Dean Close Little Trees Day Nursery, Tutshill

Inspection of Dean Close Little Trees Day Nursery, Tutshill Castleford Hill, CHEPSTOW NP16 7LE

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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 Good

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The provision is inadequate

The provider has failed to monitor the nursery adequately, and consequently has not identified numerous breaches in requirements. The provider does not ensure that staff fully understand their responsibility to keep children safe. At times, staff fail to implement the nursery's risk assessment procedures. Staff do not ensure that children are supervised at all times and are within their sight or hearing. These weaknesses put children's safety and well-being at significant risk of harm.

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The provision is inadequate

The leadership and management of the nursery is weak. The educational programmes are embedded effectively in the pre-school room, and older children become deeply absorbed in activities. However, staff working with the younger children do not implement the curriculum well enough to extend children's enjoyment and learning.

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The provision is inadequate

The key-person system and communication with parents is not effective. Since the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, parents are now able to enter the premises to collect their children. However, they state that information about their children's care routines is not always shared with them in a timely manner. Most parents do not know who their child's key person is, and they state they are not kept up to date about their child's individual next steps in development, learning and progress.

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The provision is inadequate

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works with other professionals as required to implement intervention plans to help those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and to close gaps in learning and development. Staff are friendly and kind. They teach children to share and take turns. The youngest babies benefit from a calm and settling environment. Children are happy to make choices in their play and explore the resources on offer.

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need to do better?

n The provider does not ensure that the required staff qualification ratios are met. There are numerous occasions where there is only one qualified member of staff in a base room and other staff are unqualified. This does not meet the requirement to ensure that at least half of all staff other than the manager hold an approved level 2 qualification. At times, all staff working with children in the pre-school room are unqualified. n Despite previous concerns being raised about children's safety outdoors, managers fail to ensure that staff follow the nursery's risk assessment procedures on outings. For example, when staff take young children to the 'tepee garden', they do not deploy themselves effectively to prevent children they are responsible for leaving the area unsupervised. They do not notice that a

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need to do better?

18 August 2022 young child is missing for a long period until the child is found and returned by school staff. n Staff are not vigilant with regards to the nursery's food and drink procedures and consequently do not promote children's good health. For example, they do not check food labels before giving babies their snack to ensure individual dietary needs are met. Staff do not notice when babies leave the snack area with food in their mouth or hand. Staff do not supervise toddlers well enough. At times, toddlers wander around the playroom drinking milk from a bottle with a teat, unnoticed by staff. These weaknesses not only put young children at risk of choking but also put others who have allergies at significant risk of harm. n The provider does not monitor staff practice adequately to ensure that the quality of the curriculum supports children's learning effectively. In addition, the provider does not ensure that staff receive targeted training and coaching to

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need to do better?

help them support children to make sufficient progress. There has been a high staff turnover throughout the nursery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The quality of staff's practice is inconsistent. For example, some of the younger children and babies spend significant periods with limited interactions from staff. Partnerships with parents are poor. Key persons do not keep parents sufficiently informed about their children's care, learning and development. n Older children are confident communicators and demonstrate good listening skills. They are engaged in their learning as they concoct mud 'smoothies' in the outdoor kitchen. The room leader reinforces children's learning, supporting them to experiment with natural resources to make a 'straw'. When children proudly show staff their creations, the room leader extends their language and explains, 'you've made a dual straw, that means two people can use it at the same time.'

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need to do better?

n Staff support babies to join in with action songs, such as 'Wind the bobbin up'. Babies babble and say simple words, and staff talk to them about the pictures in books. However, staff do not make full use of opportunities to provide babies with new words to develop their early language, such as when babies play with toy animals. Staff get down to young children's level and chat with them as they make pretend meals in the toy kitchen. Some young children shake tambourines enthusiastically and move their bodies to the rhythm during singing activities. However, staff struggle to engage the most-able young children, who become bored and wander between resources. When older toddlers play with toy vehicles on a track, staff ask them, 'where's the ambulance going?' to encourage them to talk. However, staff do not extend the conversation to support developing language skills further. n Children develop their physical skills. Babies enjoy banging wooden blocks

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need to do better?

together, shuffle on their bottoms to reach resources, and pull themselves to standing on the wooden ramp. Young children persevere to undo different locks on an activity board. Older children show good coordination and concentration skills as they thread pasta tubes onto 'spikey' pipe cleaners to make bracelets. Older children work cooperatively together to balance the pipe cleaners across one another. They demonstrate an understanding of cause and effect when they say, 'it's getting too heavy, don't knock them off'. n Children gain independence and self-care skills in readiness for the next stage in their education. Two-year-olds learn to take off and put on their shoes. Older

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need to do better?

18 August 2022 children are toilet trained and help themselves to water when they are thirsty.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider does not ensure that all staff understand their role and responsibility to keep children safe and support their welfare. Weaknesses in implementing risk assessment procedures for outdoor play, food and drink, and the supervision of children, put children at significant risk of harm. The provider does not monitor staff deployment adequately to keep children safe. Nevertheless, the provider implements robust recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff have a suitable knowledge of the indicators that may suggest that a child is at risk of abuse. They know the correct procedures to follow to report any safeguarding concerns.

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Due date

ensure staff supervision monitors staff practice and provides effective support and training to help them understand their role and responsibility to keep children safe 02/09/2022

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Due date

ensure staff supervise children adequately to keep them safe and that children are always within sight or hearing of staff 02/09/2022

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Due date

ensure that staff are deployed effectively to keep children safe and to meet their individual care and learning needs 02/09/2022

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Due date

ensure that the required staff qualification ratios are maintained at all times for staff working directly with children, to support children's welfare and promote the best possible outcomes 02/09/2022

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Due date

18 August 2022 ensure staff implement risk assessment procedures and follow the nursery's policies and procedures to keep children and staff safe 02/09/2022

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Due date

ensure staff act on information from parents about children's special dietary requirements to promote their good health and welfare 02/09/2022

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Due date

ensure staff recognise hazards on outings, including hazards within the school grounds, and take effective action to minimise risks to keep children safe 02/09/2022

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Due date

improve the key-person system to build and maintain effective partnerships with all parents, to ensure they receive adequate information about their children's care, learning and development. 02/09/2022

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Due date

provide staff with effective support and coaching to improve the quality of their teaching for the babies and younger children to a consistently good level, to promote children's engagement and learning. 31/10/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY494618 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10250221 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 75 Number of children on roll 88 Name of registered person Dean Close Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01291 628344 Date of previous inspection 17 October 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Dean Close Little Trees Day Nursery Tutshill re-registered in 2015 under new ownership. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round, with the exception of bank holidays. A team of 20 staff work with the children, including the manager who holds an early years qualification at level 3. One staff member holds qualified teacher status, one holds an appropriate qualification at level 5, four staff hold an appropriate qualification at level 3, and 13 staff are unqualified. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery 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 nursery. n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The manager in charge on the day of the inspection completed a learning walk with the inspector of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided throughout the nursery, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector interacted with children during the inspection. She talked to staff and parents, and took account of their views. n The manager in charge on the day of the inspection carried out two joint observations with the inspector.

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Inspection activities

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

18 August 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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