Partou Playaway Day Nursery & Pre-

Inspection of Partou Playaway Day Nursery & Pre-School 34 Devonshire Place, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 4AD

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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

Instability within the staff team, including frequent changes in staff and leadership, contributes to significant weaknesses across the nursery. Although enough staff are present and children are, generally, supervised appropriately, poor deployment affects the consistency of care. Staff move rooms frequently. Children do not spend enough time with their key person. This affects their emotional well-being and ability to feel safe and secure. Some children are unsettled, become upset easily and show low resilience. Staff are often unsure of their responsibilities, which causes confusion within the team and contributes to the unsettled and disorganised environment. That said, staff are kind and caring. They comfort children and want the best for them. While staff help to maintain a safe environment for children, their knowledge of some aspects of safeguarding is poor. This does not protect children's welfare.

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The provision is inadequate

The curriculum is not delivered effectively. Leaders share their aims for children's learning, but staff do not work towards these in practice. They provide some enjoyable activities. For example, babies splash in the water tray and giggle with friends. Toddlers explore foam, enjoying the sensation on their fingers. Some pre- school children take their time drawing and proudly show their pictures to adults. However, staff do not plan purposefully to help children to make progress. Interactions are variable and much learning is incidental. Although some children achieve well, many do not develop the skills they need to be ready for school. Children who need additional help with their learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are not supported well enough.

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The provision is inadequate

Weaknesses in practice affect children's behaviour. A lack of consistency of care and purposeful activity leads to children's low confidence, boredom and disengagement. Children become disruptive and upset others. Their behaviour contributes to frequent minor accidents and injuries. Staff responses vary. Some support children generally well, for example, by intercepting conflicts and redirecting children. Others, however, struggle to deal with poor behaviour and do not understand how to support children to manage their feelings and actions.

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need to do better?

n Staffing arrangements are not consistent. Children are often cared for by less familiar adults, who change frequently. This leads to them feeling unsettled and insecure. Leaders do not have agreed expectations of how staff should deploy themselves. Staff are not clear about what is expected of them or where they should be in the nursery. For example, they are not confident about who is responsible for children's supervision and safety at certain times of the day, such as when they must leave the room to visit the bathroom. There are times when

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need to do better?

12 August 2025 staff are not close enough to children to prevent accidents or conflict between children. n The arrangements to support staff are not well established or effective. Although some supervision meetings take place, they are infrequent. Staff do not have regular opportunities to share concerns or reflect on their practice. Leaders have not prioritised this aspect of staff support, which contributes to ongoing weaknesses in practice and low staff morale. This limits the capacity for improvement and affects the quality of care and education that children receive. n Staff follow some procedures to protect children. They check that play spaces are safe and know about signs that indicate children may be at risk from harm or abuse. However, they do not fully understand how to report worries about staff practice or conduct. Staff are unclear about whistle-blowing procedures and about how to escalate their concerns if leaders do not take appropriate action.

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need to do better?

This limits the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements and does not maintain children's well-being. n Some staff do not understand how to support children's behaviour. They overlook poor behaviour or attribute it to children's personalities. They do not support children to change how they behave or to work through their frequent conflicts. Some children struggle to manage their emotions, leading to actions that upset or hurt others, such as overturning furniture and throwing toys. The lack of clear, consistent boundaries and expectations contributes to a disorderly environment, where children are not helped to develop more positive behaviours. n Activities do not have clear learning intentions and are often spontaneous. For example, staff offer paint and brushes to occupy children while others sleep, but simply supervise the activity rather than use it to build knowledge and skills. They do not know what they want children to learn next or take account of

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need to do better?

individual learning needs when providing activities. Children are not challenged or supported well enough to make the progress that they are capable of. n Leaders are aware of weaknesses in the quality of education, particularly in the toddler and pre-school rooms. However, they have not taken effective steps to address this. Some training is allocated to staff, but it is either not completed or not applied in practice. The lack of coaching or guidance means that staff do not have the necessary understanding and skills to deliver an effective curriculum. Children experience inconsistent teaching and do not benefit from learning that builds over time. n Children who have difficulties in aspects of their learning, and those with SEND, do not receive effective support. Staff do not understand how to meet children's diverse needs. Although there are written plans for some children, staff do not follow them. Children who struggle to communicate or engage in play are left

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need to do better?

without meaningful interaction. For example, some children who wander the room or garden are overlooked. Others become distressed and unable to control their actions. This does not meet children's developmental and emotional needs. n Parent reviews are mixed. Some state that they have had a wholly positive experience and that their children very much enjoy their time at nursery. Others feel that leaders could improve the arrangements for communication, for example, by being more responsive to parents' queries or concerns.

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need to do better?

12 August 2025 n Staff provide nutritious meals and are mindful of children's allergies and intolerances. Children play outside daily, which provides them with exercise and fresh air and supports their physical development. Staff plan to build on arrangements to support children's good health, for example, by introducing tooth brushing across the nursery.

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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

improve staff deployment and give staff clear and consistent guidance about how this applies to safe and effective supervision of children 01/09/2025

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Due date

provide effective supervision that supports staff well-being and provides opportunities to reflect on and improve practice across the nursery 01/09/2025

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Due date

ensure that staff know how to report and, if appropriate, escalate concerns about practice or conduct 01/09/2025

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Due date

train staff to understand and support children's behaviour and to respond appropriately when children struggle to manage their actions or emotions 01/09/2025

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Due date

establish effective arrangements to support children with SEND and emerging difficulties, and ensure that staff are skilled and confident in meeting their emotional and developmental needs. 01/09/2025

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Due date

ensure that staff deliver an effective curriculum that reflects children's individual needs and abilities, and supports their good progress across all areas of learning 01/09/2025

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Due date

ensure that staff receive training and coaching to improve curriculum knowledge and teaching skills, and check that this is applied in practice to improve outcomes for children. 01/09/2025

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should:

n improve the arrangements to share information with parents and respond to their feedback.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY331082 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 10414157 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 42 Number of children on roll 96 Name of registered person Funcare Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01423 566696 Date of previous inspection 24 May 2022

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Information about this early years setting

Partou Playaway Day Nursery & Pre-School registered in 2019 and is located in Harrogate. The nursery employs 24 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and 1 at level 5. The nursery opens all year round from 7am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays. It offers government funded places for early education and receives additional funding for disadvantaged 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 senior deputy manager gave the inspector a tour of the premises. n The manager accompanied the inspector on a learning walk and talked about the aims of the learning programmes in nursery. n The inspector spoke to a number of staff with leadership responsibilities throughout the day. They discussed the safety and security of the premises and talked about how the provision is organised. n Staff spoke to the inspector during the inspection. The inspector observed and interacted with the children attending. n The inspector met with the manager and area manager to discuss leadership and management of the provision. 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 manager carried out a joint observation of an activity with the inspector.

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Inspection activities

n Parents shared their views about the nursery with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed 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

12 August 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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