The Day Nursery

Inspection of The Day Nursery Church Road, Rawreth, Essex SS11 8SH

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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

Significant weaknesses in the recruitment processes compromise the overall safety of children who attend the nursery. Although leaders complete Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for staff, they fail to fully check the suitability of some staff. In addition, staff qualification requirements are not consistently met. This has an impact on the quality of interactions among staff in the baby room with children, as they lack training and experience. Therefore, the quality of teaching across the nursery is variable.

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The provision is inadequate

Children thoroughly enjoy being outdoors. They enjoy stories under the trees in the garden. They sing a welcome song to say 'hello' to each of their friends. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging. Children follow staff as they attend to the vegetable garden. They learn to identify which vegetables are ready to pick. Staff help them to understand that tomatoes change colour when they are 'ripe'. Children eagerly call out when they have discovered a 'red one'. Children strengthen their large muscles as they ride on a variety of wheeled vehicles. They learn to manage risks as they run up and down, over the grass tunnel. They develop their imagination as they pretend to be superheroes on 'missions' with their friends. Staff encourage their imagination as they join in with their play.

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need to do better?

n The leadership and management of the nursery is weak. Despite attending safer recruitment training, leaders have failed to gather sufficient information to assure all staff's suitability to work with children. Leaders do not monitor that staff are effectively deployed to meet the qualification requirements of the Early Years Register. For example, in the baby room, they have not ensured that at least half of all staff hold a full and relevant level 2 childcare qualification. The lack of sufficiently qualified staff has an impact on young children's care and learning. n Staff are not supported to recognise the potential impact that the consistent use of dummies has on children's communication development. Despite this being identified by the management team, they have not shared their views with staff. As a result, children that are learning to speak and communicate have less opportunities to hear and join in with early communication. However, staff

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need to do better?

working with pre-school children help them to become skilful communicators. They ask children thought-provoking questions and encourage children to talk about what they are doing. Staff use descriptive language and repetition to ensure that children are able to hear a wide range of vocabulary. n Staff know their children well. They gather information from parents to understand what children can do when they join the nursery. This helps them to carefully plan children's next steps in their learning. Additional funding is used

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need to do better?

30 August 2022 appropriately to provide one-to-one sessions and resources that encourage children's learning and development. When children need additional support, staff work jointly with outside professionals, such as speech therapists, to support children's progress. This demonstrates that they have the same expectations for all children. n Children learn to be independent. They readily take their shoes off before going into their room. Children carefully pour their own drinks at mealtimes. Staff support children to use tongs to serve their own food. This means that children are learning the skills that they need in preparation for the next steps in their lives, which for most will be school. n Children's good behaviour is supported as staff offer clear and consistent reminders. For example, they encourage children to use 'kind hands' as they reinforce the nursery rules. Children learn to identify different emotions, as staff

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need to do better?

encourage children to talk about their feelings. As a result, children learn to regulate their feelings and behaviour. n Partnerships with parents are good. Parents know what their children are learning so they can support them at home. This provides consistency in children's learning. The manager and staff make themselves available to parents. Parents comment that their views and thoughts are always considered. Parents positively talk about the progress that their children have made.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider has not followed their responsibility to obtain and verify information, to assure their suitability to work unsupervised with children. Staff and leaders understand and recognise the signs and indicators that may mean a child is at risk of harm or abuse. They know the correct procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child's welfare. The provider has reviewed practice to ensure that the nursery is secure, to prevent children from leaving the building unsupervised. Staff are knowledgeable about wider safeguarding issues, such as radicalisation.

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Due date

ensure a robust recruitment procedure is followed to verify the suitability of staff who work directly with children 27/09/2022

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Due date

ensure that staff are deployed effectively to ensure the required staff qualification requirements are met 27/09/2022

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Due date

30 August 2022 provide staff with additional support and guidance to enable them to assist children with their speech development through high-quality interaction, particularly in the baby room. 27/09/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY367083 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10250461 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 80 Number of children on roll 158 Name of registered person Mitchell, Glenda

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reference number

Telephone number 01268 769522 Date of previous inspection 21 October 2016

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Information about this early years setting

The Day Nursery registered in 2008. The nursery employs 27 members of childcare staff. Of these, 15 hold an appropriate qualification at level 2 and above. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6pm, all year round. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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 manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. Children spoke to the inspector during the inspection and observed the interactions between staff and children. n The inspector spoke with the provider about the leadership and management of the setting. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of

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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

30 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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