Grasshoppers Nursery

Inspection of Grasshoppers Nursery Broughton Business Park, Oliver's Place Fulwood Park, Caxton Road, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire PR2 9BS

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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 nursery does not provide a safe and secure environment for children. The provider has failed to ensure that staff, including those responsible for safeguarding, have the skills and knowledge they need to keep children safe from harm. Staff are not sure who is in charge of the nursery each day and who to report concerns about children to. The staff are not deployed effectively to meet children's needs and procedures for recording children's attendance are not implemented consistently. This does not support children's well-being and puts them at significant risk of harm.

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The provision is inadequate

The nursery does not provide children with a broad and ambitious curriculum. Staff do not have the training they need to understand how young children learn, particularly those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children's communication and language development is not supported. Many children have limited communication skills and are overly reliant on dummies. Children are encouraged to speak and sing with dummies in their mouth, further hindering their speaking skills. Although staff talk to children, this is typically kind words of reassurance to help children stop crying. Children are not prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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The provision is inadequate

Children behave well. They learn to line up when going out to the garden and follow staff instructions. Children listen carefully to the dedicated song at tidy-up time and are keen to help staff put the toys away. They are learning about some of staff's expectations for behaviour.

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need to do better?

n The leadership of the nursery is weak. The provider has not maintained good oversight and, consequently, there are serious breaches of the statutory framework that have gone unnoticed. The provider has not ensured that there is an experienced and trained person in charge of the nursery at all times. This puts children's welfare at risk. n Staff, including those responsible for safeguarding, have not received the appropriate training. They are unsure of the procedures for reporting concerns about children's welfare to the appropriate agencies. Some staff do not recognise what constitutes a serious safeguarding concern. They have limited knowledge of the company's safeguarding policy and procedures. This puts children at significant risk of harm. n The nursery is significantly under-staffed. This leaves staff feeling overwhelmed and the environment chaotic. Staff are not clear on the procedures for recording

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need to do better?

children's attendance as they change depending on who is in charge of the nursery. These breaches of requirements pose a significant risk to children's

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need to do better?

11 September 2024 safety and welfare. n The key-person system is not effective. Staff move rooms frequently, which prevents them from forming bonds with and getting to know children. Children, particularly those under three years old, spend a lot of time crying and very distressed. They cling to staff members for reassurance. Staff try hard to meet all of children's needs but due to high numbers of children, this is not possible. There are times during the day when children who are upset have comforters removed, causing more distress. This does not support children's well-being and help them to feel safe. n Procedures for supporting children with SEND are not effective. Staff are not kept up to date with key information about children with SEND. They are unable to access target learning plans or strategies to help children make progress. There are times when staff are unaware if children speak English as an

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need to do better?

additional language or not, limiting the support they can offer. Children with SEND do not make progress in their learning. n The provider does not ensure that staff complete risk assessments to identify and remove hazards from the environment. Furniture, such as toy kitchen units, are not secure, consequently, babies are able to tip them over. Cleaning spray bottles are left in the environment and accessible to children. This compromises children's safety and puts them at risk of harm. n Children do not receive a broad and balanced education. The curriculum is limited and does not consider what children already know and can do. Staff do not know what children's next steps are or how they can support them to gain new skills and knowledge. Children spend much of the day in free play, which is chaotic and disorderly. This does not support children to make progress and develop a positive attitude to learning.

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need to do better?

n The provider does not ensure that staff consistently complete statutory assessments for all children, such as the progress check at age two. This does not help staff to quickly identify and address gaps in learning. Consequently, some children, particularly those with SEND, are at risk of falling even further behind. n The provider does not ensure that good hygiene procedures are implemented. Some children eat lunch without washing their hands after handling messy play resources. When babies are tired, beds are placed on flooring areas that are being used for messy activities. This compromises children's overall good health. n Partnerships with parents are not well embedded. Although there are some procedures for sharing information with parents these are not effective. Parents are not kept up to date with children's progress. They do not know children's next steps in learning or how they can extend these at home. This does not

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need to do better?

provide continuity in children's care and education. n Morale is low at the nursery and staff do not feel happy or supported in their roles. Secure arrangements for monitoring staff development are not implemented. Supervision meetings are infrequent and lack focus on coaching and mentoring. Staff do not receive accurate and consistent feedback on their practice. They access some mandatory training but are not supported to extend their skills and knowledge further. Consequently, there are significant weaknesses in the quality of education.

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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

ensure that there is a capable and qualified deputy to take charge in the manager's absence 25/09/2024

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Due date

demonstrate how all staff are trained in the company's safeguarding policy and procedure and know how to refer concerns about children's welfare and staff practice to the appropriate agencies 25/09/2024

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Due date

show how staffing arrangements and deployment, will be organised to meet the needs of children and ensure their safety 25/09/2024

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Due date

demonstrate how the key-person system will support children's individual needs and promote their emotional well-being 25/09/2024

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Due date

devise effective procedures for supporting children with SEND and explain how these are shared with staff 25/09/2024

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Due date

demonstrate how the procedures for recording children's hours of attendance are shared with staff and implemented consistently 25/09/2024

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Due date

take all reasonable steps to reduce risks in the environment 25/09/2024

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Due date

11 September 2024 explain how staff will implement effective hygiene procedures for children to reduce the potential spread of infection and promote their good health 25/09/2024

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Due date

demonstrate how parents will be provided with accurate and up-to-date information about children's care and education 25/09/2024

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Due date

demonstrate effective procedures for supervision, coaching and mentoring to improve staff practice and raise the quality of education to a good level. 25/09/2024

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Due date

plan and explain how a broad and ambitious curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do will be implemented 09/10/2024

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Due date

demonstrate how all children will have a progress check at age two completed and shared with their parents. 09/10/2024

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2536204 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 10364988 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 87 Number of children on roll 86 Name of registered person Kearney, Laura McKay

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reference number

Telephone number 07565188331 Date of previous inspection 23 November 2021

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Information about this early years setting

Grasshoppers Nursery registered in 2019. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff. Of these, 11 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The inspector and a practitioner completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Staff spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector spoke with the nominated registered individual about the leadership and management of the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed 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

11 September 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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