Kingwood Children @ Muddifords Court

Inspection of Kingwood Children @ Muddifords Court Muddifords Court, Willand, Cullompton EX15 2QG

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Inspection date: 22 October 2024 - 29 November 2024

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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

Children's well-being is compromised due to weaknesses in leadership and management. Some staff feel overwhelmed and overburdened because they do not receive the training and support that they need to carry out their roles effectively. Staff frequently move between nurseries owned by the same provider and between rooms within this nursery. This impacts on children's emotional development, as staff do not know the children they care for.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff interactions with children are warm. However, children have not had the opportunity to form secure attachments with staff. This is particularly evident with the babies and youngest children, as many staff have left due to weaknesses in leadership and management, and all members of staff in this room are new. Some children are upset and unsettled. Due to the demands on staff time to support these children, other children wander or sit and watch others with little interaction from staff. Consequently, children's individual needs are not met, and some children regress in their development.

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The provision is inadequate

The nursery curriculum provides children with experiences to explore the natural world. For example, children forage for natural materials to paint and collage with and explore the texture of pumpkins. However, as many staff do not know the children well, they are not able to sufficiently deliver the curriculum to build on what children already know and can do.

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The provision is inadequate

Toileting arrangements are not sufficient to meet the needs of all children, enabling them to manage their self-care independently. Hygiene practices do not consistently promote children's healthy development.

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need to do better?

n Weaknesses in leadership and management have led to an incredibly high turnover of staff. New staff are offered a basic induction programme. However, this is not personalised or reflective of what staff need to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. For example, some staff do not receive adequate training relating to child development to support their key children. Other staff manage a broad range of responsibilities without the support of a stable and consistent staff team. This leads to some staff feeling unsupported and unable to cope with the expectations placed on them. n The key-person system is not effective. Staff are kind and caring and seek to build relationships with parents, providing some feedback daily. However, parents comment that they are not always sure who is caring for their children. Staff taking this responsibility have too many key children to support them effectively. As a result, not all children's emotional needs are met, and they do

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need to do better?

22 October 2024 not receive continuity of care, particularly babies. At times, babies are unsettled and they lose interest in activities. Staffing arrangements for toddlers and pre- school-age children are more consistent, meaning these children benefit from familiar adults caring for them. n Leaders do not ensure that staff deliver a curriculum that sufficiently builds on what children know and can do, and what they need to learn next. Toddlers enjoy the opportunity to play parachute games outside. Staff support them to identify colours and wildlife. Pre-school children develop their imaginative and language skills as they create an aeroplane using crates outside. However, not all staff know the children well enough to identify and support their next steps. For example, some staff do not know which strategies to employ to close gaps in children's language development. Not all children, therefore, make sufficient

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need to do better?

progress from their starting points, and some children have struggled to cope with the recent staff changes and have become unsettled. n Children do not consistently demonstrate a positive attitude to their learning. Daily routines and staff organisation do not support children's sustained engagement. At times, children move between activities in succession without a clear purpose. During some transition times, they sit and wait for direction from staff. Staff do promote good behaviour and support children to share toys and use kind hands. For example, they use signing to support children in understanding and managing their emotions. n Staff do not always promote children's health and good hygiene practices. Horses' stables are cleaned out into the shared courtyard area where children later play. Children enter the setting with muddy, wet boots, causing floors to be dirty and slippery in areas where children later eat. Children are not always

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need to do better?

asked to wash their hands before eating. Older children are not provided with the support they need to develop independent self-care skills. Toileting facilities are not adequate for the number of children using them. This leads to children frequently wetting themselves. n The provider acknowledges the significant issues that they are experiencing regarding staff turnover and the impact that this has had on both staff and children's emotional well-being. They have sought help from an outside organisation and put together an action plan to bring about improvements. However, there has been limited time for this to have had a significant impact.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Due date

ensure training, coaching and support for all members of staff enable them to carry out their roles effectively and promote their emotional well-being 10/02/2025

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Due date

establish an effective key-person system that promotes continuity of care and ensures children's emotional needs are met 10/02/2025

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Due date

develop and deliver an ambitious and motivating curriculum that builds on what children know and can do, and facilitates the achievement of their next steps in learning 10/02/2025

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Due date

improve hygiene practices to promote children's health 22/11/2024

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Due date

ensure toileting arrangements meet children's needs, particularly for older children. 22/11/2024

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2622561 Local authority Devon Inspection number 10370174 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 108 Number of children on roll 174 Name of registered person Kingwood Childcare Partnership

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reference number

Telephone number 01884906332 Date of previous inspection 7 June 2023

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Information about this early years setting

Kingwood Children @ Muddifords Court registered in 2020. The group operates from Willand, Devon. It opens each weekday, from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. The group receives government funding to provide free early years education. It employs 36 childcare staff, of whom five have qualified teacher status and 21 hold appropriate qualifications at levels 2 to 6. Ten members of staff are unqualified.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors Rebecca Hayday Michelle Heimsoth Sarah Madge

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Inspection activities

n The inspection started on 22 October 2024. Inspectors returned on 29 November 2024 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. n The inspectors observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspectors observed the interactions between staff and children. n Senior leaders carried out joint observations with the inspectors. n One of the inspectors spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n Staff spoke to the inspectors about children's learning and development. n The inspectors spoke with senior leaders about the leadership and management of the setting. n The provider and inspectors completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum.

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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

22 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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