changes to the staff team. Some parents comment that they are not aware who their child's key person is and do not always have opportunities to share information regularly about children and what they are learning.

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The provision is inadequate

Leaders do not have effective risk assessment processes in place to ensure children are kept safe. The inspector identified several hazards at the setting. Examples of these are trip hazards where children could fall over, both indoors and outdoors, and a door being propped open by a toy with no adequate guards in place. Young children having access to small toys which could potentially be a choking hazard. Leaders are aware of these but have not taken action to ensure children are kept sufficiently safe.

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The provision is inadequate

Overall, the children are not receiving a good enough level of support in their learning. There are times when they experiment with glitter and paint and enjoy being creative. Children enjoy going on daily outings to the park. Babies enjoy looking at themselves in mirrors and playing with sand. Older children like playing in the mud kitchen, pretending to cook. They add water to mud and comment how it has become sticky and wet. However, the quality of teaching is variable and, as a result, children are not making the progress they are capable of.

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need to do better?

n Parents appreciate the daily verbal feedback they receive from staff. They comment that they like the online app as it allows them to share useful information about daily routines. Parents do not currently access the setting and leave their children at the front door due to the COVID-19 pandemic. n Children generally settle well and are happy at the setting. However, the curriculum is not planned or implemented effectively. In addition, the curriculum is not well sequenced and challenging for children. This means that children do not receive a high-quality learning experience. They lose interest and do not persevere. Staff are often busy with other tasks such as tidying up, clearing away and setting up for other activities. n The provider is failing to meet a number of early years foundation stage requirements. This compromises children's safety. Leaders and managers have identified weaknesses at the setting. They are developing a targeted action plan

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need to do better?

to address these and drive improvement. However, this is not yet effective and therefore is yet to have sufficient impact to ensure all children make good progress and are safe.

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need to do better?

20 April 2022 n Staff are friendly and caring and want the children to do well. However, they have not received effective support or training in how they can promote children's learning and build on what children already know. As a result, children have little direction and do not make the progress they are capable of. This particularly has an impact on children who are already behind in their development and who speak English as an additional language (EAL). n Children enjoy the healthy lunch and snacks. Staff teach them how to use cutlery safely, and promote children's independence by supporting them to serve themselves and pour water from jugs. However, staff do not take opportunities to teach children to keep themselves safe, for example by ensuring all that children wash their hands regularly, picking up toys when they fall and cleaning up spillages. n Staff do not support children's personal, social and emotional development

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need to do better?

effectively. For instance, when children do not behave well, staff do not help them to understand their emotions and modify their behaviour. Staff give instructions, for example to help tidy up and stop running indoors. However, they do not follow up on this when children do not listen. n Staff interact warmly during care routines such as mealtimes and nappy changes. At rest and sleep times, staff reassure children by singing to them. However, the routines for sleeping in the baby room are not smooth and can unsettle some younger children. Also, babies are placed to sleep on their tummies rather than their backs, which is the recognised safer position. Staff in the baby room have not had any training or guidance on this, which can place children's safety at risk. n All children are allocated a key person. However, due to changes in staffing, not all staff and key persons know what their children are learning and their next

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need to do better?

steps. This means not all children are receiving individualised care and learning. For example, babies are cared for by lots of different staff, rather than their key person. Consequently, they do not receive the consistent emotional support they need to help them feel safe.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have not put in place effective systems for safety and risk assessment to ensure children are kept safe. Staff do not have sufficient understanding of the procedures in place to safeguard children. As a result, staff are unsure of what to do if they are concerned about a child, or how they should respond if they see staff act inappropriately. Leaders and managers are aware and understand the importance of sharing information with other agencies.

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Due date

ensure all staff understand the safeguarding policy and procedure and are able to demonstrate a secure knowledge of how to identify and report child protection concerns, including whistle-blowing procedures 20/05/2022

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Due date

improve supervision arrangements for staff and ensure there are strong systems in place to provide ongoing coaching, support and training, particularly to improve the quality of education 20/05/2022

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Due date

ensure that staff manage children's behaviour by using appropriate behaviour management methods consistently, with particular regard to supporting children to understand expectations for acceptable behaviour 20/05/2022

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Due date

ensure all staff follow safer sleep practices for children to promote their safety 20/05/2022

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Due date

implement robust and effective risk assessments to ensure that any potential hazards to children are identified and removed, to maintain children safety continuously 20/05/2022

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Due date

ensure key persons build effective relationships with parents to support the children they care for and promote children's emotional well-being 20/05/2022

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Due date

ensure all parents and carers have opportunities to share and be involved in their children's learning 20/05/2022

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Due date

ensure children with EAL are supported so they make good progress in their overall development 20/05/2022

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Due date

20 April 2022 provide a challenging and enjoyable experiences for children based on their individual interests and learning needs, to support their progress in all seven areas of learning 20/05/2022

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Due date

ensure that transitions and routines support children's emotional well-being, particularly for babies at sleep time. 20/05/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2537114 Local authority Tower Hamlets Inspection number 10217634 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 90 Number of children on roll 90 Name of registered person Puddle Jumpers Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07944440024 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Puddle Jumpers Nursery registered in October 2019 and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The setting opens Monday to Friday from 7am to 7pm all year round. The provider is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 17 members of staff employed at the setting, 13 of whom hold appropriate childcare qualifications.

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Inspection activities

n This is the first routine inspection the setting has 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 The inspection was carried out as a result of a risk assessment process, following information received about the provider. n The manager led the inspector on a learning walk and told the inspector about what they want children to learn at nursery. n The manager carried out a joint observation with the inspector. They looked at how well practitioners teach and what they want them to learn. n The inspector held discussions with leaders, managers and staff throughout the day. n The inspector observed children at play throughout the nursery. n The inspector spoke with parents and gathered their views about the experiences of the setting. n Children spoke to the inspector during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector looked at documentation relating to the suitability of those working with children, such as their qualifications, including first aid, and Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

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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

20 April 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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