Bright Sparks Nursery School

Inspection of Bright Sparks Nursery School (registration until: 01 Aug 2022) East Woodhay Village Hall, Heath End, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 0AP

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is inadequate

Children's care and well-being is compromised at this setting. Leaders have not effectively identified significant weaknesses in practice. Staff do not have a consistent approach to managing children's behaviour. They have not firmly established the rules of good behaviour with children. This is particularly evident with older children. Despite there being the correct ratio of adults to children, staff spend their time carrying out routine tasks. There are times during the day when organisation of the routine does not help create an orderly and calm learning environment. For example, children run around the room, pushing others out of the way. They become unsafe for themselves and others. Staff are not well organised at mealtimes. They keep children waiting on the carpet for a long time before meals. This results in children getting bored and restless. Furthermore, staff do not effectively supervise children when eating. They have not considered the potential

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The provision is inadequate

choking hazards when children are eating large pieces of food. However, children do come into the setting happy and are warmly welcomed by staff. Younger children explore the outdoor environment with increasing confidence. They develop a close bond with their key person and readily approach them for reassurance, when needed.

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The provision is inadequate

Children have free access to the outdoor environment. However, they participate in activities that are are not always suitably resourced or focused on their specific learning needs. Children can be seen wandering around the setting, not engaged in learning unless guided by the staff present. As a result, their learning is not maximised, which affects children's progress. However, there are times when older children show interest and the ability to concentrate. They enjoy group sessions when staff use props to tell a story. This helps to support children's understanding of story content and characters. They show growing independence and manage their own self-care needs throughout the day, such as handwashing before meal times.

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need to do better?

n Staff supervision of children is ineffective. During the inspection, staff were unaware of situations that were potentially unsafe. For instance, children were running indoors and snatching toys from each other. Younger children were not constantly supervised during lunchtime, as staff were dealing with something else. Additionally, staff fail to notice and support children to use cutlery and scissors correctly. This puts children at risk of significant harm. n The management team's monitoring of staff's work is weak. They have not identified the poor practice in staff's supervision of children. Leaders fail to recognise when staff do not help children learn to behave in an appropriate and safe way. They have not taken effective action to address the number of

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need to do better?

11 July 2022 incidents that occur in the pre-school room. n Staff provide opportunities to develop children's early literacy skills. Children like books and enjoy stories when staff change their voice to represent different characters. They mimic these such as a squeaky voice for baby bear and a gruff voice for daddy bear. However, children are not taught how to engage in group discussions appropriately. They call out, talk over each other and become noisy, making it difficult to listen and value everyone's contributions. n Leaders and staff develop partnerships with parents and other professionals. Parents say that they are happy and their children enjoy coming to the setting. They comment on the repertoire of nursery rhymes their children learn, such as when they sing a counting song in French. Leaders say they work with advisers from the local authority. However, due to the weaknesses in care and supervision, this support is not effective.

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need to do better?

n Staff's planning and organisation of activities are ineffective. They do not always consider what individual children need to learn next while they engage in small groups. Children get excited when provided with new resources and crowd around the table all at once, for example, when containers of different coloured water with a range of utensils, such as pipettes, appear. The opportunity for learning about capacity or words, such as 'full' and 'empty', is lost, as all the children want to explore and experiment rather than listen to the adult. Some children move away, unable to see or engage. Consequently, children are not given the opportunity to learn and succeed at a higher level. n Staff do not effectively support children to understand similarities and differences between their own home cultures and those of others attending the setting. Children who are learning to speak English as an additional language are

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need to do better?

not provided with opportunities to share their home languages and feel valued. Children do not, therefore, learn enough about the diverse world around them. n Leaders discuss staff well-being and professional development with them. However, they fail to identify gaps in individual staff's knowledge and understanding to improve their practice and help children to make good progress. Leaders do not always ensure staff feel able to express their concerns. This has an impact on how well staff work together and on their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Weaknesses in behaviour management and supervision of children mean that they are not kept safe in the nursery. Despite the weaknesses, there are appropriate procedures in place to keep the premises secure. For example, the front door is locked to prevent unauthorised visitors gaining entry. The leaders and staff have a sound knowledge of signs that may indicate possible abuse to children, including exposure to extremist views and behaviours. They know the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child or an allegation about a member of staff. Staff attend a range of training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. Leaders complete appropriate safer recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

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Due date

ensure all staff working with children have appropriate training, skills and knowledge to be able to effectively manage children's behaviour 12/09/2022

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Due date

strengthen the procedures for monitoring staff practice to identify and target any weaknesses that compromise children's safety and welfare, and put swift actions in place to make improvements 12/09/2022

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Due date

ensure staff help children learn to manage their own behaviour in safe ways and consider the impact of their actions on others 12/09/2022

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Due date

ensure staff are effectively deployed, so that children are suitably supervised to meet their needs and ensure they are safe, particularly during transition activities and mealtimes. 12/09/2022

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Due date

ensure staff take account of children's individual needs, interests and stage of development when planning activities, to provide a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child 12/09/2022

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Due date

11 July 2022 develop staff's skills in supporting children to understand the expectations of behaviour during group times, to ensure they are able to listen respectfully and contribute, so learning is maximised 12/09/2022

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Due date

strengthen opportunities to enhance children's understanding of the different cultures represented in the setting, and to make connections between their own home backgrounds and those of others. 12/09/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 110269 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10108406 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 47 Name of registered person MANOR FARM NURSERY SCHOOL LIMITED

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reference number

Telephone number 07768123139 Date of previous inspection 28 November 2013

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Information about this early years setting

Bright Sparks Nursery School opened in 1996. The nursery school is situated in East Woodhay Village Hall, Heath End, Newbury. It operates from Monday to Friday, term time only from 8.30am to 3.30pm. There are seven staff, including the owner, who work with the children, of whom the manager holds qualified teacher status, one holds early years professional status, one holds a level 4 qualification, and two staff members hold appropriate level 3 early years qualifications. The nursery school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years old.

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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 nominated individual and inspector completed a learning walk to gather information about how the provision and curriculum are organised. n The manager and inspector carried out a joint observation to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching. n Parents spoke to the inspector and shared their views about the education and care their children receive at the nursery. n The inspector spoke to children during the inspection. n The inspector held a meeting with the nominated individual and the nursery manager and looked at relevant documentation and evidence of staff suitability to work with children.

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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

11 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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