Barnkids Ltd

Barnkids Ltd

Unique reference number (URN): EY282743 Address: Barnkids, Penang Farm, Combe Lane, Chiddingfold, Surrey, GU8 4XL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 06/04/2004 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Barnkids Limited

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Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that adequately protects children from harm.

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Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders, staff and those responsible for governance do not carry out their safeguarding responsibilities effectively. For example, safeguarding allegations are not managed appropriately.

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Safeguarding standards not met

Not all staff feel confident to raise concerns with leaders, and they do not feel confident in following whistleblowing procedures, such as seeking advice and support from external partners. This means that unsafe practice is not challenged and is allowed to continue.

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Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders follow appropriate safer recruitment procedures. While they explain planned processes for ongoing supervision, support or monitoring of staff, there is no other evidence to support this.

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Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders do not seek the views of parents or staff. While they have plans to do so, such as through ongoing supervision of staff, these are not implemented and concerns are not dealt with promptly.

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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

Learning is not motivating for children, so they quickly lose interest in learning activities. For instance, while children initially enjoy stories, they do not have the skills to maintain their concentration. However, they collaborate and cooperate with each other, extending each other's ideas as they practise their literacy and art skills. Some children are able to describe with precision, using language such as 'multi-coloured'. Children build on their independence skills at varying rates.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children are not consistently prepared for their next stage of learning. Their achievement is uneven. While some children confidently use tools, such as scissors, and make marks with meaning, staff do not provide children with the skills and knowledge they need to build on what they already know and can do.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders have an idea of appropriate expectations for children's behaviour and attitudes and the establishment of routines, but there are inconsistencies in practice that have a negative impact on children. Expectations for children's behaviour are not always set out from the outset, so children are unclear or confused about what is expected of them. For example, children are only sometimes told about the safety rules and expectations before visiting forest school. Some staff speak abruptly to stop unwanted behaviour, and usher children away. They do not explain or support children to understand what is expected of them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff do not vary their expectations of different children's behaviours, based on each child's age and stage. This means that some expectations are unachievable for some children. Consistent routines are not securely embedded. Staff do not build warm, trusting relationships with children. Children do not understand what is expected of them and how to keep themselves and others safe in the future. It also does not make children feel safe and secure at the setting.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders understand the needs of children, especially disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and wellbeing. However, the support that leaders provide is not well matched to improving children's behaviour and attitudes or establishing routines, and does not keep up with their changing circumstances.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Some staff respond to children's ideas and encourage them to play together and collaborate well. Children extend each other's ideas and enjoy each other's company. However, overall, staff interactions with children, particularly babies, are inconsistent and infrequent and are not responsive. Incidents of poor behaviour are not addressed quickly enough and not always noticed by staff. Leaders do not work to promote the importance of punctuality or attendance.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have introduced a new planning and assessment process. However, many staff are not aware of this. Leaders are not effective at checking the quality of assessments and ensuring planning for children's next steps is appropriate. While the curriculum is ambitious, it does not currently build on what children know and can do, so they do not gain the knowledge and skills needed for later success in education.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

While staff teach all areas of learning, teaching quality is inconsistent. They support children's mathematical language. Some staff support children's reading well. They praise children's efforts as they draw pictures. However, some staff do not consistently develop children's vocabulary and communication skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have an awareness of reasonable adjustments they need to make to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning and wellbeing. However, these are not made in a timely manner or clearly communicated to staff.

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Urgent improvement

The curriculum design is in its early stages. Engaging activities are set out and children enjoy collaborating together to complete these. For example, children look at pictures from 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and mix the play dough colours to match the shade of green of the butterfly from the story.

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Urgent improvement

Leaders understand that the quality of curriculum implementation and teaching is inconsistent. Despite having an ambitious curriculum intent and plans to train staff, leaders have not secured improvements quickly enough.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders identify some support that some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) need to help reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing. However, they do not implement this quickly enough. Due to the high levels of staff turnover, some staff do not identify discrete signs and changes in children's behaviour that indicate gaps in their development or learning.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders' intention to provide support is not clearly communicated to staff or parents. Children with barriers to learning and wellbeing attend the setting without appropriate support in place. For example, resources are not readily available and interactions are not purposeful and meaningful. Children who cannot sit independently do not receive the appropriate support to do so through interactions or resources. While leaders share that they have the intention for resources to arrive, they are not available when children need them. Staff do not appropriately identify when or how to implement support that is available. Staff communicate with leaders the need for further training to support children with SEND. However, leaders have not implemented this. While leaders have plans to support children known or previously known to social care, staff are unable to identify any need for additional support, and therefore do not support the progress of children known or previously known to

