Partou Gingerbread House Day Nursery & Pre-School

Inspection of Partou Gingerbread House Day Nursery & Pre-School 81 Purley Downs Road, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 0RJ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision requires improvement

Children are happy, settled and engaged in their play. They have good relationships with staff and each other. Older children show strong friendships as they play cooperatively together. For example, they share toys and play imaginative games together. Younger children and babies enjoy lots of support and cuddles from staff. This helps them to feel safe, especially babies who are settling into the nursery.

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The provision requires improvement

Children enjoy a range of activities across all areas of learning. However, due to recent staff changes, the key-person system is not fully embedded in staff's practice. There are some inconsistencies in how effectively staff use their knowledge of children's progress to plan activities that reflect children's individual learning needs and interests. As a result, the curriculum is not sequenced well enough to ensure that children are making the best progress.

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The provision requires improvement

Older children actively follow the daily routines. They line up ready to go outside or to another room. Staff give children gentle reminders about safety. Children show their understanding as they tell each other that 'running is for outside'. They remind each other to 'only take one scoop' of food at a time when serving their own foods and help to put away toys after use. These routines help children to develop their personal, independence and social skills.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and managers have worked together to minimise the impact of recent staff changes, including movement of staff between group rooms to ensure that ratios are met. There is now a key-person system in place, and staff make observations and assessments of children's progress. However, the key-person system is not yet effective regarding curriculum planning. For example, key persons do not plan specific learning opportunities aimed at narrowing any gaps identified in children's learning, such as their communication and language skills. As a result, children do not make the progress they are capable of. n Parents and carers value that when they share their views with leaders and managers, changes are made to make improvements. Parents say their children are settled and happy at the nursery. Staff tell them about the events of the day, although staff do not consistently share regular information with parents about

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need to do better?

their children's progress. Also, the methods for completing the progress check when children are aged between two and three years are not embedded in staff's practice. n The new managers have worked closely with staff and made significant changes. They offer targeted support to new staff through induction procedures. Supervision arrangements are in their infancy; however, they are not yet effective enough to identify gaps in staff's understanding of their roles and

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need to do better?

9 May 2025 responsibilities. This means that any support, coaching and training is not targeted effectively. For example, there are some inconsistencies in staff's practice, including general routines and levels of support offered to children during activities. n Babies explore different textures while playing in the sand and in the cereal tray. Staff encourage them to look at the different cereals and feel and taste them too. This helps children to use a range of their senses. Staff extend children's vocabulary well during daily routines. For example, they talk to children about their different shoes and introduce new words, such as 'buckle' and 'sparkly'. n Older children build on their early mathematical skills during small-group activities with staff. They accurately count the dots on a stick and match it to the written number. Children enjoy the praise they receive from staff for their achievements. They develop their independent learning skills while making

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need to do better?

choices during play. For example, children build with construction sets and enjoy being creative while using paint and play dough. n Staff promote children's communication and language skills well. They talk to children during play and ask children questions about the story they are reading. Babies and younger children enjoy group song times. They use a range of instruments and move in time to staff singing familiar songs and rhymes. n Children enjoy relaxed mealtimes where they sit with staff, who talk about the foods they like to eat and things they do at home, such as going to the cinema. This helps children to develop their language and social skills. Staff encourage babies and younger children to feed themselves and try new foods. Staff offer children a balanced diet of freshly cooked meals. Children develop healthy eating habits as they make choices of the foods they want to eat.

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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

improve support for staff to ensure that they have the skills to plan a well- sequenced curriculum that reflects children's individual learning needs and interests, so they make the best progress 09/06/2025

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Due date

9 May 2025 embed the key-person system to promote staff's consistent practice and information-sharing with parents, including arrangements for completing the progress check when children are aged between two and three years 09/06/2025

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Due date

develop regular supervision sessions and learning opportunities for all staff, to ensure their roles and responsibilities are fully embedded in their practice. 09/06/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2506894 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 10403431 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 56 Number of children on roll 40 Name of registered person Beech Green Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 02086549879 Date of previous inspection 19 August 2021

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Information about this early years setting

Partou Gingerbread House Day Nursery & Pre-School registered in 2019. It is based in Purley, in the London Borough of Croydon. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, seven staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 3. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am until 6pm, 51 weeks a year. It offers the government funded places for childcare.

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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 manager and inspector completed a learning walk together to discuss the curriculum they offer and how the setting is organised. n The inspector held discussions with staff, parents and children and took account of their views. n The inspector sampled a range of required documentation, including children's records and staff's suitability checks and qualifications. n The inspector observed interactions between staff and children during activities and assessed the impact of teaching on children's learning.

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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

9 May 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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