Creative Minds Nursery

Inspection of Creative Minds Nursery 25 Stanhope Road, DEAL, Kent CT14 6AD

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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 the requirements of the early years foundation stage have been implemented to support children's needs. Breaches in requirements have a significant impact on children's time at nursery. Safeguarding procedures, risk assessment practices and how children with allergies receive support gives cause for concern.

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The provision is inadequate

Children have limited opportunities to engage in meaningful play and learning experiences. Although there is a curriculum in place, it is not ambitious for all age groups and is not implemented effectively. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the consistent support they need to succeed. Staff do not recognise when children are wandering and in need of further input to challenge their learning and extend their skills. As a result, any learning is incidental as children occupy themselves. As a result, children's behaviour varies and staff do not recognise where more input from them is needed. Younger children enjoy close relationships with staff, for example, to support their care needs. Staff give children praise and role model appropriate table manners at mealtimes.

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need to do better?

n The provider lacks oversight and an awareness of the issues within the nursery. This lack of understanding of their role and responsibilities means that they have not identified areas for improvement to take appropriate steps to rectify weaknesses. Some areas that have previously been raised are being re-raised as part of this inspection. n Safeguarding procedures are not secure. The provider has not ensured that staff are able to consistently recognise when safeguarding concerns need to be promptly escalated to the designated safeguarding lead. This means that they cannot ensure that the appropriate action can be taken in a timely manner. n Risk assessments are not effective. Leaders and staff do not have a secure understanding of how to identify and minimise hazards in the environment to consistently assure children's safety. During the inspection, concerns were raised with leaders and staff. For example, protective padding from wooden structures

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need to do better?

in the garden were not secure and at times, children pulled on them, further causing damage and risk to their safety. Despite the concerns being raised, there was no action taken. n Despite a recent internal review for allergy management, staff continue to be unclear about how to implement agreed strategies if children have an allergic reaction in the nursery. There are systems in place, such as allergy care plans, but not all children with allergies have these. At times, children's key persons are not aware of what steps to take. This means that staff are unable to follow

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need to do better?

19 September 2025 agreed strategies to support children effectively. n Training is not robust to ensure that staff, including leaders, have a secure knowledge of their roles and responsibilities. Leaders and staff are not clear on what is expected of them across a range of areas. For example, several members of the leadership team have the responsibility to make notifications to Ofsted. However, not all required information is notified. This lack of support and training for staff results in weaknesses in practice and impacts on children's care and safety. n Supervision of staff is not consistently effective across the nursery, in particular for the managers. There are limited opportunities for managers to receive support to share concerns about the running and procedures within the nursery. As a result, their increased workload places pressure which impacts on the overall running of the nursery and the experiences that children receive.

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need to do better?

n Staff deployment is not effective. Staff have a limited understanding of how to deploy themselves to support children's overall needs. Staff often take a supervisory role and do not consistently tailor their movements to how children move around the spaces. For example, as children move around the rooms and the garden, staff do not recognise where they need to be to help children in their learning. This impacts on children's learning and interactions, and at times, their safety. n Children with SEND do not receive the support they need to thrive. Although there are individualised plans in place for some children, these are not known by all staff or consistently up to date, including their key person. This impacts on children's opportunity to receive appropriate individualised support in their learning and development. n The support that children receive to learn to manage their behaviour is inconsistent. At times, children show that they are bored because of the lack of

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need to do better?

learning opportunities, and their behaviour deteriorates. Staff do not recognise that children need more support and further meaningful learning experiences. n Teaching does not consistently ensure that children across the nursery have the support they need. There are times when children enjoy playing with items set out for them, such as in the sensory tent with lights. However, these learning experiences are not embedded in practice to ensure that children benefit from learning to support their overall development. As a result, children wander around and do not build their skills to help prepare them for future learning. n Generally, children have daily time in the garden. They show that they enjoy the space and opportunity for fresh air. This goes some way to promoting children's physical development.

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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 staff have a secure understanding of how to assess concerns about children's welfare and when to escalate them further to fully protect children 15/10/2025

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Due date

implement robust risk assessments processes so that staff have a clear understanding of how to identify hazards and minimise risks to children 15/10/2025

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Due date

make changes to how allergies are managed in the nursery to keep all children with allergies safe 15/10/2025

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Due date

take action to train all staff, including the provider, to understand their roles and responsibilities so children receive the care and learning support to further their development 15/10/2025

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Due date

implement appropriate supervision arrangements for all staff to enable supportive discussions to benefit their professional development and the overall experiences that children receive 15/10/2025

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Due date

ensure staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety 15/10/2025

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Due date

implement suitable support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure that all children consistently receive individualised care and learning 15/10/2025

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Due date

19 September 2025 provide staff with suitable support to help implement a consistent approach to understanding and managing children's behaviour in an appropriate way. 15/10/2025

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Due date

implement a suitably ambitious curriculum for all children which builds on their skills, to help broaden their knowledge to support their overall development. 05/11/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY455789 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10420345 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 60 Number of children on roll 94 Name of registered person Creative Minds Nurseries Network Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01304 363180 Date of previous inspection 20 April 2022

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Information about this early years setting

Creative Minds Nursery registered in 2012 and is located in Deal, Kent. The nursery employs 24 members of staff who work with children. Of these, 22 hold early years qualifications at level 2 or higher. One member of staff holds early years qualifications at level 6. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday all year round, except for the week between Christmas and New Year. Sessions are from 7.30am to 5.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for children.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors Sarah Taylor-Smith Kelly Southern

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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 managers and inspectors completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Staff spoke to the inspectors about how they support children with SEND. n Parents and carers shared their views of the nursery with the inspectors. n The manager showed the inspectors documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff. n The inspectors observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having 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

19 September 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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