Little Tree Woodland School

Inspection of Little Tree Woodland School Potager Garden, High Cross, Constantine, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 5RF

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is inadequate

Risk assessments are ineffective. Staff do not risk assess activities well enough to ensure children are safe. Children play with hammers in an unsafe manner in front of staff. They run with hammers and wave them high above their heads while they hammer into tree logs. Leaders do not ensure staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to children's safety.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff do not have a secure understanding of all aspects of the setting's safeguarding policies and procedures. They are not clear on the use of mobile phones in the setting and do not ensure parents follow the mobile phone policy. This poses a risk to children's safety.

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The provision is inadequate

Children arrive happy and eager to show their parents what they like to do in the setting. Kind staff welcome the children and they look at tadpoles in a container together. Children use a magnifying glass to observe the tadpoles moving around. Other children climb into a hammock and swing back and forth. This makes them feel content and relaxed. Staff follow the children's interests and plan a curriculum based on building children's confidence and resilience. At times, children move away from the main childcare base to eat all snacks and meals. These visits take up a large amount of time. Children have to stop what they are doing even when they are highly engaged in activities. This interrupts their learning. Staff do not inform parents about the arrangements for food or the routines of the setting.

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need to do better?

n Staff do not teach children how to safely manage risks in their play. They talk to children at snack time about using tools. Not all children listen or fully understand what is being taught. After this, children do not follow what staff have said. Staff do not ensure children follow rules that have been developed to keep them safe. n Staff do not understand the setting's safeguarding policies and procedures in relation to mobile phones. They fail to recognise the risk of parents using a mobile phone in the setting while children are present and allow them to do so. n Due to the current facilities on site being unsuitable for food preparation, handling and consumption, children eat all food away from the main childcare base. Despite this, the manager fails to inform parents about the alternative arrangements for mealtimes she has in place. n Children display good manners, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you' while

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need to do better?

eating their packed lunches. However, some children find coping with a change in routine difficult and, at these times, staff struggle to manage their behaviour. For example, when they have to move away from the main childcare base to eat, children do not always join in with activities such as 'song time', or follow

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need to do better?

23 March 2023 instructions from staff. n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They promote their communication and language skills well. Staff interact with the children and describe what they are doing. For example, while they wash toy cars and line them up, staff introduce new words. This broadens children's vocabulary. n Children persevere to pull themselves up on a rope to the top of a bank. They feel proud when they accomplish the challenge. This builds on their physical development and boosts their self-esteem. Children enjoy making pretend potions. They take turns to smell the petals and mix them together using a whisk. However, children do not always have opportunity to engage in sustained learning. Children's experiences are often short-lived as it is soon time to get ready and move away from the main childcare base again to eat. At times, this impacts the quality of children's learning.

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need to do better?

n Parents comment their children have grown in confidence and have become more sociable since attending the setting. Key persons share learning ideas for parents to do at home. Parents enjoy seeing the progress children have made in their individual journals.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The provider has not ensured that staff understand how to keep children safe and risk assessments are not effective. Staff do not ensure that children use tools safely, which means children are at risk of injury. Staff also do not recognise the risk of visitors using mobile phones in the setting. Nevertheless, staff recognise the signs that may suggest a child is at risk of abuse. They know how to escalate concerns about a child's welfare, including which agencies they would need to contact.

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Due date

ensure all staff take reasonable steps to ensure children are not exposed to risks and they teach children how to manage risks for themselves 06/04/2023

p.3

Due date

ensure all staff understand the setting's safeguarding policies and follow procedures in relation to the use of mobile phones in the setting 06/04/2023

p.3

Due date

23 March 2023 provide parents with information about the daily experiences and routines of the setting, including food arrangements for the children 06/04/2023

p.3

Due date

ensure mealtimes on the premises are organised in a way that meets the needs of children. 27/04/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2501582 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 10283696 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 20 Number of children on roll 22 Name of registered person Little Tree Woodland School CIC

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reference number

Telephone number 07533828546 Date of previous inspection 18 May 2022

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Information about this early years setting

Little Tree Woodland School registered in 2019. It is located on the site of Potager Garden, in High Cross, near Constantine in Cornwall. It opens Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9.30am to 3pm for 40 weeks of the year. There are four staff. Of these, two have qualified teacher status, one has a relevant level 3 early years qualification and three are level 3 forest school trained. The school receives early years government funding for three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued 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 joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n The inspector spoke to children to find out about their time at the setting. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity. 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

23 March 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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