Leafield House Nursery

Inspection of Leafield House Nursery Leafield House, 107-109 King Lane, Leeds LS17 5BP

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Inspection date: 24 February 2025 - 4 March 2025

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is inadequate

Children's health, safety and welfare are significantly compromised. The provider and staff fail to recognise and respond to risks to children's safety. For example, they fail to recognise the choking risks when feeding babies and younger children. Staff feed babies when they are crying hysterically. They give them food to eat while laying them down to change their nappy. They do not ensure children are always in sight and hearing distance while eating. This has the potential to place children at significant risk of harm. The provider and staff did not take the appropriate action to remedy these issues, despite the inspectors raising concerns about this aspect of their practice on several occasions during the inspection. This demonstrates that the provider and staff do not have the capacity to identify and respond to risks that compromise children's health, safety and welfare. Furthermore, the provider does not ensure the setting's safeguarding policy and

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The provision is inadequate

procedure is implemented in practice, when allegations are made against staff. They do not keep accurate records for the safe and effective management of the setting.

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The provision is inadequate

The quality of children's education is poor. Staff do not consistently engage in quality interactions with children to build on their knowledge and skills. The curriculum is poorly planned and does not help to build on what children already know and can do. Staff do not consistently plan activities and learning experiences that are well matched to the age and stage of development of each child. For example, babies lack stimulation and are frequently left for long periods without meaningful interactions. Toddlers and older children are frequently provided with activities that are too challenging. For example, learning phonics without having developed the communication and language skills needed.

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need to do better?

n Staff are not deployed effectively to ensure children are provided with the level of support and supervision that they need. For example, staff do not ensure babies and toddlers are well supervised during outdoor play. This places children at significant risk of harm as they play near climbing ropes and commando nets, where they can become trapped or choke. n The provider does not ensure babies have consistent adults, who know and understand how to meet their individual care and emotional needs. They do not maintain the staff to child ratio requirements in each room throughout the day. The provider does not ensure staff have the level of qualification and experience needed for working with children aged under two years old. Consequently, children's individual care, learning and emotional needs are not consistently met, and their safety and welfare are compromised. n Staff do not implement the setting's risk assessments procedures in practice to

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need to do better?

24 February 2025 ensure the premises are safe and suitable for children. This leads to children being able to easily access cleaning products, such as carpet cleaner, disinfectant and washing-up liquid. They failed to recognise and respond to risks from broken plastic pipes and lose cables hanging from walls in the outdoor areas. The provider and staff failed to take the appropriate action to remove risks, despite the inspectors raising concerns about these during the inspection. n Staff do not risk assess the safety and suitability of the activities and resources provided for children. As a result, babies and younger children aged under three years old have access to resources that are not suitable for their age. Children have access to food play that does not meet their dietary requirements. This has the potential to significantly compromise children's health and welfare. n The provider does not ensure staff consistently implement the setting's safe

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need to do better?

sleeping arrangements in practice. For example, babies are left sleeping with their heads propped on cushions and in baby bouncers for long periods of time. This is not in line with the setting's policy or the latest guidelines for safe sleeping. n The provider does not ensure children are always assigned a key person to support them when they first start at the setting. They also do not ensure children are allocated a new key person when transitioning between rooms. This does not help ensure children's individual care and learning needs are consistently met. Children also do not have a secure person, who they can build meaningful attachments with. This negatively impacts the emotional well-being of all children. n The provider does not ensure children receive the targeted support that they need in their learning. For example, staff have shared concerns with the provider about some children not making the levels of progress typical for their age and

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need to do better?

stage of development. However, the provider has failed to act on the information shared by staff. Consequently, children who have delays in their development and/or special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not receive the support that they need to help close any gaps emerging in their development. n The provider does not consistently implement the setting's safeguarding policy and procedures in practice. For example, they fail to notify the local authority designated officer and Ofsted when allegations are made against staff. This is not in line with the local authority reporting procedures or the setting's safeguarding policy. n The provider does not ensure accurate written records are kept and maintained to ensure the safe and effective management of the setting. For example, the provider does not keep a record of safeguarding concerns, the action taken and the outcome of the allegations.

