Abacus Children's Nurseries Ltd

Inspection of Abacus Children's Nurseries Ltd Kingfisher Drive, Walderslade, Kent ME5 7NX

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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

The provider has not ensured that all the requirements of the early years foundation stage are met. Breaches to the requirements have an impact on children's safety, welfare and the education that they receive.

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The provision is inadequate

Safeguarding practices are not effective in ensuring that children and staff are fully protected. Staff do not ensure that children's behaviour is managed in an age- appropriate manner. For example, young children are given lots of instructions that they are unable to understand and cannot follow. Children get confused about what they need to do and, at times, become upset. As well as this, the key-person approach is not fully effective across the setting to meet the emotional needs of all children. This impacts on children's levels of support and overall well-being.

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The provision is inadequate

Although some teaching of the curriculum meets the needs of children, this is not consistent across the nursery. The curriculum intention is not clear for each age group. Staff plan activities to occupy children. For example, children like exploring the ball pit and playing on the slide. However, the activities that staff plan do not always focus on what it is that staff want children to learn. This means that children's experiences do not consistently build on their knowledge and skills. This impacts on the progress that children are able to make.

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need to do better?

n Not all aspects of safeguarding practices are embedded in the day-to-day running of the setting. Although staff verbally inform parents if they have had to physically intervene to move children to keep them safe, they do not keep written records of when this occurs. This is a legal requirement. This means that both children and staff are not fully safeguarded. n Leaders are not fully aware of all the areas that need to be addressed within the setting. They know where some staff teams are developing, but they have not identified where children are receiving poorer levels of care and learning. As a result, not all weaknesses in practice are being identified and addressed quickly enough. n Teaching does not consistently support all children's learning to help build on their skills. Staff have some knowledge of what children can do. For example, children enjoy learning to count as they jump up and down holding the

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need to do better?

parachute. However, not all activities across the nursery are planned precisely enough to support children to gain the skills and knowledge they need to learn next. n Staff are not consistent role models to show children what is expected of them. For example, staff climb over low-level room dividers, but children are stopped from climbing under other furniture. This is not effective in supporting children's

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need to do better?

3 June 2025 behaviour and understanding of the rules of the setting. n The key-person approach is not fully embedded in practice across the setting. Not all staff have a secure knowledge of the importance of the key person to meet individual children's needs. At times, young children become unsettled and staff lack understanding about how to emotionally support children. For example, young children are unsettled and staff lack the knowledge of how to support them. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have suitable support plans in place. Leaders and staff work well with external agencies to seek guidance and support. Additional funding is used appropriately. n Overall, staff interact suitably with children to support their communication and language development. For example, older children enjoy playing with staff and learn about different vehicles and what they do, such as an ambulance. Children

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need to do better?

actively search for other vehicles to bring to staff to talk about. n Children enjoy the opportunity for outside play daily. For example, they explore the garden and search for natural items ,such as flowers, and tick them off their list. Children show some skills to support them for their move on to their next stage of learning at school. For instance, they find their coats and jumpers and try to zip them up themselves. n The leaders put in place varying ways for parents to learn about the whole setting. For instance, parents have the opportunity to view older rooms when their children are ready to move into them. Parents share positive feedback about staff and feel they are approachable. They appreciate ongoing contact with staff, such as if their child has an accident.

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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 action to implement appropriate physical intervention strategies to ensure that all children and staff are appropriately safeguarded 24/06/2025

p.3

Due date

3 June 2025 develop suitable monitoring of staff practice to ensure that all areas for development are identified and swiftly addressed to ensure that children's care and learning experience benefit 24/06/2025

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Due date

ensure staff implement a consistent approach to managing and supporting children's feelings and behaviour, to help children to understand how to manage their feelings and learn what is expected of them 24/06/2025

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Due date

implement a suitable key-person approach to ensure that staff support children's individual care and learning needs effectively. 24/06/2025

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Due date

plan and implement an ambitious curriculum which clearly identifies appropriate learning for children's age and stage of development to enable them to make consistently good progress. 24/06/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY331809 Local authority Medway Inspection number 10402657 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 80 Number of children on roll 123 Name of registered person Abacus Children's Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01634 863 332 Date of previous inspection 20 February 2024

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Information about this early years setting

Abacus Children's Nurseries Ltd registered in 2005. It operates from a building in the grounds of Kingfisher Primary School in Walderslade, Kent. The setting is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. It receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The setting employs 16 members of staff, of whom 10 hold relevant early years qualifications at level 2 and above.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation. n The inspector spoke to children to find out about their time at the setting. n Staff spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n A manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector spoke to parents to gain their views of the setting.

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Inspection activities

3 June 2025 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

3 June 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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