Lou-Moo's Preschool

Lou-Moo's Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2747289 Address: Finstall Village Hall, Alcester Road, Finstall, Bromsgrove, B60 1EL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 25/09/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: Lou-Moo's Preschool CIO

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Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding. This puts children at significant risk of harm. While leaders and staff have accessed some appropriate safeguarding training, they lack clear knowledge and understanding of their child protection responsibilities. They are also unclear about how to manage allegations against staff appropriately and in line with requirements. Furthermore, the provision's written safeguarding policy does not meet requirements as it does not specify the action that must be taken in the event of concerns about either children or staff. Therefore, leaders and staff cannot rely on the policy to support them in practice. Recruitment is not robust. Leaders do not follow safer recruitment guidance, including the obtaining of appropriate references for all new staff. Furthermore, leaders do not check and review the suitability of their staff in an

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Safeguarding standards not met

ongoing way. This means that they are unaware of any changes to their staff's own personal or family life, including police or social services involvement, that may impact on their ability to work with children. This does not help to protect children from potential harm.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children do make progress from their starting points, including in communication and language, but this is slow for some children across different areas of their learning. This is due to the fact that the teaching approach and the planning of the curriculum is not targeted enough to fully support and meet all children's individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those in receipt of additional funding. As a result, children are not as well prepared as possible for their future learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

In general, children do not develop positive attitudes towards learning. For example, staff do not always explicitly teach children to maintain focus, sustain concentration and deepen their thinking. As a result, at times, children occasionally struggle to remain engaged in their play choices and they too quickly flit between resources and activities within the environment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff help children learn about emotions, they promote kindness, sharing and playing well with others. Children develop positive relationships with staff and other children. Children confidently talk about and express a range of emotions they are feeling each day as part of the welcome circle-time session, and they enjoy playing turn-taking board games with staff. Children really value the praise they receive for helping leaders and staff with tasks, such as tidying up. Staff give children pom poms as an award for expected behaviours, and they are supported to understand this will help them get a collective pre-school treat once the jar is full. Leaders monitor attendance and fully understand the impact of non-attendance on children's education. They diligently follow up any absences and check on children if they have time off.

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Children's welfare and well-being Needs attention

The key-person approach is not effective in practice. This is because, while staff are assigned as key persons in name, they do not actually understand and fulfil the entirety of the key-person role. This means staff do not fully tailor the curriculum to meet children's individual needs and promote their welfare. Staff are warm, friendly and caring. Children develop secure and positive relationships with staff and other children. It is evident that children treat the provision as a home away from home and have a strong sense of belonging in the environment. Staff help children learn about emotions; they promote kindness, sharing and playing well with others. Children confidently talk about and express a range of emotions they are feeling each day as part of the welcome circle-time session, and they enjoy playing turn-taking board games with staff.

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Children's welfare and well-being Needs attention

Staff promote children's care needs and manage their personal routines well. Staff teach children about the importance of staying healthy and well. Children eat nutritious snacks and engage in lots of physical movement. They enjoy moving to music inside and riding on bikes, twirling hoops and running around outside which promotes positive health and well- being.

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Children's welfare and well-being Needs attention

Children have opportunity to learn about the wider world. For example, they have access to resources linked to people who help us as a topic, such as hospital role play and emergency vehicles. Leaders invite visitors, including the fire service and local police, to talk to the children about the importance of their roles in the community.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum is not ambitious enough or well designed. Leaders' ethos is to be child-led and guided by children's interests. However, they do not always plan and provide enough appropriate learning experiences to meet children's individual needs. As a result, occasionally, while some children happily play alone, there is limited engagement for them with staff or their peers during the day to help build on and extend their learning. This particularly hinders communication and language development for these children.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff know children well. Leaders observe children and assess their development to identify the key next steps in children's development. However, they do not use this information to adapt or prioritise aspects of children's learning, taking into account their different starting points. There are times when children's learning is left more to chance rather than as a result of purposeful interactions with staff that guide their learning through play. This particularly impacts some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those in receipt of additional funding who need more support.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Overall, children enjoy their time at this provision. For example, they delight in spending time in the role-play areas developing their imaginative play. They also love exploring small-world toys and resources, such as vehicles and animals.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is variable. While some children with SEND do receive appropriate and targeted support, this is not consistent or embedded in practice for all children requiring it. Leaders acknowledge there are strategies in place to support children with SEND that are not routinely used or applied within the provision. Furthermore, additional funding is not being specifically spent in a targeted way as it should be. At present, leaders spend additional funding too generally

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Urgent improvement

and not purposefully enough with specific children in mind. This approach does not help breakdown potential barriers to children's learning for those in receipt of it.

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Urgent improvement

Leaders have invested heavily in developing staff expertise to support children's communication and language within the provision and this is a key strength in some aspects. When spending time with children, staff interact with them at their level and talk to them continuously as they play. Staff work closely with external professionals and have adopted their guidance and advice in this area. They have put in place key communication and language focused one-to-one and small-group activities that certain children benefit from. Staff also help all children develop a real love of literacy through plenty of imaginative storytelling and opportunities to read books with them throughout.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders do not have careful oversight of all aspects of the provision, so they are not clear of the setting's areas to improve. They are passionate about the provision and committed to their role. This includes leading the session as a part of the main ratio, day-to-day, in this small setting. However, leaders acknowledge they do not set priorities for improvement routinely. As a result, reflective practice is weak and there are many processes and policies not being followed.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Staff are not adequately supported in their roles. They do not have opportunity to meet with leaders, set personal targets for development and engage in confidential discussions about workload or well-being. This does not help them have knowledge they need to understand all of their responsibilities or develop their skills.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Record keeping is not robust. Leaders do not keep all records relating to children on-site so these are not easily accessible or available as required. Furthermore, while parents comment positively on their children's experiences at the provision, leaders do not support staff to form secure bonds with parents in their key-person roles, and information sharing with some families is limited. Decisions about the running of the provision are not always in the best interests of children and some legal requirements of the early years foundation stage are not met.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children's safety and welfare are not fully assured at this provision. Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of the quality of the provision to tackle weaknesses and maintain expected standards. The safeguarding culture of this provision is weak. Staff are not routinely vetted for their roles, and their ongoing suitability goes unchecked. Leaders and staff lack confidence in managing concerns about children's safety and welfare and staff practice. Ultimately, this does not help to keep children safe.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children settle quickly and are happy attending. They come into the provision in the mornings with ease. Children are eager to see staff and their peers and start busily making play choices. The provision is clean, tidy and well maintained. The environment is really well resourced and laid out. Children are confident and they generally behave well. They cooperate and follow the pre-school routine. Children transition well between their main free- play and whole-group sessions, including circle time, snack time and playing outside. Staff support children's independence throughout. Children choose what they want to explore, use the toilet and wash their hands with limited support. Children select their own snacks and drinks at the snack buffet and sit down calmly to eat alongside their peers.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

The curriculum does not give children the best start in life as the current approach does not always foster planned and targeted learning. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those in receipt of additional funding. Furthermore, the key- person approach is not effective in practice to ensure that children's individual needs are routinely met. As a result, while children do make some progress overall, this is not as swift as it should be. They are not explicitly taught to develop the most positive attitudes towards learning to prepare them for the next stage, such as school.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and children during the inspection.

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About this inspection

A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection.

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Address:

Finstall Village Hall Alcester Road, Finstall Bromsgrove B60 1EL

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Lou-Moo's Preschool CIO

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 15:30

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standards expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standards set out in statutory and non-statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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