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need to do better?

n The provider has not implemented an effective system for the supervisions of staff. They do not monitor staff performance to help them identify areas to improve. Consequently, staff are not provided with the targeted support, coaching, training that they need to develop the knowledge and skills required for their roles and responsibilities. n Staff do not know the children in their care well enough to ensure that they are provided with good-quality learning experiences. Children are frequently provided with tasks that are not targeted to their individual learning needs and

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need to do better?

24 February 2025 do not take account of their stage of development. For example, children are taught how to write their name from the age of two years old. Staff do not ensure that children have developed the physical skills needed to learn how to form letters and write their own name. n That said, on occasions, some staff form positive relationships with children. They occasionally talk and sing with them as they change their nappies. As a result, these children are more settled and, at times, engage in some purposeful play. For example, staff model new words as they explore the water. They model the words 'scoop' and 'pour' as young children fill and empty containers. However, these opportunities are infrequent and children do not receive the support that they need to help them make good levels of progress overall.

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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 staff are deployed effectively to ensure children's safety, welfare and individual care and learning needs are consistently met 03/03/2025

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Due date

ensure children are adequately supervised throughout the day and are always in sight and hearing of staff while eating 03/03/2025

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ensure staff: child ratios are maintained, and that staff working with children aged under two-years-old have the required qualifications and experience 03/03/2025

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ensure staff implement the setting's risk assessments in practice to ensure activities, resources and the premises are safe and suitable 03/03/2025

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24 February 2025 ensure all staff know and understand how to implement the setting's safe sleeping procedures in practice 03/03/2025

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implement an effective system to ensure children's dietary requirements are taken account of throughout the day 03/03/2025

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ensure children are assigned a key person to support them when they start at the setting and when they transition between rooms, to ensure their individual needs are consistently met and continuity in their care 03/03/2025

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Due date

ensure children receive the targeted support that they need and their care and learning needs are met from the earliest point 03/03/2025

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Due date

monitor staff performance and provide them with the targeted support, coaching, training that they need to develop the knowledge and skills required for their roles and responsibilities 03/03/2025

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implement an effective system for the supervision of staff to ensure that they receive the support, coaching and training that they need to fulfil their roles and responsibilities 03/03/2025

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ensure all staff are trained to follow the setting's safeguarding policies and procedures in the event an allegation is made against staff 07/04/2025

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ensure sufficiently detailed information and records are kept and maintained to ensure the safe and effective management of the setting. 07/04/2025

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24 February 2025 implement an effective curriculum that helps to build on what children already know and can do 26/05/2025

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support staff to respond to children's emerging needs to guide their development through warm and positive interactions 26/05/2025

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Due date

ensure children are provided with the targeted support that they need, and educational programmes are well matched to their individual learning needs. 26/05/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2732622 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 10375658 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 115 Number of children on roll 117 Name of registered person Leafield Group Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 07791356488 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Leafield House Nursery registered in 2023. The setting is open from 7.30 to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round except for a week at Christmas. The setting provides government funded early education. The setting employs 26 members of staff. Of these, 22 hold relevant childcare qualifications at level 2 and above.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors Jennifer Dove Miriam Caldecott Jennifer Dove

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Inspection activities

n The inspection started on 24 February 2025. Inspectors returned on 04 March 2025 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The deputy manager and inspectors completed a learning walk together of all areas of the setting and discussed the early years curriculum. n The lead inspector and the deputy manager carried out a joint observation during a group activity. I also asked the provider and deputy manager to jointly observe weaknesses in the baby and toddler room on numerous occasions throughout the inspection. 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 talked to staff, parents and children at appropriate times during

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Inspection activities

the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspectors looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the setting.

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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

24 February 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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