Middlewood Nature Nursery

Inspection of Middlewood Nature Nursery Middlewood Nature Nursery, 109 Winn Grove, Sheffield, south yorkshire S6 1UN

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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 welfare is compromised because of the weaknesses in many aspects of the nursery's practice. This includes a recurrence of weaknesses that have been raised previously which demonstrates a failure to sustain improvements. The provider does not ensure staff supervise children well enough or assess health and safety risks in the environment and during daily care routines. The organisation of staff and care routines do not meet children's care or learning needs and ensure they are sufficiently supported. Certain records that confirm staff's suitability are not held. Furthermore, staff's practice is not suitably monitored or supported. Consequently, teaching for some children is weak. Staff do not understand, plan and implement an effective and motivating curriculum and environment for young children or demonstrate high-quality interactions. This means that younger children are often not sufficiently engaged and supported to make the best possible

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The provision is inadequate

progress and develop skills for future learning.

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The provision is inadequate

Despite this, children are happy on arrival and eager to enter their nursery room. They settle quickly after receiving a warm and friendly greeting. Children are at ease with staff which helps them to develop positive relationships. Older children show higher levels of motivation and engagement through better teaching and planned educational programmes. For example, they excitedly look for birds using binoculars and talk to staff on their walk to the woods. They walk with staff, following behavioural expectations. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of specific funding progress well because of the support from staff.

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need to do better?

n The provider has failed to ensure that staff are able to identify and minimise risks, in order to keep children safe. For example, in the baby room, hot radiators and pipes are accessible, staff do not adjust highchair harness straps to ensure they fit securely and toddlers are given inappropriate snack items that could pose a choking hazard. Children readily access a cloakroom area from the other nursery rooms. This is not in direct sight and hazards, such as carrier bags, are accessible. n Staffing arrangements do not meet the needs of children and ensure their safety. Staff do not supervise younger children well enough in the woods during snack time, for example, when they wander further away from the group and as they climb on a small rock. There is no person designated to take charge of the room for children under two years. This is having a detrimental impact on the quality of children's care and learning.

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need to do better?

n The provider does not ensure that there are suitable sleeping arrangements in place. For example, staff use sleep mats for children that are in poor condition.

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need to do better?

29 January 2025 They are ripped, exposing foam that could pose a risk of choking to children. n Care routines do not effectively support young children's physical well-being. For example, due to the nursery ethos, children from the baby room upwards spend a large part of the day outdoors. Children embark on a lengthy walk in the cold weather to get to the woods. Once there, staff do not provide shelter or encourage children to wear additional items of clothing that help them to stay warm. Staff fail to recognise when younger children may be too tired to walk back. n Staff do not implement suitable hygiene routines to promote children's good health and comfort and help them to learn to keep themselves healthy. Many children have runny noses, which staff fail to wipe until prompted, including when children are eating. Older children who then attempt to do this are not encouraged to clean their hands afterwards. Staff do not oversee younger

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need to do better?

children trying to clean their dirty hands before eating a snack in the woods. Staff fail to change cutlery that drops on the nursery floor or remove children's shoes and wet tops before they have a nap. n Each child has a key person. However, there are weaknesses in planning to meet younger children's care and learning needs, or recognising when they need greater levels of support. This leads to younger children being disengaged, becoming upset at times, and missing out on opportunities to build their communication skills, in particular. n The provider does not ensure that systems in place for monitoring staff's practice are effective. Weaknesses in practice are not routinely identified and addressed. Although staff receive professional development opportunities, these do not have a positive impact on practice, particularly for younger children. n Records are not consistently held to confirm the identity checks carried out on

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need to do better?

individuals who already hold a Disclosure and Barring Service check. n The curriculum is poorly designed and implemented for children under three years. Staff have a weak understanding of what they want children to learn. They do not ensure that activities, resources and care routines, align with children's age and stage of development, and interests. Provision is not sufficiently focused on the foundations for future learning, especially outdoors. n Staff work in close consultation with parents to help new children settle in. As part of this, there is a wealth of information sharing which continues, thereafter. n Staff promptly identify children who have a developmental delay. They make timely referrals, put in place intervention strategies and work in partnership with parents and other professionals.

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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 all reasonable steps to ensure children are not exposed to risks 12/02/2025

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Due date

ensure that staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety, which includes ensuring that children are adequately supervised at all times and designating a staff member to be in charge of the baby room 12/02/2025

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Due date

ensure that there are suitable sleeping arrangements for children 12/02/2025

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Due date

ensure that care and hygiene routines promote children's good health and well- being 12/02/2025

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Due date

ensure that the key-person system is effective in ensuring that children receive appropriate levels of support to foster their care and learning needs 12/02/2025

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Due date

ensure there are effective arrangements in place for the supervision of staff and offer support, guidance, mentoring and targeted training and continued professional development, to raise the quality of their practice and support their emotional well-being 26/02/2025

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Due date

ensure that information about the identity checks and vetting processes that have been completed on staff are consistently recorded. 12/02/2025

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Due date

29 January 2025 ensure that the curriculum is precisely planned to meet the individual needs, interests and developmental stage of each child and provides a strong foundation for their development in the three prime areas of learning. 26/03/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY481809 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 10376589 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 45 Number of children on roll 38 Name of registered person Forest Schools Kindergarten Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 0114 283 4060 Date of previous inspection 31 May 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Middlewood Nature Nursery registered in 2014. The nursery employs 15 members of childcare staff. Of these, 13 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications; one is at level 2, 11 are at level 3 and one is at level 6. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The provider offers government-funded childcare and receives specific funding for disadvantaged children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The inspector held discussions with the manager and deputy manager and carried out a learning walk. This helped the inspector to understand how the early years provision and the curriculum is organised. n The inspector observed the quality of education indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact on children's learning. As part of this, the inspector and manager joined staff and children on their walk to the woods. n The manager and inspector continually observed and discussed the care routines and activities taking place. n The inspector spoke with staff, a parent and the local authority early years quality improvement officer. The manager also shared written feedback from parents with the inspector. n The manager shared relevant documentation, such as that pertaining to 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

29 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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