The Stables Nursery

Inspection of The Stables Nursery The Stables Day Care Nursery, Margaretting Road, Galleywood, CHELMSFORD CM2 8TS

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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 Good

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The provision is inadequate

The care and learning opportunities staff provide for children are inadequate. The management team do not check that staff complete thorough daily risk assessments. Daily checks fail to ensure that the environment, including outside spaces, are free from hazards that may pose a risk to children. Poor staff deployment fails to ensure children are consistently cared for by staff who have completed suitability checks. For example, during the inspection, babies were left alone with individuals and unqualified staff not known to them. This leaves babies vulnerable, and adults do not know their needs or how to soothe them. Children's good health and welfare are not consistently supported. The management and staff do not demonstrate a good enough understanding of the importance of maintaining a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness.

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The provision is inadequate

Children's progress is not sufficiently supported. Staff fail to provide children with an ambitious educational programme that focuses on what they need to learn. Babies and toddlers are unable to explore suitable activities and resources to help encourage their imaginative and investigative skills. Toys are grubby, torn or broken and offer little play value. Staff are not sufficiently aware of babies' and toddlers' interests to support the next steps in their learning. Despite the lack of suitable resources and poor quality of teaching, children behave well.

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need to do better?

n The management team and staff fail to ensure that all possible hazards are identified and minimised to help keep children safe. The premises, including the surfaces on which food is served, are not consistently fit for purpose. Furniture and resources, particularly in the rooms where toddlers and babies are cared for, are old, tatty and worn out. Old style metal radiators are dirty as is the carpet underneath. The management state that these cannot be cleaned as it would involve removing the radiator covers from the wall. This does not support the younger children's good health and well-being. In addition, some resources in the baby and toddler garden area are broken and dirty. Hazards, such as small bags of stones, are not removed. Rainwater collects in the back of toy cars and pots around the area, which staff fail to clear prior to the garden being used. This compromises children's welfare and safety.

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need to do better?

n Staff deployment is not effective. At times, senior members of staff leave the baby room without checking there are suitable staff available to cover them and maintain the ratio requirements. This leaves unqualified staff unable to meet the needs of children. n The managers fail to implement regular supervision meetings for all staff. Consequently, they have not been able to identify aspects of staff's knowledge and practice that are not good enough, including their understanding of

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need to do better?

8 November 2022 safeguarding. Staff's teaching skills are variable. For example, staff working in the pre-school room challenge and extend children's learning consistently. They ask questions to help children to think about which puzzle piece goes next. However, staff working with the younger children do not make the most of every opportunity to inspire and support their learning. n Overall, the educational programme lacks suitable levels of challenge. Activities are boring, mundane and fail to inspire children. This hinders their progress and readiness for the next stage of their learning. Toddlers quickly lose interest in the unsuitable resources, wandering around aimlessly and uninspired. Slightly older children try to connect magnetic poles together to see how high they can get the tower. Staff overlook the opportunity to progress their learning further, such as children's mathematical language. For example, they fail to encourage

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need to do better?

children to think about whether the tower is taller or shorter than they are. n The availability and range of resources and activities staff provide for children, particularly the babies and toddlers, fails to excite and engage them. Many of the toys are grubby, torn or broken and offer little play value. For example, children try to build towers with magnetic resources that have rusted. Staff are not sufficiently aware of babies' and toddlers' interests to support the next steps in their learning. n Staff use an online record system to share information with parents. They upload pictures to show parents what their children have done and suggest ways for them to support their children further at home. Teachers from local schools are able to visit children in the nursery. This helps children to recognise a familiar face when they start school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The weaknesses in risk assessment and staff's safeguarding knowledge means that children's welfare and well-being are not consistently assured. Some staff fail to demonstrate a clear understanding of the signs that may indicate children are at risk of radicalisation or extremist behaviour. They do not know what to do should they have any concerns about a colleague's conduct. However, generally, most staff know what they should do in the event of any concerns about children in their care. Staff point out posters that contain the contact details of statutory safeguarding authorities.

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Due date

8 November 2022 take action to ensure that all staff have a suitable understanding of all safeguarding matters, including what to do in the event of any concerns about a colleague's conduct 16/12/2022

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Due date

improve risk assessment procedures to ensure that all possible hazards are regularly identified and minimised to help keep children safe 16/12/2022

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Due date

take action to improve staff deployment to ensure that children are only supervised by adults who are checked and cleared as suitable 16/12/2022

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Due date

ensure the premises, including the floors and surfaces where food is served, are regularly checked and cleaned to support children's health and physical well-being 16/12/2022

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Due date

improve staff's teaching skills to ensure that they make the most of every opportunity to extend children's learning and help them make the best possible progress 16/12/2022

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Due date

take action to ensure that staff left caring for children understand and meet their individual needs 16/12/2022

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Due date

improve the range of resources to consistently inspire, excite and challenge children, particularly the toddlers and babies 16/12/2022

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Due date

take action to ensure staff plan and implement an ambitious curriculum that supports what children need to learn next in order to make good levels of progress 16/12/2022

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Due date

implement effective arrangements for regular staff supervisions to help develop staff's skills and knowledge. 16/12/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number 204074 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10259192 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 120 Number of children on roll 104 Name of registered person The Stables Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01245 348159 Date of previous inspection 16 November 2016

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Information about this early years setting

The Stables Nursery registered in 2000. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff. Of these, 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. One member of staff holds qualified teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. 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 The inspectors viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager joined the inspectors on a learning walk and talked to the inspectors about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n Children spoke to the inspectors during the inspection. n The inspectors talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspectors observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a communication and language activity with the manager. n The managers showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the

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Inspection activities

suitability of staff. n The inspectors read emails sent in by parents an took account of their views.

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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

8 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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