Tiny Turtles Daycare

Inspection of Tiny Turtles Daycare 21 Hamilton Square, Stockport SK4 1JG

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that the staffing arrangements at the nursery meet minimum requirements for staff qualifications. For example, the baby room is staffed by one qualified practitioner and a recently recruited trainee, who is unqualified and inexperienced. Leaders do not support staff effectively. This compromises children's safety. Managers do not make sure that staff organise outdoor activities every day. This means that children do not get the fresh air and exercise that promotes their healthy development.

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The provision is inadequate

Managers do not have the skills and knowledge that they need to implement the learning and development requirements to a good standard. They do not identify the widespread and significant weaknesses in the curriculum. For example, they observe activities without noticing that the learning intentions are imprecise and inappropriate for the children's stage of development. This results in learning that is poorly sequenced and children do not make good progress. The inaccurate feedback that staff receive does not promote continuous improvement in their professional skills and knowledge. This further hinders children's development.

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The provision is inadequate

Overall, children show that they feel secure in the care of the friendly and approachable staff. However, the poor curriculum does not help children to behave well and develop a positive attitude to learning. For example, pre-school children sometimes rush to complete mundane activities that are badly matched to what they need to learn next. Then they run around the room and seek out more interesting, self-initiated things to do.

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need to do better?

n Management and staffing arrangements do not promote children's welfare and education. The room-based deputy manager and a trainee practitioner, who is unqualified, work together in the toddler room. However, there are days when the deputy manager is also in overall charge of the nursery. This places huge demands on her role as the only person in charge. It also compromises the already inadequate staffing arrangements in the toddler room. This does not promote children's safety and well-being. n Staff often organise outings for the pre-school children. For example, they go to the supermarket next door or walk to the nearby play park. However, they do not go outdoors every day. Babies and toddlers have fewer outings than pre- school children. During the week of the inspection visit, the toddlers had only been outdoors on one occasion. This is detrimental to their overall development and well-being. n Managers do not identify the strengths and weaknesses of staff's practice. This

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need to do better?

means that they cannot plan a training and development programme that helps

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need to do better?

26 May 2023 staff to develop their skills. This has a direct and negative impact on children's education, because their learning is not planned well enough. Managers fail to identify this significant weakness. Their capacity to improve the quality of education is not established. n The sequencing of children's learning is weak. Staff plan copy writing tasks for children, who do not have enough strength and dexterity in their fingers and hands. Children's failure to complete the tasks does not help them to develop a positive attitude to early literacy. Pre-school staff describe their intention to teach children to use knives to push food onto forks. However, at lunchtime, they only provide children with a fork. This demonstrates that although staff sometimes describe appropriate learning intentions, they do not implement them consistently. The impact, in this particular instance, is that children do not learn

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need to do better?

to use a knife and fork at nursery before they start school. n The poor curriculum is starkly evident in the communication and language programme. When babies show interest in a toy, staff are kind and attentive but do not tell the babies what the toy is called. Toddlers learn to name the sounds of the alphabet during daily adult-directed sessions. This does not help them to acquire the words they need to deepen their interests and express their thinking. Weaknesses in teaching hinder children of all ages from developing the widest possible vocabulary. n Babies move freely about the floor and younger babies have plenty of tummy time. Pre-school children demonstrate confidence and agility when they use the equipment at the play park. This helps to promote children's core strength and independence as they grow. n Staff follow children's care routines and share information with parents. For example, when babies and toddlers are asleep, staff update the online app every

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need to do better?

10 minutes. This reassures parents that staff are checking the children are safe as they sleep.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Weaknesses in leadership and management mean that children's safety and welfare are not assured. Staffing arrangements do not meet legal requirements. For example, leaders include inexperienced staff in the adult-to-child ratios in the baby room, which puts babies' safety at risk. None of the children experience daily outdoor activities. Some children, including those who attend nursery full time, rarely go outside. This means that an essential aspect of children's healthy development is routinely neglected. Despite weaknesses, managers demonstrate knowledge of local safeguarding arrangements. They seek timely advice when they have concerns that children may be subject to abuse or neglect. Staff know who to tell if they feel that a colleague is behaving inappropriately towards children.

p.3

Due date

ensure that the proportion of qualified staff who are working directly with children always meets legal requirements 16/06/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure that outdoor activities for all children are planned and taken on a daily basis 16/06/2023

p.4

Due date

implement an effective system for supervising managers and staff, that leads to continuous improvement in the quality of their practice 16/06/2023

p.4

Due date

improve managers' and staff's knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements, in order that the curriculum is well sequenced and promotes children's good progress 16/06/2023

p.4

Due date

improve managers' and staff's knowledge and understanding of children's language development, in order to ensure that activities and interactions help children to extend their meaningful vocabulary. 16/06/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2710924 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 10289658 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 70 Number of children on roll 35 Name of registered person Tiny Turtles Daycare Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 07454113331 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Tiny Turtles Daycare registered in 2022. The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold qualifications at level 5 and three hold qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery 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 nursery. n The nursery manager, the deputy nursery manager and the inspector completed a learning walk of the nursery. n The nursery manager and the inspector conducted a joint observation of practice. They discussed the quality of teaching that they saw. n Meetings took place at appropriate times between the inspector, the nursery manager and the deputy nursery manager. This included a leadership and management meeting attended by a local authority early years consultant. n The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection. She spoke with parents and has taken account of their views. n Examples of documentation were sampled and reviewed by the inspector. She checked evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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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

26 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.

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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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