Noah's Ark Pre-School Playgroup

Inspection of Noah's Ark Pre-School Playgroup Holmcroft Youth and Community Centre, Newlands Avenue, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 1NL

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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 safety, well-being and education are significantly compromised. Leaders do not ensure that staff understand the safeguarding policies and are adequately trained to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Children are exposed to risks when they play indoors and outdoors. Staffing arrangements are insufficient to ensure that children are always supervised adequately to keep them safe and promote their learning.

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The provision is inadequate

Leaders' curriculum arrangements are insufficient to ensure that children gain the skills they need in readiness for school. Staff provide some opportunities for children to engage in meaningful play, such as when they have access to water and paintbrushes. They provide opportunities to support children's interest in minibeasts, and children can use magnifying glasses to investigate. However, children's learning is frequently unsupported. Some children spend much of the time outdoors pushing themselves around on small tricycles, using slides or lying on the grass. Their engagement in purposeful play and learning is limited. That said, children are generally well behaved and understand staff's expectations. Staff provide clear instructions when children transition between activities, such as washing their hands when returning from outdoor play and before mealtimes.

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need to do better?

n Leaders' self-evaluation has been ineffective in identifying breaches to the requirements. Some staff have received safeguarding training that is relevant to their role, such as staff who are designated safeguarding leads. However, leaders have failed to ensure that all staff receive safeguarding training to ensure they understand the safeguarding policy and procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child. In addition, staff do not have a good enough understanding of the whistle-blowing procedure. This puts children's safety at risk. n Leaders do not provide all staff with relevant induction training to ensure they understand the setting's policies and procedures and their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. New staff have not received training related to fire procedures and other health and safety practices. Staff are unsure about some risk assessment policies. This compromises children's safety.

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need to do better?

n When leaders provide staff with training, this relates to mandatory training, such as first aid. They do not provide staff with professional development opportunities or regular supervision meetings that help support their understanding of child development and teaching practices. This has a negative impact on children's overall learning experiences. n Risk assessment is limited. Leaders identify some precautions to take to keep children safe, including securing the premises. However, staff fail to identify

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need to do better?

26 March 2025 potential hazards to children. For example, they leave chemical cleaning products in sight and reach of children. They do not identify or remove hazards to children in the form of broken toys left on the floor in the outdoor area. In addition, they do not have an appropriate risk assessment related to children sleeping in buggies. Consequently, children's safety cannot be assured. n Staff have completed first-aid training and keep records of accidents children have. However, when children have a head injury, leaders do not ensure that an adequate range of first-aid treatment is always available, other than a wet paper towel. This means that children do not receive the necessary first-aid treatment for their injury. n Staff follow effective hygiene routines and provide children with nutritious meals. Although water bottles for some children are set out on a table indoors, not all children have access to their water bottle. In addition, some children's bottles

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need to do better?

are empty and do not contain fresh drinking water. A choice of water and milk is provided to children at snack time. However, staff do not encourage children to access the available water at any other time during the day, including lunchtime. This compromises children's health and their understanding of healthy choices. n Although mandatory ratios are generally met, leaders do not have a correct understanding of the ratio requirements for children aged two years. There are times when leaders count two-year-old children in the same ratio as older children. n There are sufficient staff on the premises to meet legal requirements. However, staff deployment does not prioritise the needs of all children. Staff are frequently too stretched to supervise all children adequately. When one member of staff is completing nappy changing for an hour, this leaves two members of staff outdoors with the remaining children. This means they spend much of their time

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need to do better?

managing children and are unable to enhance their play and learning. In addition, they are unaware when children are not engaged in their learning for extended periods of time because these children are out of sight and hearing. This also puts children at risk because they are not being supervised by adults. Staff resort to occupying children with the television so they are altogether while staff take their lunch breaks. Leaders do not prioritise children's education experiences and staff's well-being. n Although there is a key-person system in place, this is not developed sufficiently to ensure that parents know who is responsible for planning for their child's learning and to develop positive relationships. This said, parents receive some feedback about their child's day. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are better informed about their child's key person and their learning.

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need to do better?

n Leaders identify some general curriculum goals for the different ages of children that demonstrate some progression in learning. However, these are very general and do not provide a clear sequence of knowledge and skills for children to acquire in their essential learning. This significantly hinders the progress that children can make. n Staff take photos of children as a log of their progress and rely on these to look for gaps in children's learning. Staff do not use what children already know, understand, and can do to plan for each child's learning. This means that

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need to do better?

26 March 2025 planning is very generic with a basic selection of resources and activities available to children, resulting in repetitive play and low-level learning. Children frequently wander around aimlessly, uninspired by the activities available to them, and are often unable to make choices in their play. For example, when they ask to have paints out, they are told by staff that they are planting instead. n Leaders work with outside agencies when they identify concerns about a child's development. They involve parents in this process to identify how they can offer support.

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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

train all staff to understand the safeguarding policy and procedures, and ensure that all staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues, including whistle-blowing 30/04/2025

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Due date

ensure that all staff receive induction training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities 30/04/2025

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Due date

develop appropriate arrangements for the supervision of staff that includes effective support, coaching and training, that promotes the interests of children 30/04/2025

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Due date

improve risk assessments and take all reasonable steps to ensure children are not exposed to risks, including when they are sleeping 30/04/2025

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Due date

26 March 2025 ensure that the first-aid kit contains appropriate items for use on children when they have an accident 30/04/2025

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Due date

ensure that fresh drinking water is always available and accessible to children 30/04/2025

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Due date

improve understanding of adult-to-child ratios for children aged two years, and deploy staff appropriately to ensure that children are supervised at all times 30/04/2025

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Due date

improve the key-person system to build relationships with parents and/or carers and ensure they are aware of who their child's key person is. 30/04/2025

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Due date

improve curriculum planning to support children's learning in all areas 26/05/2025

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Due date

use observation and assessment of children's achievements to develop individualised planning that helps each child to progress 26/05/2025

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Due date

provide children with more opportunities to make choices in their play. 26/05/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number 218196 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 10394049 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 31 Number of children on roll 20

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Name of registered person

Holmcroft Youth & Community Centre Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 07952 732637 Date of previous inspection 25 April 2023

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Information about this early years setting

Noah's Ark Pre-School Playgroup registered in 1977 and is situated in the Holmcroft area of Stafford. It is open from 8.30am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time only. The setting employs three staff members, all of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 or above. The manager holds early years professional status. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n Children interacted with the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. 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 inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of

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Inspection activities

their views. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the playgroup.

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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

26 March 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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