Little Raccoons Nursery Tollington

Inspection of Little Raccoons Nursery Tollington 91-93 Tollington Way, London N7 6RE

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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's safety and well-being are extremely compromised. The nursery's risk assessments are ineffective, and children are not protected from dangers. The provider has not made the premises safe and staff do not supervise children effectively as they play and learn. For example, there is an accessible fire escape that babies attempt to climb.

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The provision is inadequate

The provider and the manager fail to identify weaknesses in the quality of education and do not take appropriate steps to address them. As a result, the curriculum is poor and children do not make good progress across all areas of learning, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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The provision is inadequate

Staff do not have the skills and knowledge to teach children the importance of listening respectfully to their peers. They do not demonstrate and model for children how to take turns in conversations. This has a negative impact on children's behaviour.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff create warm bonds with children. They are attentive to the babies' and younger children's care needs. During personal care routines, they speak gently to the children, who respond positively to this. Staff greet children nicely and help them to start their day with a healthy breakfast. This supports children's well- being.

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need to do better?

n Staff do not have a proactive approach to establishing what may pose a risk to children's safety. For example, during snack time, children walk and explore the outdoor area with fruit and pieces of bark in their mouth. This poses a risk of choking. The organisation of nappy changing presents a further risk to children. Changing mats are in disrepair and the surface does not prevent the changing mat slipping while a child is being changed. This demonstrates that risk assessments are not effective. n Training and coaching for staff is not effective in identifying and addressing weaknesses in the quality of teaching. For example, staff meetings have not been held for several months. Therefore, staff have not had opportunities to reflect on practice together and share learning. They have not yet gained enough knowledge and understanding to provide quality learning and development experiences for children.

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need to do better?

n The manager and staff do not keep accurate records to ensure the safe and effective management of the nursery. Staff do not record all children's hours of attendance in the daily registers when they arrive. In the event of an

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need to do better?

22 August 2022 emergency, staff may not be able to safely account for all children. n Support for children with SEND is ineffective as staff do not receive training to meet children's specific needs. Some children spend long periods of time without quality interactions from staff. This has a negative impact on some children's long-term educational outcomes. n Children enthusiastically share their interests and experiences about their home lives with staff and other children. However, staff do not use this information to build on children's ideas as starting points for meaningful discussions. As a result, children quickly lose focus and find it hard to concentrate. This is not supporting their communication and language development. n Staff do not support children's physical development well enough, particularly for the youngest children in the nursery. The layout of the baby room does not enable babies to pull themselves up or develop emerging walking skills.

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need to do better?

Consequently, babies are not developing their larger muscle movements. n Transition arrangements do not always help children's continuity of education. Parents' views are not gathered regarding the best way and timescales for settling their children into new rooms. For example, parents are told when their children will be moving from the baby room to the toddler room, without consultation. Furthermore, due to a rapid turnover of staff, children do not always have opportunities to build relationships with staff who they know and can develop their learning further. This has a negative impact on children's next steps in education.

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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 all aspects of the nursery's safeguarding policy and procedures. Key staff with designated safeguarding lead responsibilities do not understand the 'Prevent' duty guidance. In addition, staff do not recognise how to keep children safe. They do not risk assess the learning environment effectively; this is particularly evident for babies in the outdoor area. Furthermore, the provider has not put safe practices in place for staff when changing children's nappies. This puts children at further risk of harm.

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Due date

22 August 2022 put appropriate arrangements in place for the supervision of staff which provide training and coaching to improve their practice and to deliver quality learning and development experiences for children 19/09/2022

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Due date

put effective key-person arrangements in place to ensure that every child's care is tailored to meet their individual needs 19/09/2022

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Due date

ensure all staff, including the provider and senior managers, improve their understanding of the setting's safeguarding policy and procedures, in line with the guidance and procedures of the relevant Local Safeguarding Children Board in particular, in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff 19/09/2022

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Due date

improve on risk assessment to ensure children are not exposed to risks, focusing in particular on risks relating to the safety in the garden area, such as ensuring that children cannot access the stairway to the fire escape and that the garden area is tailored to meet babies' care and learning needs 19/09/2022

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Due date

improve the arrangements in place to support children with SEND 19/09/2022

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Due date

keep a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises, their hours of attendance and the names of each child's key person. 19/09/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2556612 Local authority Islington Inspection number 10233466 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 44 Number of children on roll 48 Name of registered person Little Raccoons Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 02031501515 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Raccoons Nursery Tollington registered in 2019. It is operated by a limited company. The setting is situated in Holloway, in the London Borough of Islington. It operates Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.30pm. The provider is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. The provider employs seven members of staff, including the manager. Of these, five hold early years qualifications ranging from level 2 to level 3.

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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 inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together. n The inspector spoke with the members of staff at convenient times during the inspection. n The manager and the inspector carried out joint observations to assess the quality of education provided. n The inspector observed the quality of the education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n Parents spoke to the inspector about their children's experiences at 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

22 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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