Little Giants Nursery

Inspection of Little Giants Nursery Carterton Community College, Upavon Way, Carterton OX18 1BU

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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

Weaknesses in safeguarding put children's welfare, safety and good health at risk. Children's well-being and safety are compromised as they are often left unsupervised when eating. In addition, the owner has failed to implement safer recruitment processes and has not ensured all staff understand relevant safeguarding matters.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff have a poor regard for children's learning. They do not engage them in purposeful learning experiences and interactions. Staff fail to address issues with children's behaviour and children are left too often to amuse themselves. During this time, children's behaviour becomes disorderly. For instance, at the inspection, some children were seen to persistently throw oats in the faces of their peers. This caused other children to move away from the activity. Children become bored and engage in inappropriate self-initiated play. For example, running around indoors banging coat hangers on the furnishings. Children lack consideration towards others. Staff fail to notice or respond to behaviour incidents that put children at risk of harm. For instance, children push others off the balancing beams or move the beams while their peers are walking across them. This results in children falling and becoming upset.

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The provision is inadequate

Most staff fail to engage and support children's learning and development. For example, staff sit or stand watching the children rather than providing a curriculum that promotes their learning and meets their needs. Despite this, there are occasional times of acceptable teaching which engage children adequately, such as singing sessions and ball games.

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need to do better?

n The owner, who is also the manager of the nursery, has failed to meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage. This has a significant impact on the safety, well-being, and learning and development of the children. This includes failing to ensure staff know about and understand a broad range of safeguarding matters. n The quality of teaching is inadequate. Staff interactions are mainly poor and do not meet the needs of the children. Although staff provide a range of activities for the children, they fail to support the children's learning through these. As a result, activities lack purpose. For example, children took part in a mundane sticking activity, where staff offered little challenge and interaction to them. n The nursery environment is clean. There are appropriate procedures to promote good hygiene, such as handwashing, for children. The manager and staff have recently changed how snack time is organised, to enable children to be more

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need to do better?

independent. For example, children now go up to the snack bar to choose what

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need to do better?

29 November 2022 they would like and take this back to their seat. However, this is disorganised, and many children need support to complete these tasks. This leads to children consistently being left unsupervised while they are eating small items, such as raisins. This puts children's safety at risk. Children have access to their drinks throughout their time at the nursery. However, fresh drinking water is not always available, which is a breach of requirements. n Staff demonstrate some awareness of how children are developing. They can talk about the progress children have made since starting at the nursery. However, staff do not complete required progress checks for children aged between two and three years in a timely manner. For instance, despite having concerns about some children's development and progress, staff have failed to complete these checks. This has a negative impact on promptly seeking

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need to do better?

professional advice and support to meet children's needs. In addition, it does not promote effective partnership working with parents to support children's individual needs. n Children separate from their parents well at the door and come into the nursery with ease. They have their personal care needs met well, including being able to sleep and rest appropriately when needed. However, children's attitudes to learning are poor. Their behaviour shows a lack of motivation to engage in learning and persevere at tasks. Consequently, this means that any learning which takes place is incidental. n The manager fails to recognise or respond to the poor quality of practice and teaching. Although, staff comment that they feel supported, the arrangements for support, such as staff supervisions, are ineffective. This does not ensure staff have the knowledge and skills to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. n Staff generally use effective ways to communicate with parents. This includes

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need to do better?

regular newsletters and an online system to relay any messages as needed. Staff display a white board with daily information about the activities available to the children, which helps keep parents informed each day.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Breaches of safeguarding requirements compromise children's safety and welfare. The manager has failed to implement safer recruitment processes to check that all staff working with children are safe and suitable to do so. Appropriate references are not obtained for all staff before they start employment. However, staff have completed Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Some staff have a poor knowledge and understanding of different safeguarding issues. For example, some lack understanding of the signs and indicators that may mean a child is at risk. Despite this, the manager is appropriately trained as the designated safeguarding lead officer. Appropriate risk assessments are in place, which cover different areas of the premises, including the garden and equipment. Children's individual health needs are clearly recorded with relevant information to help staff manage these.

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Due date

ensure all staff have an up-to-date knowledge and understanding of child protection legislation, and government initiatives to keep children and their families safe, including the 'Prevent' duty guidance 30/12/2022

p.4

Due date

ensure staff are effectively deployed, particularly at mealtimes with young children, to identify and minimise risks and hazards to their health and well- being 30/11/2022

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Due date

ensure safer recruitment policies and procedures are understood and implemented, to robustly check staff's suitability to work with children 30/12/2022

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Due date

provide all staff with effective support, supervision and coaching, to ensure they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, including providing consistently good quality support to children 30/12/2022

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Due date

ensure children always have access to fresh drinking water, to promote their well-being 30/11/2022

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Due date

ensure staff offer children good quality learning experiences and interactions that help each child make good progress 30/12/2022

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Due date

provide children with planned, purposeful, and challenging play activities, based on their individual interests, to ensure that children receive appropriate levels of challenge across all areas of learning 30/12/2022

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Due date

29 November 2022 complete required progress checks for children aged between two and three years, to identify their progress, including any areas where it is less than expected, to promptly act on any concerns about children's development, and ensure a written summary is provided to parents. 30/12/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2648095 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 10265712 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 70 Number of children on roll 30 Name of registered person Little Giants Nursery (Carterton) Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07974952896 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Giants Nursery registered in 2021. The pre-school is located in Carterton Community College, Carterton, Oxfordshire. It opens each weekday from 8am until 5.30pm. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are five staff members who work with the children, three of whom hold relevant early years qualifications at level 3 or above.

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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 inspection was carried out following the risk assessment process. n The manager explained the nursery curriculum during a learning walk with the inspector. n The manager and the inspector completed a joint observation of an activity together and discussed the quality of teaching and learning afterwards. n Children spoke to the inspector about the activities they took part in.

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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

29 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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