Learn and Grow Childcare

Learn and Grow Childcare

Unique reference number (URN): 2767121 Address: 62-63 Merrick House, Whale Avenue, Reading, RG2 0GX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 22/12/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: Learn and Grow Childcare Ltd

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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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Staff build bonds with children that help them feel safe and secure. Where children, including the youngest, need extra help in moving into nursery, staff offer comfort and reassurance. This helps children to grow in confidence and develops their emotional wellbeing. Routines that support children's individual needs are supported well. For instance, children benefit from nutritious meals and rest times, where they can sleep safely. Staff teach children about routines that support their physical health. There are opportunities for physical play outdoors, where children practise hula hoop and how to throw and catch balls.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

However, where there are weaknesses in the support that children receive to express and manage their emotions in a positive way, this has an impact on children's overall wellbeing. At times, children do not express themselves positively and staff do too little to address this. Furthermore, where children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, are not helped to express themselves, this leads to periods of frustration where they cannot make their wants, needs or wishes clearly shared with peers or staff. This affects their emotional security and overall wellbeing.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Children's achievement across the nursery is not consistent enough to ensure they develop a secure foundation for future learning. Some children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, do not achieve well enough from their starting points. Children's communication and language skills show consistent gaps in progress across the nursery. Where children start to fall behind, too little is done by leaders to help them catch up. Children are not able to communicate what they want or need and this leads to periods of frustration for them.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Children are not developing the social skills they need in readiness for school. At times, children ignore requests staff make of them, they argue and fight with peers, which staff do not address effectively.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Urgent improvement

Leaders and staff understand the benefits of creating a positive environment for children. They share with parents their expectations for regular and prompt attendance, and they communicate clearly what behaviours they expect from children. However, these expectations are not used effectively to help children understand how to get along with others. For example, when toddlers are asked to sit at mealtimes, they refuse and staff do not use this as an opportunity to support their social development or guide them towards positive behaviour. Staff role model kindness and respect, for instance they praise younger children as they put away toys, as they smile with delight.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Urgent improvement

Staff are aware that some pre-schoolers behaviour also requires greater focus. The management team does not provide timely or effective support to help staff address weaknesses in children's social skills, including behaviour. For instance, older children argue and push each other and begin to cry when children spoil games they are taking part in. Staff look on, but at times do not intervene to help children learn about positive behaviours. This means that children do not learn the importance of valuing and respecting the needs of their peers through kindness and courtesy.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Leaders' planning for the curriculum does not focus on priorities for children's learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Prioritisation of children's communication and language skills is not identified or planned for across the nursery. Leaders and staff have differing ideas on what they want children to learn. Consequently, the delivery of the curriculum is varied. Staff do not use assessment routinely to check what children know and can do, or to adapt their teaching. There have been changes to the staff team, which are not well managed. Teaching, at times is variable and has too little impact for children. Where teaching is better, some staff recognise how to sequence learning through activities they provide. For instance, as babies play with modelling dough, they develop their hand-eye coordination skills. This helps them build control over physical coordination as

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

they later learn to feed themselves using spoons.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Staff use opportunities in their play to model language, for instance staff name the watermelon children eat to build on some vocabulary skills. However, where children need additional support in their speaking skills and their personal, social and emotional development, staff do not know how best to support them. This means that targeted teaching is not put in place to support children across the nursery.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Leaders and staff provide an inclusive practice. They use funding to support the regular attendance of disadvantaged children. However, leaders do need to ensure children with have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning receive the support they need to make the progress they are capable of. Although staff identify emerging concerns about children's progress, particularly in their communication skills, too little is done to address this, because staff have not received sufficient training to apply the graduated approach effectively. Staff put plans in place to support children, but they are ineffective and do not help children catch up. Where relationships with other professionals are established, they are ineffective. For example, where children have speech assessments, leaders and staff do not implement advice given on how to support children.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Leaders do not oversee the monitoring of children's progress to work with staff, to check and plan for priorities that children have in their learning. As children move between rooms, leaders and staff do not check what children know and can do well enough to identify where children need support, what is being done to support them and what can be continued. Consequently, leaders and staff do not identify trends in progress for some children, which has a detrimental effect on their communication skills. Gaps in children's progress widen.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

There have been some changes to the staff team since the last inspection. The provider now takes overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the setting, with a second manager in place. Leaders have worked with the local authority to address actions, some successfully. For instance, noise has been reduced in the baby room and policies and procedures about safeguarding have been updated and shared with staff, so that they know how to identity and report child protection concerns. However, leadership is still weak. Too little is done to identify and address underlying causes of weakness that have an impact on children.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Staff supervision helps to support wellbeing. However, targeted support for staff professional development is ineffective. Leaders recognise the curriculum is not targeting areas where priorities for children's learning should be focused. Staff training is not effective in addressing gaps in their knowledge, including supporting children's communication and language skills and how this is being monitored. Furthermore, targeted support for staff in managing children's behaviour is not put in place or monitored, meaning newer staff do not get the coaching and support they need. Leaders do work with parents and other professionals, however, this is not effective to ensure children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have the support they need.

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

Overall, weaknesses in leadership, curriculum design and staff development limit children's progress and experiences across the setting. Leadership within the setting remains weak. Recent staff changes have not been well managed. Although staff supervision has improved safeguarding knowledge, staff still lack the skills to meet children's developmental needs, particularly in communication and language. Leaders do not identify gaps in staff knowledge or practice to provide targeted training, leaving staff unsure how to support, monitor and track children's progress. This has a detrimental impact on children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who do not receive the support required to thrive.

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

Staff are kind and caring. Overall, children become confident in some routines, such as toileting and mealtimes. Improvements to the key-person approach helps babies and less- confident children feel settled, safe and secure. Children develop some friendships with their peers. However, at times, older children do not learn about kindness and respect towards each other, or to staff. For example, during a a cooking activity, children argue and push each other as they squabble over resources. Staff notice this but do not help children to understand how their behaviour affects their friends.

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

The curriculum is weak. Leaders' vision of what they want children to achieve is not focused on priorities. Furthermore, their vision is not communicated effectively to staff. Consequently, staff are not always clear on what they expect children to learn. This means children do not experience teaching and activities that help them to build on what they already know. Sometimes, they lack meaningful engagement and enjoyment in their learning. Where children start behind in their language skills, too little is done to address this from the outset. Gaps in children's skills widen, and they are not supported well enough to make age- appropriate progress.

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Next steps

The provider is not meeting the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action.

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Next steps

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to have taken the following actions by the assigned date:

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behave well

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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Address:

62-63 Merrick House, Whale Avenue Reading RG2 0GX

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Learn and Grow Childcare Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, parents and children 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. 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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