Smilers

Inspection of Smilers Chattenden School, Chattenden Lane, Rochester, Kent ME3 8LE

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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

Weaknesses in staff's knowledge of safeguarding mean that children's safety and well-being are compromised. Staff have a poor understanding of how to promote a safe environment or implement a challenging curriculum. Activities are poorly resourced, which impacts negatively on children's learning and enjoyment. The support for children's behaviour is variable. For example, staff do not help children to learn to share toys and take turns. However, staff are kind to children. They role model the use of good manners, and children routinely say 'please' and 'thank you' in their interactions.

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The provision is inadequate

Leaders do not ensure the curriculum builds on what children know and can already do. For example, pre-school children have the entire contents of their lunch boxes unwrapped and emptied out ready for them to eat until the term before they start school. This does not provide children with the time to learn and practise new skills or help develop children's communication and language to ask for help from an adult if they need it. These are essential skills for ensuring success in their next stage of learning.

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need to do better?

n There are gaps in the safeguarding knowledge of some staff. For example, they do not understand the roles of safeguarding agencies, latest government guidance about safe sleep arrangements for babies and knowing how to respond to concerns regarding unexplained bruising in babies and infants. Not all children are placed to sleep on an appropriate flat surface. This does not ensure children's safety. n The lack of oversight by the provider means that weaknesses in the day-to-day management of the nursery are not addressed. Gaps in staff knowledge are not identified. Staff who hold lead roles in the nursery do not fulfil their responsibilities successfully. The provider does not ensure that staff coaching, support or training is precisely targeted to improve their practice. This impacts on the quality of care and education that children receive, which is inadequate overall. n Staff do not provide children with the education and support they need so they

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need to do better?

can learn to understand the rules and expectations at the setting. Staff do not act when children climb on furniture, including at times when other children are trying hard to listen and join in with quieter group activities. This can lead to accidents and recurrent incidents, particularly for the younger children. However, pre-school children generally show much higher levels of understanding of behaviour and engage well with the resources available. n The environment for two-year-old children is chaotic and noisy. This interrupts children's learning and impacts on how some new children settle when they start

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need to do better?

16 January 2025 at the setting. Despite this, staff know their key children extremely well and spend time understanding their unique family circumstances. Through home visits and regular meetings, they gather and regularly update a full range of key information relating to children's dietary requirements and health needs. This helps parents feel confident that staff can meet their children's daily care needs. n Staff do not supervise children effectively to ensure their safety during outdoor play. Risks in the environment go unnoticed as children are able to play in unclean water that has gathered in unchecked resources, and garden gates to hazardous areas are left open. This does not demonstrate staff's understanding of their roles and responsibilities in ensuring children's safety. n Leaders and staff have effective arrangements to work with staff at the school located on the same site. This helps ensure pertinent information regarding

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need to do better?

older children that attend the setting after school is shared where appropriate. In addition, the school provides nursery children with access to safe and suitable outdoor space should staff choose to use this.

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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

improve the safeguarding knowledge of staff, including those with designated responsibilities for safeguarding 28/02/2025

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Due date

support staff to understand and implement a clearly sequenced and ambitious curriculum for all children, ensuring a strong focus on promoting children's communication and language 28/02/2025

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Due date

support staff to consistently implement the setting's rules and boundaries so that children are clear on the expected level of behaviour 28/02/2025

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Due date

16 January 2025 implement safe sleeping arrangements for children and babies in line with the latest government safety guidance 17/01/2025

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Due date

ensure the premises are safe and suitable for children, particularly the outdoor area, by implementing robust and effective risk assessments to ensure children and staff are not exposed to risk. 28/02/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY266973 Local authority Medway Inspection number 10375339 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 57 Number of children on roll 77 Name of registered person Smilers Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07817398519 Date of previous inspection 30 May 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Smilers registered in 2003. It is located in the grounds of Chattenden School in Rochester, Kent. The setting is open Monday to Friday from 7.45am to 6pm, all year round. It receives funding to provide free early education for children aged from nine months up to four years. The setting employs 12 members of staff, nine of whom hold relevant early years qualifications at level 2 and above. One member of staff holds early years professional status.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. 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, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The deputy manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation during snack time. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff.

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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

16 January 2025 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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