The Joint Colleges Nursery (Cambridge) Limited

Inspection of The Joint Colleges Nursery (Cambridge) Limited 6B Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EB

p.1

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

p.1

The provision is inadequate

The provider has not ensured that children are protected from harm. There is not a strong enough culture of safeguarding to keep children safe. Risk assessments are not implemented effectively in practice. Staff do not ensure that babies who sleep outdoors are supervised consistently, although staff do check them every 10 minutes and monitor their breathing and temperature. Staff caring for younger children are not vigilant enough. They do not watch over babies who are learning to stand and walk to prevent them toppling over and falling off equipment.

p.2

The provision is inadequate

Children's behaviour is not managed well and staff do not respond appropriately to instances of children's concerning behaviour. When children are unkind to their friends, staff do not intervene to help them understand how their behaviour affects others. The curriculum is not delivered well for younger children. Activities and experiences are poorly planned. This means that children are not engaged in meaningful learning. However, children in the older toddlers' room and pre-school enjoy a rich and varied curriculum through the forest school experience. They show concentration as they construct a pirate ship from blocks. Children enjoy exploring 'sticky weeds' and staff explain how the weed sticks to itself. Children are delighted to discover how the weed sticks to their clothes.

p.2

need to do better?

n The provider does not ensure that staff who are employed on a temporary basis receive thorough induction training to ensure they clearly understand their role and responsibilities. For example, room leaders instruct these staff to check on sleeping babies. However, the nursery's policy prevents them from being alone with children unsupervised. n Children's safety is not prioritised. Cleaning chemicals in brightly coloured bottles are left within children's reach, in several of the rooms. In addition, adults do not remove hazards swiftly enough following activities. For example, a drawing compass and cutting knife were left on the side where children could easily access them. n Sleeping babies are not kept safe. Staff place babies outside in prams, where they are left out of sight and hearing. Although regular checks are carried out, the sleep area is not secure. Once parents have entered the main security gate,

p.2

need to do better?

they are able to access the sleep area without supervision. n Staff do not supervise younger children adequately because they prioritise routine tasks, such as cleaning after meals, rather than interacting with children in purposeful ways. They do not help children to focus on activities or sustain their interest for periods of time. n Children's behaviour is not managed appropriately. For example, children repeatedly kick others to push them down the slide so that they can have a turn.

p.2

need to do better?

25 May 2023 Staff do not pay any attention and, therefore, this behaviour continues. Older children are beginning to understand the rules. For example, following disputes they insist that friends say sorry for hurting them. Although staff intervene, they are distracted and the conflict remains unresolved. n Poor staffing arrangements mean that staff do not always see when children are becoming boisterous in their play or use equipment in unsafe ways. This means children are not engaged in purposeful play, which hinders their learning. n Staff do not provide consistently good quality teaching. Children are unable to develop their talents and interests further because staff do not interact and engage effectively with children or provide sufficiently challenging activities. Despite these weaknesses, the forest school programme provides children with a range of interesting experiences. For example, they competently use small

p.2

need to do better?

hammers to push the nails into the wood and make potions from water and leaves. Children show respect to the forest school leader and respond well to the rules. n The management team does not have good enough oversight of practice in order to identify weaknesses in teaching. Staff development is therefore not effective in improving their practice and driving improvements in the curriculum. n Overall, parents say that they feel happy with the service provided and feel that their children are happy and settled.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The provider has not ensured that all staff, including those who are employed on a temporary basis, have a secure knowledge of safeguarding. Staff demonstrate a suitable knowledge of the indicators of abuse. However, they do not know the procedures to follow in the event of a concern about a child or a colleague. Sound procedures are in place to ensure staff are suitable at the point of recruitment, and their ongoing suitability is checked. However, children are exposed to hazards as staff do not use risk assessment effectively to identify or remove these hazards swiftly. This compromises children's safety and welfare.

p.3

Due date

ensure that all staff receive training about the safeguarding policy and the procedures to follow in the event of a concern about a child or a colleague 16/06/2023

p.3

Due date

25 May 2023 ensure that all staff receive induction training so that they are clear about their role and responsibilities 16/06/2023

p.3

Due date

ensure that robust risk assessments are carried out effectively and the necessary steps are taken to ensure that children are safe and are not exposed to potential hazards 16/06/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure that sleeping babies are not left unsupervised in areas that are accessible by adults other than staff, and that they are always within sight or hearing 16/06/2023

p.4

Due date

improve staffing arrangement to ensure staff are deployed effectively so that the needs of all children are met 16/06/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure that staff understand how to manage children's behaviour in an appropriate way and that the behavioural expectations are applied fairly and consistently 16/06/2023

p.4

Due date

provide ongoing effective support, coaching and training so that all staff working with children have the knowledge and skills to fulfil their roles successfully and the interests of children are promoted 31/08/2023

p.4

Due date

develop the curriculum to ensure that it clearly identifies what it is that all children need to learn, how this reflects their individual needs and offers appropriate challenge to help them make good progress. 31/08/2023

p.4

Setting details

Unique reference number 221578 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 10279929 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.5

Registers

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

p.5

inspection

Total number of places 57 Number of children on roll 56

p.5

Name of registered person

Joint Colleges Nursery (Cambridge) Limited (The)

p.5

reference number

Telephone number 01223 315 084 Date of previous inspection 7 September 2017

p.5

Information about this early years setting

The Joint Colleges Nursery (Cambridge) Limited registered in 1987. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. There are 18 members of staff, including the manager, employed to work with the children. Of these, 11 hold an appropriate childcare qualification at level 2 or above. Two staff hold qualified teacher status and one holds a qualification at level 6.

p.5

Inspection activities

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 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 talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff. 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 to carry out a joint observation of a group activity. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

p.6

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.

p.6

Inspection activities

25 May 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.

p.6

Inspection activities

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspection activities

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk

p.7

Inspection activities

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspection activities

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7