Happy Valley Pre School Brighton

Inspection of Happy Valley Pre School Brighton 58 Heath Hill Avenue, Brighton, Sussex BN2 4FH

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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 Good

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The provision is inadequate

The manager has not made the necessary improvements required since their last visit. In addition to this, she has not sustained all improvements that they had previously made. There are weaknesses in safeguarding practice. The manager does not take appropriate action to ensure all staff are able to identify or take action to eliminate risks as they present in the environment. This compromises children safety. However, all staff do demonstrate a sufficient knowledge of how to report concerns regarding a child's welfare or a concern regarding a colleague's behaviour.

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The provision is inadequate

Children receive a poor quality of education, that does not meet their individual needs. Overall, children are not receiving a sufficient level of support to make the good progress they are capable of in their learning. The quality of teaching is weak, and staff do not plan a broad and well-balanced educational programme. This means children are not well prepared for their next stage of learning. Children spend long periods of time wandering the environment aimlessly without engagement in purposeful activities. Staff do not provide children with high quality interactions. As a result, children's behaviour is affected as they become disengaged and bored. Children are not receiving the level of early education they deserve. Despite this, staff are kind and have caring relationships with children. Staff are respectful as they ask permission to change their nappies which helps children to feel valued. Children do enjoy some activities such as making playdough

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The provision is inadequate

cakes, and exploring sand in the garden.

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need to do better?

n There are significant weaknesses in leadership and management. The manager does not identify gaps in staff's knowledge or ensure that they fully understand their roles and responsibilities, including how to identify hazards. Although the manager has made some changes to staff supervision sessions, they remain ineffective. The manager does not provide the coaching and mentoring that staff need to raise the quality of education and teaching. For instance, staff do not have a secure understanding of how to implement an effective curriculum. Staff do not always know what areas of learning activities promote, or how they benefit individual children's learning. As such, children do not benefit from a board and varied curriculum to promote their learning. This impacts on the staff having the knowledge and skills they need to fulfil their roles and responsibilities effectively. n All staff have recently completed behaviour management training. However, the

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need to do better?

manager has not ensured this has had a positive impact on staff's practice. Children are not supported to develop a positive or motivated attitude to learning. They lack sustained and meaningful engagement with staff as the

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need to do better?

13 March 2024 interactions they receive are very limited. This directly impacts children's behaviour as they have repeated minor disputes that often go unnoticed or unchallenged by staff. This means children struggle to understand their own emotions. They do not always receive the support they need from staff. On occasion, this results in children snatching, pushing, and throwing things across the room. Furthermore, staff give children mixed messages. For instance, some staff ask children to stop running inside, while other staff do not challenge this behaviour. As a result, children are unaware of the behavioural expectations. n The manager, alongside the special educational needs coordinator have taken some action to improve arrangements in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children's individual support plans now include strategies provided by other professionals and are shared with staff.

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need to do better?

opportunities. However, the needs of children with SEND remain unmet. This is due to the poor quality of education and because staff do not interact with children enough. Staff are not deployed well enough to make sure all children, including those with SEND, have their individual needs met and access appropriate learning opportunities. Often children are disengaged and spend time wandering the environment on their own. Staff share that some children, including those with SEND, have talents in particular areas of their learning, yet these are not appropriately challenged or incorporated into their daily experiences. This inhibits children from making good progress. n There is a separate space for children under the age of two. However, it is not regularly in use or secure for younger children. The youngest children spend most of their day in the main play area alongside the other children. Here, they

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need to do better?

do not have access to age-appropriate resources and activities or stimulating and purposeful play opportunities. At times, staff sit the youngest children on inappropriate chairs to access activities, where they receive no encouragement to take part. As such, the youngest children to not have their needs appropriately met. n Although the manager has taken some action since the last visit to minimise and eliminate previous risks identified, risk assessment remains ineffective. The manager and staff do not take appropriate steps to identify and minimise risks to children as they arise. For example, children have access to stinging nettles in the outdoor provision. Furthermore, staff give children whole grapes from their lunch boxes that have not been cut. The staff and manager fail to recognise the choking risk this presents. In addition, the manager has failed to take appropriate action to ensure concerns regarding health and safety have been

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need to do better?

promptly addressed. The manager has failed to have oversight of risk assessment and the impact it is having on children. This does not ensure children's safety.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Due date

take action to ensure all staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, including how to recognise health and safety issues 19/04/2024

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Due date

ensure staff supervision arrangements are effective in identifying gaps in staff's knowledge and practice, to help improve their personal effectiveness 19/04/2024

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Due date

ensure staff deployment arrangements are effective in consistently meeting the individual needs of the children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities 19/04/2024

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Due date

provide staff with support and coaching so they can implement appropriate and consistent strategies for managing children's behaviour, to help all children to feel safe and understand how to manage their own feelings and behaviour 19/04/2024

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Due date

ensure a separate baby room for children under the age of two is used appropriately to meet these children's needs 19/04/2024

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Due date

take action to implement a rigorous system for risk assessment to ensure hazards are identified and managed effectively and promptly, so that children are not exposed to risks. 19/04/2024

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Due date

plan and deliver an ambitious curriculum that builds on children's existing knowledge, skills and capabilities and engages them fully in their learning, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities 19/04/2024

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Due date

take action to ensure staff provide high- quality positive interactions that consistently and securely promote children's learning. 19/04/2024

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY558332 Local authority Brighton and Hove Inspection number 10333229 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 36 Number of children on roll 44 Name of registered person HAPPY VALLEY PRE SCHOOL BRIGHTON LTD

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reference number

Telephone number 01273 933754 Date of previous inspection 20 July 2021

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Information about this early years setting

Happy Valley Pre School Brighton registered in 2018. It is situated in Brighton, East Sussex. The pre-school operates term time only, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. There are five staff of which four hold an appropriate childcare qualification at level 3 or above. The provision offers free entitlement funding for children age two-, three- and four-years old.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the manager and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the pre-school. n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the pre-school. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the pre-school and discussed the early years curriculum. n The manager carried out a joint observation of a planned activity with the inspector. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n Children communicated with the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children. n Parents shared their views of the provision with the inspector.

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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

13 March 2024 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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