La Petite école Parkway

Inspection of La Petite école Parkway 48 Parkway, London NW1 7AH

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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

The weak leadership and breaches of requirements mean that children's safety and welfare are compromised. Children do not always experience nurturing and supportive relationships with staff. For example, babies are given lots of cuddles, however, when toddlers ask for a hug, they are told that they are too big. Consequently, some children demonstrate that they do not feel settled and secure. They rely on comfort blankets and dummies for reassurance, even though they have attended the setting for many months. Standards of hygiene and cleanliness are poor. For instance, some toys for babies are dirty and have discarded food wrappers mixed up with them.

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The provision is inadequate

Rules and boundaries are unclear and poor behaviour, such as snatching toys, is ignored by some staff. Therefore, children are not sure about what they are allowed to do. Staff say that they have high expectations of children, but they lack the skills and motivation to adequately support their learning. Children do not benefit from teaching that is consistently good and focused on what they need to learn next. They become bored during activities and their self-initiated play lacks purpose. Consequently, children do not make good enough progress. Children enjoy being active. They practise their large-muscle movements as they climb over soft-play equipment and crawl through a tunnel.

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need to do better?

n The manager, who also owns the setting, does not fulfil her responsibilities as a provider. She does not make adequate staffing arrangements for when managers are absent. During the inspection, there were no qualified staff present for a large part of the day. This lack of effective leadership results in poor quality care and education for children. No staff were trained to take the lead role in safeguarding children and give advice and support to others as needed. This does not ensure children are fully protected from harm. n The manager was not able to demonstrate that staff have undergone the required Disclosure and Barring Service checks. This means that potentially unsuitable staff are left in sole charge of children. n Staff do not follow the setting's safeguarding procedures. For example, they have their personal mobile phones in the rooms while children are present. This puts children at risk of harm.

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need to do better?

n The manager was not able to provide evidence that any staff hold a paediatric first-aid qualification. Additionally, the contents of first-aid boxes have passed their expiry dates. Consequently, children are not assured of receiving appropriate care, should they have an accident or become seriously ill at the setting. n Poor risk assessments and hygiene routines compromise children's health and

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need to do better?

16 December 2022 safety. For instance, babies have access to dirty and broken resources, the mat used to change nappies is torn and is not cleaned after each use. n Records of accidents and of the days and times that children attend the setting were not available for the inspector to view. Furthermore, on the day of the inspection, staff could not access the setting's online app. Therefore, they did not record this required information. This potentially compromises children's safety. For example, in the event of a fire, staff may not be able to check that all children are accounted for. n The arrangements for staff supervision and training are ineffective. Therefore, teaching is weak and staff are poorly motivated. For instance, staff say that they have not planned any activities for the day, as there are not many children attending. Some staff do not have good understanding and use of English. This means that they are unable to support children's language development

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need to do better?

adequately. The inspector was not able to assess their professional knowledge to ensure that they know how to support children's development and welfare. It is unclear whether they know how to identify signs of abuse and keep children safe from harm. This potentially compromises children's safety. n The key-person system is ineffective. Staff do not tailor their care and learning to meet children's individual needs. For instance, staff consider children's ages rather than their abilities, when deciding if they are ready for toilet training. Consequently, children are pushed to achieve this, before they have developed adequate awareness of their bodily functions. n The curriculum is poorly sequenced and implemented. Staff say that they assess children's progress and describe what they want them to learn. However, they do not understand child development well enough to pinpoint what is needed next. For example, staff in the toddler room describe how they want children to

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need to do better?

be able to trace their names, but cannot explain how they will support children to gain the necessary skills. The manager was unable to demonstrate that the required written progress checks are completed, when children are aged between two and three years of age. Therefore, gaps in children's learning potentially go unnoticed. n Children are not offered sufficiently stimulating and engaging learning opportunities. Therefore, their levels of involvement are low and their play is often repetitive or overexuberant. For instance, children squabble over the few available resources and cannot explore their ideas or complete tasks to their satisfaction. At times, instances of unsafe or unruly behaviour go unchecked. Therefore, children are unsure of the expectations and do not learn to regulate their behaviour. n Parents state that, overall, they are happy with the setting. They say it offers a 'family centred' approach and children are happy to attend.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The weaknesses in leadership and management put children at risk. Staff do not receive adequate training to ensure that their safeguarding knowledge is robust.

p.3

Safeguarding

16 December 2022 Some do not know about potential risks to children, such as female genital mutilation or radicalisation. Furthermore, not all staff have sufficient understanding and use of English to ensure the well-being of children in their care. The provision has the required safeguarding policies and procedures in place. However, these are not consistently implemented to create a strong safeguarding culture and protect children from harm.

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Due date

ensure that all staff have a secure understanding of the setting's safeguarding policies and procedures and that these are adhered to at all times 20/01/2023

p.4

Due date

make sure that suitability checks, including the required Disclosure and Barring Service checks, are carried out for all staff 20/01/2023

p.4

Due date

provide effective support and supervision arrangements for staff, to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities, to improve the quality of teaching and to promote the best outcomes for children 20/01/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure that there is at least one member of staff who holds a valid paediatric first- aid qualification on site at all times 20/01/2023

p.4

Due date

make certain that all staff have a good enough level of written and spoken English to ensure the safety and well- being of children in their care 20/01/2023

p.4

Due date

implement an effective key-person system, to ensure that all children's care and learning experiences are tailored to their individual needs 20/01/2023

p.4

Due date

16 December 2022 ensure that there are sufficient qualified staff on the premises at all times, to meet the required ratios 20/01/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure that first-aid boxes are stocked appropriately for use and record details of any accidents which occur at the setting 20/01/2023

p.5

Due date

help staff to develop consistent and effective strategies to promote children's positive behaviour 20/01/2023

p.5

Due date

develop staff's understanding of how to identify and manage risks, to provide a safe and hygienic environment for children 20/01/2023

p.5

Due date

maintain the required records and make sure that these are easily accessible and available to be shared as needed 20/01/2023

p.5

Due date

maintain accurate records of children's hours and days of attendance. 20/01/2023

p.5

Due date

implement an ambitious and challenging curriculum, to help all children, to engage well and make the best possible progress in their learning 20/01/2023

p.5

Due date

improve staff understanding of assessment and ensure that the required progress checks are carried out when children are between two and three years of age. 20/01/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2623038 Local authority Camden Inspection number 10266883 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 65 Number of children on roll 15 Name of registered person Les Petits Lutins School Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07940469604 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

The provision registered in 2021 following a change of premises and is located in the London Borough of Camden. The provision opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, throughout most of the year. It offers bi-lingual education in French and English. The provision employs five staff, three of whom hold childcare qualifications. The manager has qualified teacher status and other staff are qualified at level 3. The provision offers funded early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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 observed staff interactions with children, to assess the quality of care and education. n The inspector spoke to staff and children to find out about their views and experiences in the setting, she also sought feedback from parents. n Some of the nursery documents, such as safeguarding policies and procedures were made available for the inspector to view. n A member of staff showed the inspector around the premises, she explained the curriculum and how they organise the provision.

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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

16 December 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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