Kingwood Children @ Muddifords Court

Inspection of Kingwood Children @ Muddifords Court Muddifords Court, Willand, Cullompton EX15 2QG

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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

Leaders have a curriculum intent in place. Staff focus on developing children's communication, social and physical skills and build on these according to children's stage of development. The aim is to provide children with the skills they will need to be successful learners. However, the curriculum is not always ambitious or implemented effectively. Staff plan activities that support children's interests. However, they do not always provide children with experiences that build succinctly on what children know and can do. As a result, some learning lacks a clear purpose or challenge, which leads to some children becoming disengaged and missing out on the planned learning opportunities.

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The provision requires improvement

Children arrive happy and eager to start their day. Staff greet them warmly as they arrive, helping them to separate from their parents and carers. Staff have caring and nurturing relationships with children. For example, staff are attentive to children's individual needs as they offer cuddles, when children are tired or sad. Strong attachments support children's emotional well-being. Children display affection and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in their care. Children enjoy the company of their friends and generally play well alongside each other. Older children act as mentors to younger children. They show kindness and care for their friends. However, at times, staff provide inconsistent messages to children when unwanted behaviours occur. This does not help children understand how to regulate their behaviour on their own.

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need to do better?

n Since the last visit, leaders have taken proactive steps to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. All staff have completed further training to ensure that they have a secure knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures. Risk assessments and staff deployment are now effective in helping staff to identify and manage risks to children. Leaders have improved and implemented training for staff to support children with medical care needs. This helps to ensure that children are safe at the setting. n Leaders are clear about what they want staff to teach children. However, in practice, the weaknesses in the implementation of the curriculum mean that there are times when activities do not inspire children to learn, and the aims of the curriculum fall short of expectations. Despite staff receiving regular supervision, support and training, the delivery of a consistently high quality of education is not yet embedded into practice. Consequently, children do not

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need to do better?

sustain their interest for long and are not consistently engaged in meaningful learning. n Children's behaviour is generally good. However, strategies for behaviour management are not consistently effective. There are times when staff manage

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need to do better?

4 June 2025 unwanted behaviours by simply saying, 'stop that' or 'don't do that'. This does not help children to learn the rules of good behaviour and demonstrates that strategies are not yet fully embedded. However, staff do offer lots of praise throughout the day, which helps to boost children's self-esteem. They support children to become familiar with the daily routines and allow them to make decisions about what they would like to play with. This contributes successfully towards children's confidence and independence. n There are times when staff manage the daily routines well and children cooperate with these. However, at other times, such as when preparing to go outside and during lunchtime, the organisation is less effective. Some children wait for unnecessary long periods and start to wander round due to a lack of ongoing engagement from staff. n Staff support children to develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles. For

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need to do better?

example, children have plenty of opportunities to engage in physical play and enjoy a healthy meal while at the setting. Staff use mealtimes to foster social relations and build on older children's communication and language development. For example, they engage in casual conversations with children about what they are eating and how to stay healthy. Staff encourage children to wash their hands regularly and teach them why this is important. These opportunities contribute successfully to children's physical well-being. n Leaders are open and honest about ongoing recruitment challenges and currently use agency staff to meet ratio requirements. They are committed to building a consistent team and meet regularly with staff to talk about daily practice and their well-being. Staff are receiving additional training from the local authority to enhance their understanding of good practice. This training aims to

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need to do better?

improve staff knowledge and skills, enabling them to better support all children in making the best possible progress.

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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

4 June 2025 implement behaviour management strategies, which support staff to be consistent in their approach, and which build on children's understanding of behaviour expectations 18/07/2025

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Due date

support staff to implement the curriculum through carefully planned activities and experiences so children make the progress they are capable of. 08/08/2025

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should:

n develop the organisation of changes of routines to help keep children more purposefully engaged.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2832033 Local authority Devon Inspection number 10406199 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 139 Number of children on roll 199 Name of registered person Kingwood Children Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01884 906332 Date of previous inspection 12 March 2025

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Information about this early years setting

Kingwood Children @ Muddifords Court re-registered in 2024. The group operates from Willand, Devon. It opens each weekday, from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. The group receives government funding to provide free early years education. It employs 32 childcare staff, of whom 4 have qualified teacher status, 26 hold appropriate qualifications at levels 2 to 6 and 2 members of staff are unqualified.

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Inspection activities

n The management team and inspectors completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspectors observed the quality of education during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n One inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager. n The inspectors held a meeting with the management team. They reviewed relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n Parents shared their views of the nursery with one inspector. n The inspectors talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

4 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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