Combe Down Nursery

Inspection of Combe Down Nursery Combe Road, BATH BA2 5HY

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is inadequate

The provider does not ensure that children are always kept safe. They do not meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'. This has a significant impact of the safety and well- being of children.

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The provision is inadequate

Children are confident and happy as staff are warm and sensitive to their learning needs. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress. This is because there is an ambitious and well-planned curriculum. Staff plan activities and routines to support children's individual needs. For example, pre-school children build structures by connecting magnetic shapes. They compare sizes and think about which shape will help to make the structure more stable. Toddlers explore water. They fill and empty jugs and watch with fascination as the water overflows. Babies learn to crawl as staff move a toy just beyond their reach.

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The provision is inadequate

Children are calm and stay focused when playing for long periods of time. They follow routines well as room leaders ensure that the routine flows in a consistent way. Children develop good independence skills and show a can-do attitude. For example, toddlers persist with their scissor skills as they cut different grasses. Staff help them to hold the scissors safely and correctly, praising them for their effort. Pre-school children independently fetch resources and tools that they need for craft activities. They work together to create large collage pictures.

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need to do better?

n Leadership and management is weak. Actions have not been put into place to secure the building to prevent uninvited and unknown adults entering. During the inspection, the manager left the entrance doors wide open and unattended. This meant that anyone could have entered the building, and children could have left unattended. n Leaders and managers do not give agency staff suitable induction training. This means that they do not know how to support children in an emergency, which compromises children's safety. Furthermore, not all staff know how to respond during an emergency evacuation procedure or how to deal effectively with a safeguarding concern. n Staff deployment is ineffective. During the inspection, a member of staff was left alone to supervise two babies. During this time, while engaged in a care routine, the staff member was unaware that one of the babies went to climb up a slide, despite being unsteady with his movements. This means that staff do not

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need to do better?

supervise children adequately to keep them safe. n The manager does not ensure that daily checks are carried out by room leaders.

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need to do better?

12 July 2022 This means that known hazards, such as damaged furniture, are not identified and removed, putting children at risk from harm. Furthermore, the manager and room leaders failed to act effectively when a member of staff pulled a hose across the garden to water the vegetables, causing a significant trip hazard for children. n Children develop good communication and language skills. Babies rapidly learn new words. For example, they explore flowers and petals floating in water. Staff model and repeat the word for 'petal' and 'pink'. Babies try to copy the words and staff praise their efforts. Toddlers listen to familiar stories and sing rhymes. They copy the staff and join in with the rhymes. Staff use open-ended questions with pre-school children. They encourage the children to think for themselves and remember what they know. n Children develop good independence skills and have a can-do attitude. For

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need to do better?

example, staff encourage babies to walk independently and to feed themselves. Toddlers fetch their own plate and cup for meals and clear them away when they are finished. Pre-school children fetch boxes to put away their toys at tidy- up time. n Children with SEND make good progress. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is very effective at working with parents and outside agencies. She ensures that these children get the best support they can. She makes sure that parents feel very supported. She helps them to receive the advice and help they need to help their child succeed. She uses her expert knowledge to set targets for these children. She trains and advises the child's key worker to support them well. n Children develop a good understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They grow vegetables and collect them for their chef to use in their meals. Children talk about why vegetables are good for them as they sit together at

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need to do better?

mealtimes. Staff promote good discussion about good oral hygiene. Children have lots of opportunities to climb and run around in the fresh air. n Staff form good partnerships with parents. They use settling-in visits to get to know and understand the child and parents. Staff share each child's day well as they hand children back. Parents receive a termly summary of their child's achievements. Staff invite them to a meeting to discuss it.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements do not keep children safe and free from harm. The designated safeguarding lead does not take action in a swift and timely way to keep children safe. She has failed to notify the relevant services of concerns about a child at the setting. Staff are not confident to challenge leaders and managers when safeguarding concerns that they have shared have not been escalated further, to keep children safe. Weaknesses in leadership and management mean that staff do not have sufficient knowledge of safeguarding and health and safety policies and procedures. Although there are risk assessments in place, leaders and managers do not review these to ensure that current hazards are quickly identified

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Due date

ensure that the designated safeguarding lead knows their role and responsibility to promptly report any welfare concerns about a child in their care, in line with their local safeguarding partnership 15/08/2022

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Due date

ensure that all staff are confident to recognise the signs of abuse and take appropriate action in a timely way to report any welfare concerns 15/08/2022

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Due date

provide staff with appropriate training and the skills to identify hazards in environment and take responsibility for minimising risks to children 15/08/2022

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Due date

ensure that the premises are secure to prevent unauthorised persons entering the building or children leaving unattended 15/08/2022

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Due date

provide all staff with induction training so that they know and understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe, including the procedures to follow during an emergency 15/08/2022

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Due date

ensure that suitable and qualified staff are deployed throughout the nursery to keep all children safe. 15/08/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY383228 Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council Inspection number 10233121 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 90 Number of children on roll 174 Name of registered person Combe Down Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01225 840575 Date of previous inspection 28 September 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Combe Down Nursery registered in 2008 and is located in Coombe Road, Bath. It opens from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. The nursery receives early years government funding for two-, three- and four-year-old children. There are 28 members of staff, of whom four hold a relevant qualification in early years education at level 6, 10 staff are qualified at level 3 and two hold a relevant qualification in early years and childcare at level 2.

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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 The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector spoke to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke to the nominated individual about the leadership and management of the setting. n The SENCo spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out joint observations of group activities with the manager.

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Inspection activities

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 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

12 July 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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