Natures Nursery (Ascot)

Inspection of Natures Nursery (Ascot) The Meridian House, London Road, Sunninghill, ASCOT, Berkshire SL5 0PL

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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

A number of breaches to statutory requirements have been identified and mean that, at present, children's health, safety and well-being are compromised. Staff fail to conduct effective risk assessments or ensure sleeping conditions are sanitary, which does not promote children's welfare. There are clear gaps in safeguarding knowledge across the staff team, with many staff members unable to identify the correct procedures to follow for reporting and recording their concerns. Children are not consistently cared for by staff who know them well and can meet their individual needs.

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The provision is inadequate

Children do not consistently benefit from purposeful, planned activities and experiences, which focus on what they need to learn next. The majority of children enjoy their time at the setting and independently access resources and make choices about their own play and learning. However, there are ineffective systems in place for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The designated lead for children with SEND has significant gaps in their knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Consequently, staff are unaware of children's needs, and these are not promptly raised with parents or other professionals.

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The provision is inadequate

While children in the baby room are content and calm, and the children in the pre- school rooms are engaged and happy in their play, the behaviour and engagement in the two-to-three-year room is inadequate. Children do not benefit from a well- established routine, and their play is frequently interrupted. Minor squabbles and disagreements regularly occur, as children are not consistently supported to learn to share and take turns. Due to frequent closures and disruptions to service over recent months, children's settling in has been disrupted. This impacts all children, including the most vulnerable children, who attend the nursery.

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need to do better?

n The provider has a clear vision for their early years curriculum. This is shared with parents before their children start at the nursery, through information made available using their online learning journals. However, there is no shared understanding across the staff team about what they want children to know and learn next. As a result, not all children are supported to make good progress in their learning and development. n Leaders and managers have not taken action to address maintenance issues relating to the premises, including providing an appropriate sleep environment for children that is free from damp and a safe outdoor area clear of hazards. Although some parts of the outdoor area are currently out of bounds, children can still access these areas due to ineffective preventative measures, such as

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need to do better?

17 January 2023 temporary mesh fencing and broken gates. n Children in the pre-school room benefit from carefully planned activities and experiences. Staff supporting children in this age range are clear about what they want children to know and learn next. The planning for pre-school children can be seen in action. For example, children with physical development targets, such as balancing and improving coordination, take part in children's yoga and delight in engaging in outdoor exercise sessions after a brisk walk through the forest school. n Babies appear happy, settling down to sleep quickly. There are lots of opportunities, indoors and outdoors, for children to be physically active, with indoor climbing frames and a large outside area. Younger babies who are not yet confidently walking benefit from a secure gated garden area within the extensive grounds. n Children's home routines and comforters are respected and followed where

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need to do better?

possible. The provider has a clear philosophy and policy for behaviour management. However, this is not well understood by all staff, and strategies for managing children's behaviour and supporting their understanding of the impact of their actions on others vary greatly. Staff do not teach children to manage and understand their emotions well enough. n Staff support children to understand about making healthy choices. They talk to children about the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, demonstrate toothbrushing and discuss the consequences of poor oral hygiene. Older children are taught how to keep themselves safe and show familiarity with the forest school safety rules. For instance, all the pre-school children were able to list the five hazards and rules of accessing the wooded area as they sat at base camp before they began their activity. Children enjoy discussing their likes and dislikes while they make fruit kebabs.

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need to do better?

n Staff do not benefit from regular supervision, coaching and support. There are systems in place for promoting well-being and ensuring the ongoing suitability of staff, but these have not been implemented effectively or consistently. Therefore, leaders and managers do not have good oversight of matters affecting staff suitability, well-being and workloads. There are also systems in place to monitor the quality of teaching, such as regular management learning walks. However, these are not fully effective in ensuring consistency across the nursery, and feedback is not given to practitioners from these observations. n Parents report that their children are happy to come to nursery and that they feel confident in being able to raise concerns with management. Parents enjoy receiving pictures via the online learning journals. n Staff deployment is not effective in meeting the needs of individual children.

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need to do better?

Qualified staff are not always available to support unqualified colleagues at key transition points in the day, such as breakfast time. This has been an issue in providing continuity for children, and it has resulted in some closures of rooms over recent months.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

17 January 2023 The provider does not identify potential hazards and deal with these effectively and efficiently to remove or reduce the risk of harm to children. Sleep arrangements for babies are unsuitable and place children at risk of infection. The designated safeguarding lead does not demonstrate sufficient understanding of their role and responsibilities. Staff's knowledge of safeguarding is not secure. Although staff can identify some signs and symptoms of abuse, they are unclear about who to report allegations relating to other professionals to, and they are unable to recognise examples of behaviour that could potentially indicate extremism. This is particularly the case for temporary staff. Some staff have not received timely inductions, which include being informed of the details of staff designated with the responsibility for safeguarding children.

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Due date

take immediate action to ensure that staff swiftly report any concerns about children's welfare to local safeguarding partnerships, and work effectively with them to share any ongoing information about children's welfare 31/01/2023

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Due date

improve safeguarding procedures, ensuring staff designated to take the lead for safeguarding are competent and able to fulfil their role, and ensure that all staff, including agency staff, are clear on their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe 31/01/2023

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Due date

ensure leaders have a secure understanding of safeguarding and the procedures to follow, including checking ongoing suitability of staff and managing any allegations against staff appropriately 31/01/2023

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Due date

17 January 2023 ensure leaders provide suitable supervision and maintain oversight of staff knowledge, skills and qualifications, to meet children's needs effectively 31/03/2023

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Due date

provide a consistent key-person approach so children and parents establish trusting relationships with an identified member of staff, to support children's progress and development 31/03/2023

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Due date

ensure staff ratio arrangements meet the needs of all the children 31/01/2023

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Due date

take action to ensure that staff manage children's behaviour appropriately and adhere to the setting's policy to provide children with clear messages about acceptable behaviour, to contribute to a positive learning environment 31/03/2023

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Due date

take necessary steps to provide a safe, clean and suitable environment, supporting the prevention of the spread of infection and promoting children's good health 31/01/2023

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Due date

conduct a thorough risk assessment that identifies all risks and hazards to children's safety, and take effective measures to remove or minimise these, particularly in the outdoor area 31/01/2023

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Due date

keep accurate, accessible records to share with other professionals and those who need to know, if requested, to ensure the safe and efficient management of the setting, and ensure that children's safety and needs are continuously met. 31/01/2023

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Due date

17 January 2023 improve support for children with SEND, to ensure individual children's needs are met 31/03/2023

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Due date

review and improve systems in place for planning of children's next steps, in partnership with parents. 31/03/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY404137 Local authority Windsor and Maidenhead Inspection number 10275052 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 88 Number of children on roll 115 Name of registered person Nature's Nursery (Ascot) Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01344 625070 Date of previous inspection 3 January 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Nature's Nursery (Ascot) registered in 2010 and is open from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round, except for bank holidays and Christmas. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. There are 17 members of staff working directly with the children, 10 of whom hold appropriate 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 We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager, a senior manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and 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

17 January 2023 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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