Playhouse Day Nursery

Playhouse Day Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 255146 Address: The Playhouse, 5 St Mary's Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, B67 5DG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 14/10/1991 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Kerr, Yvonne Jennifer

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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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 not make the progress of which they are capable because the curriculum and daily experiences do not consistently build their knowledge, skills and understanding. Some children develop early vocabulary and begin to use single words and short phrases. They gain some independence, such as learning to feed themselves and they carry their plates to be cleaned after lunch. However, many activities do not extend their thinking or help them to revisit and secure new learning.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children who speak English as an additional language make some progress because practitioners use a few key words from home, but leaders do not ensure that planned interactions improve children's communication over time. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged do not benefit from precisely targeted support. Weaknesses in physical provision, including the lack of safe daily outdoor play, restrict children's gross motor development. As a result, children leave the setting without being fully ready for their next stage of learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that children sustain positive attitudes to learning. In several rooms, low-level engagement is common because activities lack purpose and challenge. Babies are sometimes moved back when they attempt to explore, and this reduces their independence and confidence. In the pre-school room, older children mill about and sometimes disengage because resources do not match their stage of development. Children comment that equipment is 'for babies', which reflects their limited motivation and reduced sense of ownership in their play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders establish clear expectations for behaviour, and practitioners use calm and consistent language to guide children. Children understand basic routines, such as lining up, navigating stairs and preparing for lunch. They show warm relationships with practitioners, who respond sensitively and support children to feel secure. Babies settle with their key person and show comfort in familiar routines. Leaders monitor attendance and follow up concerns, such as logging reasons for absences. Some children play alongside others, but the curriculum and learning environment do not support them to develop the social skills they need to work together. Many children do not develop the sustained focus, independence and readiness needed for their next stage of learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that welfare practices are consistently embedded. Staff leave mop buckets filled with dirty water in the conservatory, and take babies into this area without making a risk assessment. The outdoor area is unsafe and out of use, so children miss daily outdoor play. There is no suitable alternative during wet weather, which reduces children's access to physical activity and fresh air.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Practitioners build warm and trusting relationships with children, and babies show secure attachments to their key person. Children settle quickly on arrival and approach adults for reassurance. Practitioners meet personal care needs appropriately and follow safe sleep routines. Older children manage toileting with support and learn simple hygiene habits, such as washing hands and disposing of tissues before sanitising.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Mealtimes run in an orderly way. Children receive healthy and nutritious food and sit with practitioners, who talk with them and help as needed. Practitioners offer reassurance and guide children through the routine. Children follow the familiar steps and move on to the next part of the day calmly. Practitioners support children's emotional wellbeing, although inconsistent teaching and reduced challenge limit children's confidence and self-assurance over time. Welfare practices do not consistently promote children's welfare, physical development or emotional resilience.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders outline broad intentions for what they want children to learn, but they do not design or sequence the curriculum well enough to ensure purposeful learning. They do not identify what older children are expected to learn beyond limited communication and language goals. Leaders do not evaluate whether daily routines, or the learning environment, help all children make the progress of which they are capable. Older toddlers and pre-school children access resources that do not provide sufficient extension for their stage of development.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Support for communication and language is inconsistent. Some practitioners model vocabulary during play, but others plan activities that do not match children's developmental stage. This reduces children's engagement and does not prioritise the core knowledge they need.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders do not give sufficient priority to children's physical development. The outdoor area is not in use, so children miss daily opportunities for climbing, running and balancing and this is not provided for all children indoors.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that teaching meets the needs of those who face barriers to their learning. Assessment is in place, but leaders do not ensure that practitioners use it to adapt teaching or plan precisely for children's next steps.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do not monitor well enough to ensure that staff use agreed strategies to support children's communication. Staff do not typically use the intended visual cues and gestures, which reduces support for children with language delay. Practitioners rely on verbal instructions, which reduces support for children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, particularly during routines and transitions.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders identify children's individual needs promptly and collect useful information from parents about home languages routines and development needs. They recognise when children may require additional help and seek support. Leaders engage external professionals when needed, and practitioners consider how they can implement the advice given. Leaders also monitor attendance and follow up concerns with families.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders use early years pupil premium funding to buy books that children enjoy, but they do not check whether this improves children's experiences or progress. Leaders' monitoring of children's progress lacks precision, so support is not reviewed or adapted in a timely way. As a result, some children do not receive the adjustments they need to make sustained progress.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders do not evaluate the curriculum, teaching or learning environment with enough precision to understand how well their intentions translate into practice. They gather information about children's experiences, but they do not analyse this deeply enough to identify where provision needs to improve or how children's learning can be strengthened. As a result, several areas of practice remain underdeveloped because leaders' oversight is not focused on the most significant priorities for improvement.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have begun to act on feedback and recognise the importance of creating a safe and welcoming environment. They communicate with parents about children's routines and daily experiences, and seek guidance from external professionals, when children need additional support.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders provide training and updates for staff and aim to support wellbeing within the team. However, leaders do not check whether training leads to improvements in practice and provision. Monitoring lacks sufficient depth to identify gaps in routines or inconsistencies in practice, which reduces how effectively leaders can drive improvement.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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

Children arrive to warm greetings from staff and settle quickly. They form trusting relationships with their key person, who provides reassurance during routines, such as handwashing, mealtimes and sleep. Babies show clear attachment behaviours, seeking comfort from staff who know them well. Staff help children to feel emotionally secure. However, the quality of children's learning experiences vary. Some children engage well when staff talk about what they are doing or label actions and objects. Children who speak English as an additional language respond positively when staff use familiar home words to support communication. Despite this, activities often do not build on what children already know or can do. After sleep time, staff offer only one activity to children, which limits their opportunities for choice and reduces their enthusiasm for learning. Older children frequently wander because resources do not reflect an ambitious curriculum or match their stage of

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

development. Staff often complete parts of physical tasks for toddlers rather than supporting them to attempt these movements themselves. This reduces the level of physical challenge children experience.

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

Children generally play alongside their peers and enjoy friendly interactions. However, opportunities for cooperation and shared play are limited due to low-challenge resources and adult-led routines that do not consistently support children to develop confidence, independence and problem-solving skills. This reduced flexibility also affects children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who do not consistently receive the accessible, well-sequenced experiences they need to take part fully in play and exploration.

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

Children enjoy being active, but rarely experience the energetic outdoor play they need. The outdoor area is not in use and there is no suitable alternative in wet weather, which breaches the requirements. Staff are inconsistent in identifying safety concerns, such as mop buckets with dirty water and leftover food on accessible surfaces. Children are cared for appropriately but do not consistently achieve well or thrive, physically and academically.

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Next steps

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

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Address:

The Playhouse 5 St Mary's Road Smethwick West Midlands B67 5DG

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Kerr, Yvonne Jennifer

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:30 - 18:00,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and the special educational needs coordinator during the inspection.

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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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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 standard 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 standard 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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