Little Crickets at Dean Park

Inspection of Dean Park Day Nursery Cooper Dean Pavilion, Dean Park, Cavendish Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH1 1RB

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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 well-being is compromised due to weaknesses in staff's management of children's behaviour. Older children in particular show little respect for each other, the staff, or their environment. Children do not learn the boundaries and expectations and their behaviour disrupts other children's learning. Staff do not provide children with a curriculum that supports them to learn and develop well enough. This is because agency and bank staff do not know the children or understand their individual needs sufficiently. They are unaware of what children already know and can do and therefore do not provide them with experiences which challenge them or ignite their interest. As a result, children often wander aimlessly without adult support and do not make the progress of which they are capable. Children's safety is put at risk because of some the staff's limited knowledge of safeguarding and poor risk assessment.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff do not deploy themselves effectively to meet children's needs. For example, young children lose their balance and fall as they try to access some resources without adult support. Children become upset and do not have the opportunity to form secure attachments because the staff caring for them are not consistent. For example, staff try to help children dress for outside play. However, because the children do not know the staff well enough and do not feel comfortable with the close contact, they become increasingly more upset. This impacts negatively on children's health and well-being.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff build relationships with parents. They provide some feedback to the parents at the end of the day. They also use an online application that provides parents with written observations and photographs of their children involved in activities. However, parents comment that there appears to be a high turnover of staff and that they are not always sure who is caring for their children.

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need to do better?

n Not all staff have a good enough knowledge and understanding of safeguarding. This is because leaders have not ensured that agency and bank staff know how to recognise when a child may be at risk of harm which compromises their safety. n Management recognises the difficulties with current staffing issues and is working hard to address these. Although they have identified ways to bring stability to the staff team they have not yet implemented these, and the current temporary arrangements mean that children's needs are not met. n Management oversees the planning of the curriculum. The relatively new manager has identified some areas for development and started to implement plans to support staff to focus on the curriculum and children's learning.

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need to do better?

21 February 2023 However, staff have not yet embedded these in practice. In addition, due to the constant change in staff some children do not receive appropriate support for their learning and development. For example, when children use a range of resources to make crowns, staff do not interact with them to extend their communication and language skills, despite these areas being identified as the focus of this activity. n Staff do not use the space available across the nursery effectively to promote children's learning. For example, staff care for the children in large groups within a small area. Children are unable to sit comfortably or see the pictures in a book. As a result, children do not engage in activities, such as a story or song time. Children become restless and their behaviour deteriorates. n Staff fail to teach children about what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. They do not set clear expectations for children's behaviour. For example, when

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need to do better?

staff ask older children to tidy up, they say 'no' and refuse to help. Staff do not know how to manage this situation, so children's behaviour is ignored. Some of the younger children are learning how to share and take turns with support. However, staff do not always notice when children push each other and they do not help them to learn how to respect and value others. n Risk assessments are not effective. Babies continually fall over the resources strewn over the playroom floor. For example, staff provide laminated pictures for an activity, which children continually slip on. Staff remove the children rather than pick up the resources, so when other children access the activity, they also fall over. n The key-person system is not effective. When staff are absent from the setting their key children's needs are not consistently met. There are often no familiar faces for the children to build secure attachments. Agency and bank staff do not

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need to do better?

know the children well enough to support them. This is particularly evident with the younger children. At times, staff are confused about children's care needs. For example, staff are not aware of babies' sleep routines. They do not recognise when babies are tired or in need of a sleep. Consequently, babies become distressed. n Children learn about healthy lifestyles. They benefit from home-cooked meals and fruit snacks. Staff encourage older children to develop their independence and cut the fruit themselves. Staff sit with babies to promote their independence, at mealtimes. Children follow good hygiene routines. However, at times, staff do not deploy themselves effectively; for example before snack and lunchtime children spend a lot of time waiting to wash their hands. As a result, children's behaviour deteriorates. n Staff make good use of the outdoor space and children enjoy using the various areas such as the forest, artificial grass and their designated gardens. This gives

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need to do better?

children opportunities to develop their physical skills and exercise in the fresh air. They climb, run and play ball games. They use sit-and-ride cars and bicycles with good control. Some staff encourage children to use their imagination well as they pretend to go on a train ride, or sing songs as they climb ladders in search of a bear.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Most nursery staff have a suitable understanding of safeguarding and the procedures to follow if concerned about a child's welfare. However, agency and bank staff do not. They cannot identify the signs and symptoms which may be a cause for concern. Some staff cannot describe the signs of neglect or wider aspects, such as county lines, which is prevalent in this area. Agency and bank staff cannot demonstrate that they understand how to act on concerns. Staff have an induction and an annual appraisal to help ensure ongoing suitability. Procedures to ensure that agency staff have sufficient knowledge and understanding of children's needs to enable them to support their health, safety and well-being are not thorough or robust. Staff do not carry out effective risk assessments. This does not keep children safe.

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Due date

ensure that staff follow effective behaviour management strategies to help children gain a secure understanding of what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour 02/03/2023

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Due date

improve the key-person system to ensure that every child's individual needs are met 02/03/2023

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Due date

improve risk assessments to help identify and minimise risks to keep children safe, including the organisation of the available space 02/03/2023

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Due date

improve staff deployment to ensure children are safely supervised and their needs met 02/03/2023

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Due date

make sure all staff, including agency and bank staff have sufficient knowledge and understanding of safeguarding 02/03/2023

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Due date

21 February 2023 plan and implement a broad curriculum that provides appropriate challenge and builds on what children already know and can do. 23/03/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2523865 Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Inspection number 10278453 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 65 Number of children on roll 101 Name of registered person Dean Park Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01202 297275 Date of previous inspection 5 April 2022

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Information about this early years setting

Dean Park Day Nursery registered in 2019. The nursery is located in Bournemouth. It is open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. There are 30 members of childcare staff. Six hold qualifications at level 6, two hold qualifications at level 5, seven hold level 3 qualifications and five are qualified at level 2. The nursery provides funded early years education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors Michelle Heimsoth Lorraine Sparey

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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 The inspectors discussed any continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the provider and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n One inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views. n The inspectors viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager joined the inspectors on a learning walk and talked to the inspectors about their curriculum and the intention for the children's learning. n The manager completed a joint observation with each of the inspectors in different areas of the nursery. n The inspectors held discussions about the leadership and management of the setting with three members of the management team.

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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

21 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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