Owl & Bear Daycare

Inspection of Owl & Bear Daycare Rusthall Lodge, 46 Southend Crescent, London SE9 2SB

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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 Inadequate

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The provision is inadequate

Weaknesses in the provider's skills and practice have a negative impact on the overall quality of the nursery environment and children's safety, well-being and learning. The provider does not monitor and supervise the staff effectively, including the manager. For example, daily checks that staff carry out on the learning environment, indoors and outdoors, are not monitored effectively to ensure it is safe and suitable for children.

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety cannot be assured. Leaders and staff do not know how to identify hazards in the nursery, and risk assessments are not effective in reducing the risks to children. Children are exposed to charging cables plugged into sockets and cleaning products that are in their reach. When older children play with an open window, staff are unable to identify the risk and help children understand the risks, such as getting their fingers trapped.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff do not provide children with experiences and resources necessary to implement the curriculum effectively. The curriculum is not ambitious, and staff do not have high expectations of children's development. As a result, children are not fully engaged in learning and do not display excitement and curiosity. Nevertheless, children who might need extra support and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make some progress from their starting points. Children behave well, overall. They are kind and considerate, and older children are able to share and take turns with the resources.

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need to do better?

n Frequent changes to staffing result in the key-person system not being successful. Although the provider attempts to deploy the staff effectively throughout the setting to have some stability, the emotional needs and overall well-being of children are not considered. For example, children who are moved to different rooms do not have their key person around them for support. This results in children being unsettled and staff in the room not being able to provide the comfort children need at that time. The impact of this is that the emotional development and well-being of children are not promoted effectively. n Leaders, including those with oversight and governance of the setting, genuinely care about the children. They want to provide the best for them. However, they are not equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to fulfil the requirements of their role. The leaders and staff do not identify the areas of practice that they

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need to do better?

need to improve in. Staff do not have targeted professional development opportunities to help them know their roles and responsibilities. This means that leaders and staff do not yet have the necessary knowledge and understanding to deliver a high quality of teaching to the children.

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need to do better?

12 June 2023 n The learning environment, including the garden, poses significant risks to children's safety. There are safety checklists for staff to carry out before children use the area. However, staff either do not complete these or do so ineffectively. The overall cleanliness of the setting is not to an acceptable standard. The nappy changing areas and resources are unclean, and there are cleaning products accessible to children. This could put children's health at risk. n Children play with a broken playhouse in the garden, which is currently used as storage. When they do so, staff are not aware that they are playing there, and children are left unsupervised. This is due to the weakness in staff deployment, especially during garden play and transitions. This puts children's safety at risk. n The leaders and staff have failed to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment of the premises. The current arrangements for fire safety and the

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need to do better?

emergency evacuation procedures are ineffective, particularly the means of escape from the upstairs of the premises. This poses a significant risk to children, staff and visitors in the event of a fire. n The curriculum lacks any focus and purpose, and staff do not have high expectations of children's development. Staff do not understand the learning and development requirements. They do not recognise their role and responsibilities in providing a quality education for all children, including children who speak English as an additional language. Staff do not plan challenging, meaningful or enjoyable experiences for children. Although they facilitate children's play, they do not have the skills to support children to build on what they know. This results in children not making the progress they are capable of or being ready for their next stage in learning. n Leaders started to work on parent partnerships, and parents comment on the

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need to do better?

improvements they have seen since the beginning of the year. They talk about the verbal communication at the beginning and end of the session. There is also an online app that informs parents about their children's day, such as what they eat, nappy changes or if there were any accidents. This helps children with transitioning between home and nursery and helps parents to support children's learning at home. n Due to weakness in staff's practice and deployment, children's behaviour is not managed consistently by staff. This results in children's conflicts not being identified and addressed appropriately. n Staff do not consistently promote good hygiene practices, such as encouraging children to wipe noses and wash their hands regularly to prevent the risk of infection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider has still not ensured that fire safety measures are sufficiently robust. Fire doors in the nursery are obstructed and difficult to open. This puts children's and staff's safety at risk in the case of an emergency. Risk assessment procedures and child supervision are not effective. These weaknesses have a significant impact on children's safety. Nevertheless, staff have a sufficient understanding about child

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Safeguarding

12 June 2023 protection procedures. They know how to report any concerns they might have about a child to the appropriate people. Staff 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 supervision and support arrangements to ensure that all staff, including leaders and those with oversight and governance of the setting, are equipped with the skills and knowledge to fulfil the requirements of their role so that children are provided a quality of care that continually improves 07/07/2023

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Due date

implement an effective key-person system that enables children to become familiar with the setting and to meet their individual needs 07/07/2023

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Due date

ensure staff are effectively deployed to meet the care and safety needs of all children, particularly during sessions in the garden and transitions 07/07/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure that appropriate steps are taken to promote the good health of children who attend the setting, including preventing the spread of infection 07/07/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure that the premises are safe for children, including ensuring that fire exits are unobstructed and can be easily accessed in the event of an emergency 07/07/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure all staff follow the health and hygiene procedures of the setting, including routinely cleaning children's cleaning facilities 07/07/2023

p.4

Due date

12 June 2023 ensure robust risk assessments are in place and followed to ensure the learning environment is safe and suitable for the children attending, this includes the garden. 07/07/2023

p.4

Due date

ensure that staff plan activities and resources that initiate children's curiosity and keep them engaged in learning so that they make progress across all areas of learning 25/08/2023

p.5

Due date

implement a challenging curriculum for children that builds on what children already know and provides opportunities for children to develop positive attitudes towards learning. 25/08/2023

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2652827 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 10275355 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 100 Number of children on roll 61 Name of registered person Owl & Bear Daycare Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 02034577510 Date of previous inspection 16 December 2022

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Information about this early years setting

Owl & Bear Daycare registered in 2021. It is located in Eltham, in the London Borough of Greenwich. The setting operates Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, all year round. There are 20 members of staff, 15 of whom have a childcare qualification at level 2 and above, including the provider. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of 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 held discussions with the manager about nursery practices and procedures. n A meeting was held with the manager. This included a review of relevant documentation, including evidence of staff suitability and training.

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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

12 June 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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