Park Hall Day Nursery

Inspection of Park Hall Day Nursery 110 Congleton Road South, Talke, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 1LX

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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 Inadequate

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety and well-being are compromised in this setting. Leaders do not report allegations made against staff to appropriate professionals. In addition, leaders and staff do not always record details of unaccounted accidents and injuries sustained by children when they are not at the setting. This does not promote children's health and well-being.

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The provision is inadequate

Inconsistent supervision of children within the setting puts children at risk of injury. For example, children hide around corners and climb on furniture, out of sight of staff. Staff do not consistently manage children's behaviour, and this puts them and other children at risk of injury or harm. For example, children freely play fighting games with superhero figures, throwing them against walls and at each other. As a result, children's safety is compromised and they do not begin to learn right from wrong. Furthermore, fresh drinking water is not made available and accessible to all children. This compromises their health and well-being.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff are not always knowledgeable about the specific needs of the children in their care. Therefore, support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) does not consistently meet their individual needs. At times, children are left to wander aimlessly around the room as they find difficulty in accessing the activities on offer. Staff do not use assessment well enough to accurately identify what children need to learn next. This hinders their ability to effectively identify and plan suitable learning opportunities and experiences that help all children to achieve their next steps in learning and make progress. Some parents have expressed concerns regarding a lack of continuity of care for their children due to frequent staff changes, and some remain unclear about the identity of their child's key person. This does not promote positive working relationships that are essential for supporting children's learning and development.

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need to do better?

n Leaders lack clarity regarding the appropriate procedures to follow, when an allegation is made against a staff member. Allegations are not always reported to the local authority designated officer or Ofsted within the required timescales, potentially increasing risks to children's safety. Additionally, leaders do not consistently ensure that records of unexplained accidents or injuries sustained by children when they are not at the setting are thoroughly completed by staff. As a result, children's welfare and safety are put at risk. n Staff do not consistently provide the level of supervision required to maintain children's safety during play. For instance, staff are sometimes positioned in locations where they do not have a clear oversite of all children in their care. As a result, children sometimes participate in activities, such as climbing on table

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need to do better?

17 July 2025 tops, which pose safety risks as these go unnoticed. n The support and management of children's behaviour across the setting lacks consistency. Young children receive praise and recognition for good sharing from staff. However, on occasions, staff do not respond appropriately to the behaviours of older children and ignore their inappropriate behaviours. Some examples of this are when children are throwing wooden toys, narrowly missing other children, refusing to help tidy away resources, and snatching toys from other children. This does not promote positive behaviours in children or help them to learn right from wrong. n Drinking water is not always available or accessible for all children. Staff place jugs of water and stacked cups out of reach of older children on counter tops that are inaccessible to them. Water is not always available in rooms used by younger children. This does not promote their good health.

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need to do better?

n Staff do not always demonstrate a good understanding or knowledge of the individual needs of children with SEND within their care. They do not consistently take appropriate action to ensure that the advice and support of additional professionals is sought to help meet the needs of individual children. For example, when parents express concerns about their children's language and communication skills, staff fail to consider and act upon this information. Children, therefore, do not always receive the individual support they need to help them make progress and thrive. n Leaders have reviewed their curriculum and made positive changes since their last inspection. However, they recognise that weaknesses remain and that less- confident staff need to build their knowledge and skills further to support children's learning and development effectively. This includes using the information gained from assessment to identify what children need to learn next,

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need to do better?

and to plan learning opportunities that support all children to make progress. n Some parents are unaware of their child's key person and feel that communication with them about their child's progress is limited and lacks detail. Some parents comment that their children's individual needs are not always considered or met. For example, they feel that the learning of most-able children is not challenged and that support for children with SEND is not good. That said, parents comment that their children enjoy attending the setting and form close bonds with the staff. n Staff report that they feel supported by leaders and that their well-being is considered. They attend regular supervisions and receive some training that supports them in their roles. For example, they have undertaken safer sleep training to develop their understanding of the government's safer sleeping guidelines for babies and young children.

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need to do better?

n Young children and babies engage in activities that they enjoy. For instance, they play musical instruments and manipulate play dough, using tools to create patterns. However, staff do not engage effectively with young children to support their language and communication skills effectively as they play alongside them. For example, they do not correct the mispronunciation of words used by young children. This does not promote the language skills of young children well enough.

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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 that allegations made against staff are reported to the local authority designated officer and Ofsted within the required timeframes 15/08/2025

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Due date

implement a robust system for recording information where there are concerns relating to injuries that children sustain when not at the setting 15/08/2025

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Due date

ensure that staff supervise children at all times so that they are kept safe and free from harm as they play 15/08/2025

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Due date

ensure staff are able to support and manage children's behaviour appropriately 15/08/2025

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Due date

ensure that fresh drinking water is available and accessible to children at all times 15/08/2025

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Due date

ensure that staff understand how to support children with SEND so that they receive the individual support they require to make the progress they are capable of 15/08/2025

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Due date

17 July 2025 make sure that parents know who their child's key person is, and improve the key-person system so that there is a two-way flow of information about children's ongoing learning with parents. 15/08/2025

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Due date

ensure that all staff have the knowledge and understanding they need to enable them to accurately assess what children already know and need to learn next, in order to plan activities and experiences that help children to make good progress in all areas of their learning, including communication and language. 15/08/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2623528 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 10412529 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 55 Number of children on roll 74 Name of registered person Johnson, Susan Alice

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reference number

Telephone number 01782775116 Date of previous inspection 4 April 2025

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Information about this early years setting

Park Hall Day Nursery re-registered in May 2021. The setting employs 21 members of childcare staff. Of these, 14 hold an appropriate childcare qualification at level 3, and two hold a qualification at level 2. The setting operates from 7am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round, except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. In addition, older children attend the before- and after-school provision. The setting offers funded early education for all eligible 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 deputy manager and the inspector completed a learning walk and talked about how the provision is organised and what they intended children to learn. n The deputy manager carried out a joint observation with the inspector to evaluate the quality of teaching. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching to assess the impact of this on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke with the leadership team about the management of the nursery. n The inspector spoke to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector reviewed relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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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

17 July 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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