Little Acorns Pre-School

Inspection of Little Acorns Pre-School St John's Church, Church Road, St Johns, Woking, Surrey GU21 7QN

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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 Requires improvement

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety and well-being cannot be assured. Staff who have lead responsibility for child protection have not acted on and reported serious concerns. This puts children at potential risk of harm. Managers do not follow their own procedures to protect children's welfare. They do not ensure that robust processes are in place to check staff suitability. These failures compromise children's safety.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff do not always meet the emotional needs of children. They fail to recognise the signs that children are feeling unwell. This affects how safe and secure children feel in their surroundings. They become disengaged in learning and find the environment challenging.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff have implemented adequate risk assessments to identify and remove hazards. However, they do not support children to recognise potential risks to keep themselves safe. For example, children do not learn about why a wet floor may be dangerous. This limits children's understanding when effectively managing risks.

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The provision is inadequate

Children mostly behave appropriately and respond to the rules and boundaries of the preschool. Some of the activities provided, keep children engaged and focused. For instance, staff hold children's attention during a small group activity. Children wait with anticipation for what the adult is going to do next. However, not all activities engage children in the same way. Children do not make sufficient progress in their learning and development.

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need to do better?

n Leadership and management is weak. The manager does not successfully oversee the care and provision that is provided. She has not ensured that required records are available. Arrangements for responding to child protection concerns in a timely way are ineffective. This does not safeguard children's welfare. n The manager has not implemented a curriculum that is clear and securely embedded in practice. She lacks clarity about what she wants the children to learn and how she can best support them to achieve their goals. This has a significant impact on children, who are not challenged to achieve goals that are in line with their abilities. n The key-person system is not robust. Children are not adequately supported by the person who knows them best. Some staff lack knowledge of where their key children are developmentally. They do not identify the next steps for all children to enhance their learning. This has a significant impact on the children's

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need to do better?

personal, social and emotional development. Despite this, children will seek comfort in the adults and go to them for emotional support.

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need to do better?

8 March 2023 n Leaders have failed to put in place effective staff support and training. Staff do not receive sufficient supervision to ensure that areas they need to develop are recognised and supported. This includes gaps in their safeguarding knowledge. Furthermore, leaders and managers do not identify significant weaknesses in practice. This has a negative impact both on children's well-being and the quality of education that they receive. n Children follow basic hygiene routines and wash their hands before meals. However, staff do not encourage them to cover their mouths when coughing. Tissues are not available for them to wipe their nose. Weak hygiene practice puts children at risk of the spread of infectious diseases. Children are not taught about the link between hygiene practice and good health. Additionally, they are not given opportunities to promote their independence skills and embed good

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need to do better?

hygiene foundations. n Staff support the children to engage in some new experiences but are not always attentive enough to children's care needs. For example, children investigate the snow outside. They show their delight when exploring the snow. However, not all children have appropriate clothes for this weather. The staff fail to recognise that some children have extremely cold hands and wet clothes. This affects the children's well-being and they lack interest in learning. n Since the last inspection, some positive steps have been taken to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The special educational needs coordinator (SENDCo) has put strategies in place to help children with SEND make appropriate progress. She works well with parents and other agencies to ensure that these children have the right support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager does not have a sufficient oversight of staff knowledge of child protection. Managers and staff do not have a secure understanding of how to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns. The designated safeguarding leads have failed to report concerns to the relevant authority in a timely manner. As a result, the children's safety is compromised. Recruitment procedures are not robust. The manager cannot produce records to confirm the suitability of staff who work directly with children. Effective systems are not in place for keeping essential records. Staff suitability cannot be assured. This puts children at potential risk.

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Due date

8 March 2023 take action to ensure that all managers and staff understand the setting safeguarding procedures to act swiftly and respond to safeguarding concerns 23/03/2023

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Due date

ensure that those who take lead responsibility for safeguarding children can identify, understand and respond to signs of possible abuse 23/03/2023

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Due date

take action to ensure that managers and staff have sufficient safeguarding knowledge to identify and respond to child protection concerns in a timely manner 23/03/2023

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Due date

put robust systems in place to ensure that those who have contact with children and their families are suitable to do so 23/03/2023

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Due date

implement appropriate supervision arrangements for staff to provide support, coaching and training 23/03/2023

p.4

Due date

maintain records and obtain and share information with parents and professionals, to ensure the safe and efficient management of the setting to meet children's needs 23/03/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure that records are easily accessable and available and stored effectively to maintain confidentiality. 23/03/2023

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Due date

implement a well-structured curriculum that is ambitious and meets the needs of all children 04/04/2023

p.4

Due date

8 March 2023 ensure that arrangements to promote children's good health are robust and that necessary steps are taken to prevent the spread of infection 04/04/2023

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Due date

implement an effective key-person system to ensure that children's individual needs are met 04/04/2023

p.5

Due date

improve planning arrangements to ensure that children are gaining tailored learning in line with their capabilities across all areas. 04/04/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY392763 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 10242513 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 14 Name of registered person Pattinson, Michelle

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reference number

Telephone number 07947145710 Date of previous inspection 20 April 2022

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Information about this early years setting

Little Acorns Pre-School registered in 2009 and is located in Woking, Surrey. It is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 2.30pm, during term time only. The pre- school is in receipt of funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are five members of staff who work with the children. Of these, four hold a level 3 qualification and one holds a level 5 qualification.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. 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 SENDCo spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND.

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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 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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