Apple Tree Day Nursery & Kidz Club

Inspection of Apple Tree Day Nursery & Kidz Club 27 Church Drive, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9UH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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The provision requires improvement

Children enjoy their time at the nursery. Staff provide activities they know children are interested in. For example, children embrace outdoor play. Children stretch their muscles as they hold up plastic tubs to catch the rain. They scoop up water from puddles and enjoy tipping it back out. Staff extend this further and provide additional piping so that children can tip water into them. Children watch with interest as water pours out from the bottom of the pipes. Staff talk to children about the tubs being full, empty and heavy. This supports their growing mathematical knowledge. Children learn to be safe. For example, staff remind them not to run on slippery surfaces as they may fall.

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The provision requires improvement

Children take part in group activities. However, staff do not plan these well enough to maintain children's focus. For example, during both story and song time, pre- school children lose interest. They start to display unwanted behaviour as they prod each other, talk to friends and look to see what else they can do in the room. Staff struggle to encourage children to listen and engage positively. Children are not helped to learn as much as they could or to engage in activities to support their independence skills. For instance, toddlers are not given knives at lunchtime. This means children resort to using their fingers to push food onto their forks.

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need to do better?

n Managers have an overview of the curriculum and know what they want children to achieve. However, this is not demonstrated consistently in practice. Staff do not do enough to support children's personal development. For example, arrangements for toileting do not support toddlers' dignity and understanding of their privacy. Furthermore, when pre-school children need to change clothes, staff do this for them. n Despite staff supervision processes and team meetings being in place, the manager does not identify and address weaknesses in staff practice. Staff do not receive tailored coaching and mentoring to help them improve their teaching skills. n Children behave well most of the time. They readily help staff tidy away toys and sweep up rubbish for the bin. However, staff do not always address incidents of unwanted behaviour. For example, toddlers stand on chairs, eat while standing up, and others put their feet on the table. Staff do not help

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need to do better?

children understand what is expected of their behaviour. n Managers have developed risk assessments and daily checks to identify and minimise hazards to children's safety. However, outdoors, some parts of the play area are waterlogged. Additionally, some outdoor toys are full of stagnant water. Although on the day of the inspection, this did not have a significant impact on children's safety and well-being. There are inconsistencies in staff following the

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need to do better?

17 November 2022 nursery's risk assessment. n Staff provide opportunities for children to practise their small-muscle skills. This helps children develop the muscles they need for early writing. For example, babies use spoons to scoop up cereal, toddlers squash and squeeze play dough in their hands to make shapes and pre-school children learn to use scissors. Staff provide gentle support and say, 'open and chop.' Children repeat this as they confidently cut the paper. n Staff offer pre-school children learning experiences which ignite imagination and promotes problem-solving skills. For example, children work with staff to build a castle. They use the play parachute and consider how they can attach it to the wall. Children pretend it is night-time. They giggle, using torches to see each other. Staff ask children questions to prompt their thinking. Children confidently state that princesses live in castles, and animals, such as owls and bats, come

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need to do better?

out in the dark. This helps support children's developing conversational skills. n Staff promote children's good health. They provide children with healthy snacks and fresh drinking water. Staff ensure that children regularly wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet. This helps children to understand good hygiene practice. n Overall, staff know the individual needs of children. However, the staff's ongoing assessment of children's development is not always accurate. There are delays in informing the manager of concerns. This means concerns are not raised in a timely way to support children effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have good knowledge of the possible signs and indicators that may suggest a child is at risk of harm. This includes those that may be at potential risk from radicalisation. The staff know what procedures to follow if they have concerns, including concerns about the conduct of a colleague. The manager ensures safer recruitment checks are conducted to ensure the ongoing suitability of staff working with children. The setting is secure, and the children are well supervised. Staff teach children how to be safe. For example, they remind children not to run in the rain as they may slip and hurt themselves.

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Due date

17 November 2022 ensure effective monitoring of staff practice so that weaknesses can be swiftly identified, and appropriate support can be put in place in a timely manner to develop staff's teaching skills 21/12/2022

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Due date

support staff to understand the learning intentions of the curriculum, with particular regard to children's personal development 21/12/2022

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Due date

ensure that risk assessments and daily checks are thorough in identifying and minimising hazards to children's safety, with particular reference to the outside area 21/12/2022

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Due date

strengthen assessment arrangements to ensure that concerns about children's development are swiftly identified and take appropriate action to support them in a timely way. 21/12/2022

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should:

n develop behaviour management strategies so that staff have a consistent approach to better support toddler's understanding of positive behaviour.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 223186 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 10261114 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 45 Number of children on roll 52

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Name of registered person

Steven Chadwick and Yazmin Chadwick Partnership

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reference number

Telephone number 01530249872 Date of previous inspection 17 February 2020

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Information about this early years setting

Apple Tree Day Nursery and Kidz Club is based in Markfield, Leicestershire. It registered in 1998. The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff, all of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two- and three-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 The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n Children spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke with the nominated individual about the leadership and management of the setting. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and

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Inspection activities

outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children. n The inspector carried out joint observations of a group activity with the manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents and carers 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

17 November 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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