Freshfields Nursery School Ltd

Inspection of Freshfields Nursery School Ltd Clifford Forge House, Clifford Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 8HW

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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

Children's health and safety is not fully assured. Managers and staff do not ensure that all fire exits are free from obstruction. Some new staff are not sufficiently trained and confident in enacting the nursery's evacuation procedures. Furthermore, staff do not ensure that nappy changing facilities for young children and toilet areas are clean and well maintained.

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The provision is inadequate

The nursery has been experiencing a period of management and staffing instability. Recent management and staff turnover and ongoing staffing issues mean that staff deployment is, at times, ineffective and does not promote children's individual needs. Nevertheless, staff are caring and interact positively with children overall. Children show willingness to attend, are fairly settled, and their behaviour is positive. Pre-school children develop increasing independence, such as managing their self-care needs with some support.

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The provision is inadequate

The curriculum is weak. Staff do not routinely plan activities tailored to children's age and stage of development and to promote their learning needs. The quality of teaching throughout the nursery is variable. Staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always follow their targeted support plans. Managers do not ensure that additional funding they receive is always put to use. This does not help to promote good outcomes for all children. Nonetheless, children use the space available and make choices from the resources and about what they want to do. For example, babies like physical apparatus and looking at the nursery's farm animals outside. Toddlers enjoy making marks with pens and chalks and exploring play dough. Pre-school children enjoy construction, sand and water play.

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need to do better?

n Due to recent staffing issues, while staff-to-child ratios are maintained, staff deployment throughout the nursery is changeable each day. As a result, the key- person system is ineffective. Staff working with children are not in a position to build secure relationships, promote children's individual learning needs or work with parents as well as possible. n Some areas of the nursery are not entirely clean. This specifically relates to nappy changing areas and children's toilets, which are not well maintained. Managers have allowed one of the nursery fire exits in the 'Buttercups' room to become cluttered. Therefore, it is not easy to use if staff have to evacuate non- mobile babies. This comprises children's safety. n Staff morale is low, and they report feeling stressed by recent issues that the nursery has been facing. Managers do not ensure that induction for new staff is thorough enough. Staff do not receive appropriate ongoing supervision and

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need to do better?

3 February 2023 support or have opportunities to undertake relevant training. This does not help them fulfil all of their key roles and, ultimately, to improve practice. n The curriculum ethos relating to nature and bringing the outdoors inside is not implemented effectively. Managers and staff lack knowledge of how to sequence the curriculum to match children's learning to their ages and stages of development. Staff are not skilled in their teaching or in encouraging the best outcomes for children. They routinely provide resources for children to access from the available toys and equipment and set up some additional activities, such as gluing and sticking or painting. They do not provide a learning-rich environment that promotes and builds on what children already know and can do. As a result, at times, babies and children wander around, flit between activities and lack motivation to join in. n A nursery special educational needs coordinator is assigned, and children with

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need to do better?

SEND have support plans in place. However, due to staffing issues, staff are stretched, and individualised and targeted support for children with SEND is limited. For example, although additional funding is secured to ensure one-to- one support for some of the children, they are not benefitting from this in practice. n Staff talk to children and introduce key vocabulary to them. For example, babies learn the names of the nursery's farm animals and the sounds they make. Babies and children enjoy lots of singing throughout the nursery. Staff promote a love of books. For example, toddlers enjoy making aliens from a familiar story that they have been reading. Staff help pre-school children explore mathematical concepts of number, space and capacity, using props linked to a book they enjoy. n Parents express that they are happy with the new manager and feel the staff team work hard and are caring. Staff share information with parents about the

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need to do better?

daily routines and children's care needs. However, parents report that since the nursery takeover, there has been a lack of communication from the new company and general management team. Due to changes in staffing, key persons are not clearly assigned. As a result, staff are not well placed to promote children's learning and keep parents sufficiently informed. n Staff get to know children's care needs quickly, even when spending time in rooms they are not normally based in. Staff keep children dry and clean and encourage them to routinely wash hands before eating and after messy activities. The nursery menu is healthy, and children's varied dietary needs are catered for by the nursery chef. Babies and children go outside each day and get plenty of fresh air. Staff encourage physical activity. For example, babies and toddlers enjoy low-level climbing apparatus, and pre-school children join in with a multi-skills session run by an external professional.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Managers and staff do not conduct regular safety checks of the entire premises, and steps are not taken to ensure the accessibility of fire exits. Although

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Safeguarding

3 February 2023 recruitment processes are robust and staff are suitably vetted, new staff do not receive thorough inductions. They are not confident in the nursery's health and safety policies and do not know how to implement emergency evacuation procedures. Staff do not ensure that nappy changing areas and toilets are clean and kept in a good condition. Nevertheless, the nursery is very secure, and managers ensure that there is an adequate number of staff on site to work with children. There are enough staff with paediatric first-aid training to manage accidents and injuries as needed. Managers and staff fully understand their child protection responsibilities, and their knowledge of child abuse and neglect is secure. They know how to report concerns about a child's welfare, either at home or in the nursery. This helps to protect children from some types of harm.

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Due date

ensure that all fire exits are free from obstruction and that all staff are trained and confident in implementing the nursery's evacuation procedures 24/02/2023

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Due date

ensure that nappy changing facilities and children's toilets are clean and well maintained 24/02/2023

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Due date

ensure arrangements for staff deployment meet children's needs at all times, and keep parents informed of staffing changes 24/02/2023

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Due date

improve induction for new staff, and ensure all staff receive appropriate support and undertake relevant training to fulfil all of their key roles and improve practice 24/02/2023

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Due date

improve the curriculum and ensure staff plan and provide activities that are tailored to children's ages and stages to extend their development 24/03/2023

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Due date

increase the quality of the workforce, and ensure staff are well-skilled teachers who are able to encourage the best outcomes for children 24/03/2023

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Due date

3 February 2023 implement effective arrangements to support children with SEND, including following their targeted support plans and making best use of any additional funding 24/02/2023

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Due date

implement an effective key-person system and ensure these persons tailor children's learning to their individual needs and share two-way information with parents about the provision and children's progress. 24/02/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number 200597 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 10277005 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 140 Number of children on roll 150 Name of registered person Freshfields Nursery Schools Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01789 261633 Date of previous inspection 12 February 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Freshfields Nursery School Ltd registered in 1998. The nursery employs 35 members of staff, including 30 who work directly with the children. Of these, 16 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including two with level 6 and one with qualified teacher status. The nursery operates all year around. Sessions are available Monday to Friday, from 7.30am 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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and have 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 inspectors viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager and inspectors completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. 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. Joint observations were completed. n The inspectors talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspectors spoke with the area manager and manager about the leadership

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Inspection activities

and management of the setting. n The inspectors spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspectors 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

3 February 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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