Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stafford

Inspection of Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stafford St. Paul's Parish Hall, Garden Street, Stafford ST17 4DD

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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The provision requires improvement

Children arrive confidently and receive a warm welcome from staff. They build friendships with other children and seek comfort from staff when needed. Children have formed close bonds with their key person and enjoy cuddles and reassurance. Staff are caring and attentive, and children play well together and are kind to one another.

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The provision requires improvement

Children are keen to take part in a range of interesting learning experiences. For example, they focus very well during weekly French lessons, and they join in confidently. Younger children enjoy singing and dancing to the familiar French songs and rhymes. Staff sing songs and rhymes and read books frequently with children. They share stories with children enthusiastically as they sit and snuggle together on the floor. Children delight as they shout out the repeated chorus during singing. They develop a love of books, rhyme, songs and language.

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The provision requires improvement

Overall, children make good progress from their starting points. Children enjoy plenty of exercise to help keep them fit and healthy. Older children climb, balance, and run around outside. Babies enjoy daily sensory play with a range of natural materials to help develop their coordination and sense of exploration. Children's behaviour is good, as they are familiar with the routines and understand the expectations of the setting. However, occasionally, staff do not always model good manners during their interactions with each other.

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need to do better?

n The management team has worked effectively since the last inspection to address the areas of weakness. Staff now understand the safeguarding policies and procedures, enabling them to recognise signs of abuse and to know to whom to report any concerns. Managers have strengthened how staff carry out risk assessments to identify and minimise all hazards indoors and outdoors. Changes to staff structures and recruitment of new staff ensure that qualification and staff to-child ratio requirements are met for all rooms. n Children learn from a planned and sequenced curriculum with a strong focus on communication and language development. Staff develop the curriculum for their rooms based on the skills that they want children to achieve at each stage of their development. n Through regular and ongoing observations and tracking, staff recognise when children may show a delay in their development and seek advice from the

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need to do better?

setting's special educational needs and disabilities coordinator. n Staff provide young children with opportunities to explore freely within a large space. However, at times, children's physical skills are hindered due to the amount of unused resources that are left on the ground. Children are not able to

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need to do better?

11 October 2023 freely move around because of this. n Staff are effective in supporting children to become independent. Older children scrape their own plates after eating and put away their cutlery and plates. Younger children find their name card and collect their beakers before choosing where to sit for lunch. Children know to wash their hands after using the toilet or before eating, with little prompting from staff. This helps to develop their self- confidence and prepare them for school. n Leaders have identified some weaknesses in staff practice through supervisions and addressed these with specific training. However, leaders have failed to recognise all weaknesses in practice and to take suitable action to ensure that the quality of education and care is at a consistently good level, particularly for younger children. n Staff share information with parents about their child's day at drop-off and

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need to do better?

collection times. Children have individual learning journals that show the progress they have made. However, not all parents know their child's next steps so that they can help to support their children's learning at home. n Staff do not always fully consider how activities and routines are implemented in the setting. For example, staff serve lunch to some children while others engage in a group activity. Occasionally, the way that activities are organised means that less confident children do not always have the opportunity to fully participate and join in. This leads to children becoming distracted and disengaged from their learning. n Parents share how pleased they are with the progress their children make. They comment that a key strength of the setting is the friendliness of the staff. Staff gather useful information when children start. They use this to plan activities and identify children's interests, cultural heritage, and routines at home.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Since the last inspection, the manager and staff team have significantly improved their safeguarding knowledge. All staff demonstrate a firm understanding of their role in keeping children safe. They are alert to signs that a child may be at risk of harm and know to whom to refer their concerns. The management team is aware of reporting procedures, including allegations against staff. Recruitment is robust, and all those working at the nursery are suitably vetted.

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Due date

11 October 2023 support practitioners to further build on the skills they need to develop their practice for young children and babies. 13/11/2023

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should:

n review and improve the learning environment, ensuring it is free from clutter, to ensure babies and very young children have space to play and move freely n organise activities and daily routines to enable all children to fully participate and gain the most from these experiences n build on parent partnerships to make sure that all parents are aware of their child's progress and how they can support them with their learning at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2522405 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 10313508 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 79 Number of children on roll 77 Name of registered person Sharma's Kiddicare Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01785 250188 Date of previous inspection 3 July 2023

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Information about this early years setting

Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stafford registered in 2019. The nursery operates from Monday to Friday. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm, all year round, except for bank holidays. The nursery employs 11 members of staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications from level 2 to level 6. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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 accompanied the inspector on a learning walk and told the inspector about what they want children to learn at nursery. n The inspector held discussions with the provider, managers, and staff throughout the day. n The inspector observed children at play throughout the nursery. n The manager conducted a joint observation of an activity with the inspector. n The inspector spoke with parents and gathered their views about their experiences of the setting. n The inspector looked at documentation relating to the suitability of those working with children.

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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

11 October 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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