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Inclusion Needs attention

children's social care. There are weaknesses and inconsistencies in practice that have a negative impact on children with additional needs and barriers to their learning.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders have recently put in place assessment tools to monitor children's progress and review appropriate support. Leaders identify how to appropriately spend early years pupil premium funding by communicating with external agencies, parents and the staff team. They plan to complete home visits to help identify any gaps or barriers to learning and wellbeing. However, this has not yet been put in place.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Arrangements for staff deployment are poor. Children are often out of sight or hearing of staff. When this happens, children sustain unexplained injuries. Staff do not adequately monitor children's safety during sleep times, putting children at risk. Staff are poor role models when teaching children how to stay safe. For example, while staff talk to children about staying safe near open fires during a trip to forest school, staff step across the fire circle while handing out snacks to children. The environment poses risks to children, such as missing boundaries around the forest school site, which is bordered by bodies of water. This does not support their understanding of risk, safety, boundaries or expected conduct.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Practitioners do not support children's social and emotional wellbeing. Children are not suitably prepared for transitions. Due to the high levels of staff turnover, the key-person system does not work effectively to ensure that every child's care is tailored to meet their individual needs. Children are unable to develop secure attachments with relevant carers due to the inconsistent staff team. Practitioners fail to notice when children need attention and just focus on meeting their very basic needs, such as eating and sleeping.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Older children are supported to develop their independence during snack times. However, only children with allergies are given a place mat, which can make them feel singled out and different to the other children. Children are not supported to recognise, express or manage their emotions and, as a result, do not develop a secure sense of emotional wellbeing. Children receive mixed messages in terms of understanding rules for their personal safety.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

There have been significant changes, including new ownership and a change in management and staffing, which have had a significant impact on the setting. Leaders' actions to improve weaknesses are not effective. Where they do identify areas for improvement, they do not act quickly enough. When this happens, partnerships with parents and external agencies are weak and do not support children's welfare and development. Leaders have a positive and proactive attitude to making changes, but fail to do so in a timely manner and to fully embed them among the staff team.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders' actions to tackle areas for development have not been timely enough to be effective. Partnerships with parents and other settings and professionals involved in supporting children's education and care are weak. As a result of the high staff turnover, only a small number of staff have key children, and the workload is unsustainable.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure staff are deployed appropriately, and children are often out of sight and sound, putting them at risk in their sleep and play.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

While there are plans to support staff's professional development, these have not yet been actioned. When staff request additional support, such as specific resources or training, these are not actioned in a timely manner to enable staff to develop the skills they need to support children. Leaders are not making decisions that are in the best interests of children.

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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 not 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

Staff care for the children. However, some interactions are not responsive or of high quality. Staff workload is unmanageable and they can only meet children's basic needs, rather than offering them an environment in which they can thrive. Children require more support to manage their own behaviour, and there are incidents of accidents and injuries occurring that are not witnessed by staff. Children enjoy aspects of their learning. However, staff do not accurately identify and differentiate learning or tailor it to each child's different age and stage. Children do not make secure progress from their starting points. Leaders have plans to gather information about each child's starting points, such as home visits. However, these are not yet implemented. Children are not given age-appropriate support to develop their knowledge and skills. As a result, children are not well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not provided with appropriate support and resources to reduce their barriers to learning in a timely manner.

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

Children play collaboratively with their peers for short periods of time. Due to the high levels of staff turnover, children are not able to develop positive relationships with a consistent key worker. The partnership with parents is generally poor. When accidents and incidents occur, leaders do not communicate clearly with parents. Staff make efforts to meet children's basic needs, but they do not receive the support to value and nurture every child's uniqueness and prepare them to thrive in the next steps of development.

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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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Action Completion Date

ensure safeguarding policies and procedures are followed, including the correct actions to be taken in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff, and that these are managed appropriately by independent safeguarding leads 19/03/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure staff know and act on their responsibility to follow whistleblowing procedures if they have a concern 16/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure key information regarding children's identified needs and emerging concerns are shared effectively with key staff so that children's special educational needs and/or disabilities are consistently supported 16/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

provide staff with training and support to understand and implement a highly ambitious curriculum 16/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure children are always within sight or hearing throughout the day, including during sleep times and during play 16/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

provide training and support to the staff team to ensure they consistently help children understand what is expected of them 16/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

improve risk assessments and ensure that all staff understand their individual roles and responsibilities to be deployed effectively and model safe behaviours to children, and that risks in the environment are checked, removed and minimised 19/03/2026

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Action Completion Date

improve the key-person arrangements, ensuring that staff workload is manageable and the depth of knowledge they hold about children is meaningful 16/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

improve parent partnership arrangements so that information sharing is accurate and effective in order to promotes children's welfare and wellbeing 16/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

improve systems in place to monitor staff assessment of children, ensuring that plans for their next steps are appropriate and prepare all children for their next stage in learning. 16/04/2026

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About this inspection

The inspectors spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, the designated safeguarding leads, agency staff and parents 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. Combe Lane Chiddingfold Surrey GU8 4XL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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About this inspection

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

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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 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

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