Stickleberries

Inspection of Stickleberries Stickleberries, Winterborne Stickland, Blandford Forum DT11 0NN

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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

Weaknesses in risk assessment processes put children's safety at risk. The manager and staff fail to identify hazards in the environment and take action to minimise them. Children's pre-existing injuries are not being accurately recorded and any records made are not securely stored. This means that staff are unable to identify patterns of injuries that might suggest a child's welfare is at risk. Staff care for babies and toddlers in a cold environment. The nursery is not sufficiently clean to prevent the spread of bacteria and infection. Older children's dignity is not maintained when changing their nappies, due to the poor organisation of the environment. These weaknesses negatively impact on children's welfare, health and well-being.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff deployment is not effective to ensure children are safely supervised and that their learning is well supported. Sleeping babies are not frequently checked to ensure that they are safe. Children play roughly and access items that could cause harm without staff being aware. They lose interest in adult-led activities, as staff often need to leave them to support other children with their behaviour. Staff do not meet children's individual needs, due to staff shortages and a failure of the manager to recognise and address issues with staff practice. Children often wander aimlessly, without adult support or intervention, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children are confident and share their ideas freely. However, they are not motivated to learn, due to an uninspiring curriculum that is not challenging enough to ensure children make good progress in their learning.

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need to do better?

n Staff do not keep evacuation routes clear. Clothing, car seats and shoes clutter the area. This impacts on the ability of staff and children to exit swiftly in the event of an emergency. n Staff do not identify and minimise risks to children throughout the day. For example, they allow children to climb on the furniture and to eat while running around. Children take food without staff noticing, which could result in choking. n Staff are not aware of the new systems in place regarding children's pre-existing injuries. They do not consistently record them and when they do, Wi-Fi connection issues mean they do not always save successfully. This presents a safeguarding risk because staff do not have access to this important information. n Staff care for young children in a cold environment. The radiators are only on a low heat, even though it is cold outside, and do not provide enough heat. Children wander around without shoes and jumpers. The low temperature and

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need to do better?

lack of appropriate clothing impacts negatively on their health and well-being. n Staff do not keep equipment used by children in a clean and hygienic state.

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need to do better?

8 February 2023 Highchairs, pushchairs and car seats contain food crumbs and have stains. The sofa in the pre-school room is very dirty and children sit on this while eating. This does not promote children's good health. n Adequate measures are not in place to change the nappies of pre-school children. Staff do this on changing mats on the floor, next to other children who are playing. This does not afford them the respectful care they need. n Practices for the supervision of sleeping children are poor. Staff do not check on them frequently enough to ensure they are safe. A camera is present, but it is not always switched on or pointing in the right direction to be able to monitor those children that are sleeping. n Children are not safely supervised and their individual needs are not met because the manager does not deploy staff well. Staff do not notice physical disagreements between children or rough play, which could result in injury. Staff

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need to do better?

working with young children do not always comfort them when needed because they are busy with other tasks. n The manager does not have an accurate picture of the quality of teaching, despite observing staff working with the children and providing staff with supervision. Weaknesses in her knowledge of good childcare practice means that she is unable to provide the coaching and training staff need to improve their interactions with children. n The manager does not drive improvement, even when weaknesses have been identified and reported on by other professionals. For example, transitions between different parts of the day are still not working successfully, despite this being raised at the previous inspection. This impacts on children's emotional well-being as they are not clear on what is happening next. n The manager, who is also the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, works in partnership with the families of children with SEND.

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need to do better?

However, she does not take responsibility for providing staff with the support they need to meet the needs of children with SEND. As a result, children are not prepared for the next steps in their education. n Staff do not manage children's behaviour well. They do not give clear instructions and, as a result, children do not understand the rules and expectations. Staff do not support children to manage their own behaviour or to understand the impact their behaviour has on others. n Children enjoy some activities which develop their listening and attention skills. However, the manager does not ensure that the curriculum is suitably engaging and challenging to help children to make the progress of which they are capable. For example, when babies and toddlers are cared for in the same room, staff plan activities to meet the needs of the youngest children. This means older children are not provided with the necessary experiences to promote their

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager does not ensure that risk assessment processes are effective. As a

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Safeguarding

8 February 2023 result, staff do not identify hazards or take steps to minimise risks to keep children safe. Fire escape routes are cluttered and the manager does not take responsibility for keeping this clear. The manager does not ensure that staff keep the environment clean and hygienic. There is not a clear process in place for recording pre-existing injuries and staff do not do this consistently. Staff do not supervise children well enough to ensure that they are safe and secure, including when they are sleeping. Staff know the signs and symptoms of abuse and the appropriate recording and reporting procedures. The designated safeguarding lead works with external safeguarding agencies to support children's welfare.

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Due date

ensure that systems to record accidents and pre-existing injuries are robust and that all staff are aware of and follow the correct processes 13/02/2023

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Due date

improve risk assessment to ensure that all staff are able to identify hazards and take swift action to minimise risks to children's safety 13/02/2023

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Due date

ensure that staff consistently follow effective hygiene measures to keep the environment clean and promote children's good health 13/02/2023

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Due date

implement suitable nappy changing practices for pre-school children to protect their dignity 13/02/2023

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Due date

ensure sleeping babies are checked frequently to ensure they are safe 13/02/2023

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Due date

improve staff deployment to ensure children are safely supervised and their needs are met 13/02/2023

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Due date

8 February 2023 take steps to ensure the safety of children, staff and others working on the premises in the case of a fire or other emergency 13/02/2023

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Due date

ensure the premises are fit for purpose and suitable for the children being cared for 13/02/2023

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Due date

improve the monitoring of staff practice and provide staff with the coaching and training required to bring about improvement 10/03/2023

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Due date

ensure all staff have training to develop their understanding of how to support the behaviour and learning of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) 10/03/2023

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Due date

ensure staff have the necessary skills to manage children's behaviour effectively. 10/03/2023

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Due date

plan and implement a broad and balanced curriculum to motivate children to learn and build on what they already know and can do 24/03/2023

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Due date

support staff to manage the transition from one activity to another more effectively to help children to understand what is happening next. 24/03/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY493669 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 10276896 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 52 Number of children on roll 63 Name of registered person Stickleberries Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01258 880417 Date of previous inspection 11 February 2020

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Information about this early years setting

Stickleberries registered in 2015 and is located in Winterborne Stickland, Dorset. The nursery is open all year round from 7.45am to 6pm. It receives funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are eight members of staff who work directly with children, including the manager. Of these, seven are qualified to level 3, two hold a level 2 qualification and one is unqualified.

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Inspection activities

n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. 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 viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n Children communicated with the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager and staff provided the inspector with a sample of key

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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 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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