Little Munchkins Montessori Nursery

Inspection of Little Munchkins Montessori Nursery Cedrus House, 37 Gresham Road, HOUNSLOW TW3 4BX

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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

Breaches in the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the early years foundation stage have a significant impact on the learning, safety, and well-being of children. Leaders and staff do not fulfil their roles effectively enough to ensure that children are kept safe at all times. They do not respond swiftly or appropriately to safeguarding concerns. These failures have led to a significant decline in the overall quality of the provision since the last inspection.

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The provision is inadequate

The quality of education is poor. For example, staff do not plan well enough to fully take account of the children's individual needs and what they need to learn next. This includes children who learn English as an additional language as well as children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff do not sustain children's interest to ensure that they make the progress they could. They do not provide consistent and high-quality interactions. Staff's weak planning and teaching skills have a negative impact on children's attitudes towards learning. Children often are bored and wander around as they look for something to do or play with.

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The provision is inadequate

Although, children overall behave well. Staff are not consistent in ensuring they support children's emotional well-being and self-regulation.

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need to do better?

n Staff attend safeguarding training, however, leaders do not ensure that staff have understood how to keep children safe. As such, they fail to identify or address gaps in staff's understanding of procedures to follow when allegations are made against a member of staff. In addition, leaders do not ensure that designated safeguarding leads have sufficient knowledge to fulfil their roles and responsibilities to conduct internal investigations, when needed. This compromises the safety of children. n Leaders do not ensure that staff have a suitable understanding of internal procedures for safeguarding. For example, staff refer to a number of different people that they would report concerns to if the designated safeguarding lead or the manager was absent. This means leaders have not communicated the internal process clearly to staff and this may lead to delays in reporting concerns, in line with local safeguarding partnerships.

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need to do better?

n A lack of effective oversight from leaders has had a significant impact on the overall experiences children receive at the nursery. Although, staff have some opportunities to meet with leaders during supervision meetings, these are not effective in identifying areas for improvement. n Induction processes are not robust enough. Consequently, staff do not have a clear enough understanding of their roles and responsibilities. This impacts

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need to do better?

3 October 2024 negatively on staff's overall ability to keep children safe. n Leaders do not swiftly identify gaps in staff's understanding of how children learn and develop. They do not ensure that poor practice is addressed and improved swiftly. This means that staff are not equipped with knowledge and skills they need to meet children's individual needs, including their need for good-quality early education. n Although there is a basic key-person arrangement in place, staff do not have good enough understanding of their role as a key person. Some key persons do not demonstrate an appropriate understanding of how to support children to achieve next steps in their development. For example, they do not prioritise supporting young children's prime areas of learning, such as communication and language. Furthermore, staff do not support children effectively when they move to a new room. For instance, they do not provide opportunities for children to

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need to do better?

build a rapport with their new key person. This does not support children's emotional well-being. n Leaders and staff do not have sufficient understanding of children's needs. They do not implement effective strategies to support children's development and engagement in learning. That means that children who require additional support do not make progress they are capable of, and their learning and developmental needs are not met. These weaknesses have a negative impact on children with SEND. n Staff share some relevant information with parents about their children, such as what activates children do, however they do not ensure that parents know, understand, and follow procedures, to ensure their children are safe in the setting.

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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 all senior managers, leaders and staff identify, act and report allegations in line with local safeguarding partnership procedures 24/10/2024

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Due date

3 October 2024 ensure that staff appointed to conduct internal investigations have the necessary knowledge and skills to fulfil this role 24/10/2024

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Due date

ensure that all staff know the internal policy and procedure for managing allegations and reporting concerns about the children; that there is no unnecessary delay in reporting concerns and that concerns are reported in line with the local safeguarding partnership procedures 24/10/2024

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Due date

improve the oversight of the provision and ensure appropriate arrangements are in place for supervision of all staff, including staff with designated safeguarding responsibilities 24/10/2024

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Due date

provide staff with an effective induction to help them understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe 24/10/2024

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Due date

provide staff with targeted coaching and mentoring to help improve their knowledge of the curriculum and to raise the quality of education 24/10/2024

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Due date

improve the key-person arrangements to ensure that children's individual needs are consistently met 24/10/2024

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Due date

implement effective arrangements to ensure that staff can effectively support children with special educational needs (SEND) 24/10/2024

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Due date

ensure that records are maintained appropriately, and relevant information is shared with parents, carers and other professionals to ensure the setting is safe and effectively managed. 24/10/2024

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Due date

improve the delivery of the curriculum to support all children to make good progress in their learning. 04/11/2024

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY492016 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 10368910 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 70 Number of children on roll 42 Name of registered person Little Munchkins Montessori Ltd.

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reference number

Telephone number 02082302818 Date of previous inspection 31 January 2024

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Information about this early years setting

Little Munchkins Montessori Nursery registered in 2015 and is based in Hounslow. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff. Of these, 13 staff hold appropriate qualifications at level 2 and above. The nursery is open all year round, from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for Christmas and bank holidays. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspection was carried out following the risk assessment process, following information we received about the setting. n Leaders and the inspector completed a learning walk together. n Leaders and the inspector discussed the curriculum. n The inspector spoke to parents and staff and took their views into account. n The inspector carried out joint observations with leaders. n The inspector reviewed relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

3 October 2024 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

3 October 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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