The Dulwich Day Nursery & Pre-School

Inspection of The Dulwich Day Nursery & Pre-School 145 Perry Hill, London SE6 4LP

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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

The nursery has been through a challenging time with changes to staff, including the management. The provider does not ensure staff receive the training and support they require to fulfil their roles. As a result, there are several identified breaches to requirements, which have a significant impact on children's safety, welfare, care and learning.

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The provision is inadequate

Children develop relationships with staff and behave well, overall, when they are engaged in activities that interest them. The learning programme is not well understood or known by staff. Therefore, children's learning is not consistently prioritised. Staff do not always provide meaningful interactions and activities to build on what children already know and can do. As a result, some children lose interest and wander around aimlessly, not having consistent opportunities for their overall progress. Despite this, most children arrive happily at the nursery and show they feel secure with staff.

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The provision is inadequate

Most children enjoy playing in the garden, an area that was recently reorganised to meet children's learning needs. They choose resources and activities available to them that are aimed to support learning across all areas. Children enjoy using ride- on cars or bicycles, some explore making marks with water, using brushes. However, due to the weakness in staff practice, they are not consistently supported to extend their learning across all areas.

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need to do better?

n The leadership team is aware of the weaknesses within their setting and are working hard to address these. However, a high staff turnover, including within management itself, has had a significant impact on the setting's ability to embed changes. Although staff supervision arrangements are in place, they are not effective. As a result, practice is weak, and staff are not following the setting's policies and procedures. n The manager is not making certain that staff conduct robust risk assessments. Therefore, the learning environment for children is not always safe and suitable. For example, there are broken safety locks and cluttered units, which all pose a risk to children. Staff regularly leave safety gates open, meaning children can access areas unsupervised. Moreover, when staff use the stairs with children, they do not always ensure that this is organised in a safe way. This puts children at risk.

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need to do better?

n Parents acknowledge the challenges in staffing and the improvements the setting has made regarding parent partnership. However, there is still much room for improvement. Not all parents know their children's key person or what their children are learning. Parents are involved in the settling-in process, but

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need to do better?

25 May 2023 necessary information, such as the home language, is not being recognised. n The manager and staff lack an understanding of how to plan a learning programme that builds on what children know and need to learn next. Staff do not always provide suitable challenges for all children or engage effectively to help them make progress in their learning. Often, staff just supervise and observe children during activities. Staff who engage with children in their play do not always follow their interests and ask random questions such as how many spikes the dinosaur has. Nevertheless, children generally seek out and engage in some activities they enjoy. n The key-person system in place does not support children's individual needs. Although there is a basic system in place, staff do not always know who their key children are, their needs and are not involving parents effectively enough in their children's learning journey. Consequently, staff do not plan appropriately

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need to do better?

for how to move children on to the next step in their learning. This especially impacts children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They do not always receive the needed support from their key person to support their learning throughout their time at the setting. n Due to the weak key-person system, staff are not always aware of the children's home language. This means that staff cannot provide children with opportunities to develop and use their home language during their time at the setting. Consequently, children's learning about the diverse community they live in is limited, and their communication and language skills are not effectively supported. n Children's healthy lifestyles are not effectively promoted. Children do not always receive balanced and nutritious meals and snacks during their stay. Additionally, because of staff's poor practice, procedures for dietary requirements are not

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need to do better?

always followed effectively enough. Furthermore, at times, staff forget to provide clean cups and fresh drinking water for the children. This does not support children to lead healthy lifestyles. Yet, children have daily access to play outside to help them develop their gross motor skills and release energy.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Breaches to the safeguarding and welfare requirements compromise children's safety. The manager does not ensure the learning environment for children is safe and suitable. Staff do not have a clear understanding of the setting's policies and procedures in relation to risk assessment and hygiene procedures. These weaknesses have a significant impact on children's safety. Nevertheless, leaders follow safer recruitment procedures to ensure the suitability of staff. The manager and staff have an adequate knowledge of the signs of abuse and know who to contact if they have a concern about a child. They also know the procedures they have to follow should they ever have a concern about the conduct of a colleague.

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Due date

implement effective arrangements for the supervision of staff to ensure all staff follow the setting's policies and procedures 23/06/2023

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Due date

ensure that the key-person system and parent partnership is effective to be able to tailor children's learning and care to their individual needs, especially if more specialist support is appropriate 23/06/2023

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Due date

put effective risk assessment procedures in place to ensure children are safe and to identify and eliminate all potential safety hazards to children 23/06/2023

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Due date

ensure all meals and snacks are healthy, balanced and meet children's dietary needs at all times. 23/06/2023

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Due date

implement an effective curriculum across the setting that builds on children's previous learning and experiences 25/08/2023

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Due date

ensure staff know what it is children need to learn next and link it to the activities and resources available and planned 25/08/2023

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Due date

ensure children's home language is recognised and reflected within the setting for children to learn about the diverse community they live in. 25/08/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2646441 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 10290862 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 73 Number of children on roll 81 Name of registered person Little Garden Day Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 0208 5159849 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Dulwich Day Nursery and Pre-school registered 2017 and is located in Lewisham. The nursery is open from 7:30am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, all year round, except bank holidays. It receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 19 staff employed to work with the children. Of these, two are qualified to level 6 and 12 hold relevant qualifications from level 2 to level 3.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the manager and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the provider. n This inspection was carried out as a result of a risk assessment, following information received about the provider. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together to understand how the early years provision and curriculum are organised. n The inspector made observations throughout the inspection of children's experiences in the setting and assessed the impact that these were having on children's learning. n The manager and inspector carried out a joint observation and discussed the impact this had on children's learning. n The inspector had discussions with staff and parents and took their views into account. n The inspector looked at relevant documents, including paediatric first aid,

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Inspection activities

qualifications, insurance and suitability checks.

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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

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.

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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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