Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle

Inspection of Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle Elephant 1, 7 Castle Square, London SE17 1EN

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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

Children do not have access to a wide enough variety of planned activities to capture their interests or support their learning. Insufficient numbers of staff on the premises mean children's individual needs are not met effectively. This has a significant impact on children's daily experiences, learning and their access to the curriculum. Staff are kind and encouraging. However, without adequate deployment, it is difficult for them to give all children the help they need to fully apply themselves to their learning. This means some children wander around aimlessly for extended periods and show poor levels of engagement in activities.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff do not have high enough expectations for children's learning and behaviour. In the outside area, for example, a lack of planning and resources means some children argue over toys, climb onto furniture and shove their friends. Staff address incidents of poor behaviour as they happen and support children to manage conflicts with their friends. Children are, sometimes, cared for by staff from the provider's other settings. However, these staff members are unfamiliar with the children, their routines and their individual learning needs. Overall, not all children are fully motivated to learn, and they do not demonstrate that they are happy or that they feel safe and secure.

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need to do better?

n Children do not have high enough levels of supervision and support. Staff who are not usually based at this nursery do not know children's names, their individual needs, or the plans for the day. As a result, the quality of staff practice across the nursery is inconsistent and this hinders children's progress. n Staff plan some activities, such as play dough, cutting and sticking. However, staff are often focused more on the activity, such as sticking, and it is unclear what it is they want children to learn. Children demonstrate poor levels of engagement in activities. They are not appropriately supported or given alternatives when they get bored and wander away. n Staff support children to develop some good social skills and early independence. For example, staff support children to use cutlery at mealtimes and learn to put on their coats to go outside. Children are respectful of the adults who care for them. However, particularly in the shared garden, children

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need to do better?

do not have a clear enough understanding of boundaries because staff lack the skills to teach children about appropriate behaviour. This results in accidents and unhappiness for some children. n Staff say they appreciate the supervision sessions they have with the manager, but that they do not happen frequently enough. Room leaders feel overstretched in their roles and struggle to keep track of children's progress. Staff do not get enough support from their colleagues, due to frequently working out of ratio.

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need to do better?

17 March 2022 This means plans for individual children's learning are less developed and incisive than they should be. n The well-being of staff is not given high enough priority. This includes members of staff who come from other settings and are deployed on arrival without induction. Some staff do not know where fire escapes or staff toilets are located. This has a detrimental impact on staff welfare, security and morale and contributes to a high staff turnover at the nursery. Staff say they are responsible for large groups of key children and feel demotivated and overstretched because they do not have the time to support children to develop close bonds and thrive in the learning environment. n Children enjoy healthy meals and snacks from a nutritionally balanced menu. Information about the food served at the nursery is readily available for parents. Permanent staff members based at the nursery know about children's allergies

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need to do better?

and preferences, which are easily accommodated. However, a lack of basic induction for temporary staff means some of the adults supporting children at mealtimes do not know if children have allergies or where that information can be located. This means staff cannot ensure that children's individual dietary and health needs are met. n Most parents say they are satisfied with the nursery and that staff are welcoming and friendly. Parents appreciate the conversations they have with staff when they collect children at the end of the day. However, there are inconsistencies with the setting's communication with parents. Some parents are dissatisfied with the setting's complaints procedure and do not feel adequate steps have been taken to address concerns. n Some essential records and documents, such as records of staff suitability, are not available for inspection. When staff are redeployed from other settings, the

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need to do better?

provider does not check their Disclosure and Barring Service checks or qualifications. Failure to ensure all staff are suitable to work with children prior to deployment means children's safety and security can not be assured. n Leaders have systems in place to record accidents and analyse this information periodically to create action plans. However, the provider has not met previous actions set by Ofsted to ensure statutory ratio requirements are met and that staff are effectively deployed. This has an impact on children's safety, welfare, and learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Recruitment and vetting procedures to check the suitability of staff are secure. However, the induction process is weak, which compromises children's safety and staff welfare. The nursery safeguarding policy is in line with local safeguarding partnership procedures. Most staff have a secure understanding of child protection issues and what to do if they have concerns about the welfare of a child. The nursery has failed to meet the statutory ratio requirements, which means children's safety and security cannot be assured. Leaders rely on a computer-based system, which does not reliably function to ensure the manager has access to all staff and

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Safeguarding

17 March 2022 children's records when required. While leaders identify risks in the environment, they do not take appropriate action to mitigate those risks. Consequently, children are not kept safe from harm.

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Due date

maintain required adult to child ratios to ensure there are adequate staff in place to meet the needs of children 30/04/2022

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Due date

improve staff deployment and levels of child supervision to keep children safe and ensure their individual needs are being met 30/04/2022

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Due date

ensure required documents, including evidence of staff suitability, are readily available during inspection 30/04/2022

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Due date

improve systems for staff supervision, coaching and professional development to raise the quality of teaching and learning experiences for children 30/04/2022

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Due date

ensure all adults working with children receive induction to their roles and responsibilities, emergency evacuation procedures, safeguarding and health and safety issues 30/04/2022

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Due date

ensure staff have the capacity to fulfil the key-person role and meet children's individual needs. 30/04/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2500613 Local authority Southwark Inspection number 10148389 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 79 Number of children on roll 32 Name of registered person Little Bear's 4 Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 02073587860/02039475730 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle registered in 2019. It is located in the London Borough of Southwark. It operates from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year of the year. The manager, deputy manager and three members of staff hold at least a level 3 qualification in childcare. One member of staff holds a level 2 qualification and three are unqualified.

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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 inspector completed a learning walk with the manager and discussed the intentions for the quality of education. They also viewed the provision and discussed staff ratios and deployment. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation of an adult-led activity. The inspector also observed the quality of interactions between staff and children and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector, the manager, and the head of childcare discussed the leadership

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Inspection activities

and management of the setting. A variety of documentation was viewed where available, for instance staff qualifications, risk assessments, recruitment information and some staff suitability information. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection to assess their knowledge of child development and safeguarding. The inspector took account of their views of training and supervision opportunities.

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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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