The Village Nursery

The Village Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): EY443679 Address: 3a Station Road, LONDON, SW13 0LP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 22/03/2012 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: The Barnes Village Nursery Ltd.

p.1

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. Leaders do not consistently follow safer recruitment policies. In some cases, they allow staff to begin work without all required pre- employment checks, including references, when they personally know the individuals. This means that children are in contact with adults whose suitability has not been fully checked.

p.2

Safeguarding standards not met

Staff are familiar with the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm and understand how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns. They know who the designated safeguarding lead is and can describe the procedures to follow in case of concerns about children's welfare. Staff also understand the importance of recording and passing on concerns promptly so that appropriate actions can be taken.

p.2

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Achievement Needs attention

Although children enjoy attending the setting, their achievement is inconsistent across the groups. This is due to variations in how staff support and extend children's learning. Children are offered opportunities to explore and investigate. However, the organisation of resources and environment does not always support children's engagement. In addition, these experiences can lack consistency as there are times when staff are busy with routines and do not effectively build on children's learning. As a result, children do not always make secure progress from their starting points. For example, younger children enjoy story time. However, their attention and listening skills are hindered because staff walk through the group while the story is being read. This disrupts their concentration and makes it difficult for them to remain engaged.

p.2

Achievement Needs attention

Older children make better progress as they are offered a wider range of motivating activities. They use positional and mathematical language as they build structures with magnets. They play cooperatively at the kitchen corner and engage in imaginative play. Pre- schoolers communicate well between themselves and adults. They are confident to tell visitors about their future schools. For example, they excitedly explain where their new school is and that they will be wearing a 'purple t-shirt' there.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Children are not fully supported to follow expectations for their behaviour and develop positive attitudes to learning. However, they are more motivated and engaged when staff provide interesting learning experiences that meet their stage of development, although this is not consistent across the setting. Older children show a positive attitude to learning and independently choose what they want to play with. They cooperate with their peers and show concentration while exploring busy boards. Staff support them to understand how their actions impact others. However, staff working with younger children do not always respond effectively to children's care and learning needs. For example, they do not consistently provide purposeful learning experiences. This reduces the quality of interactions children receive and impacts their engagement and attention. In addition, they do not set clear enough behavioural expectations. As a result, younger children do not always show that

p.3

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

they understand and respect boundaries in different situations. For example, at times, some children run indoors and throw resources.

p.3

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The organisation of some routines and the learning environment is not always effective. For example, younger children are interrupted during play and activities to receive care . This limits their concentration and disrupts their learning. In addition, at times, there are too many resources available at once or activities are not carefully set up to sustain children's engagement. As a result, some children lose focus and then do not engage in meaningful learning. Attendance is monitored and children attend regularly.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Weaknesses in recruitment procedures mean that not all individuals working with children have undergone the required suitability checks. Although leaders have put some controls in place, such as ensuring these staff are never left alone with the children, this does not eliminate the risk.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Information about allergies and dietary requirements is gathered from parents before children start attending, reviewed regularly and understood by all staff. Younger children with allergies sit separately from the rest of the group during mealtimes. While this is done to support their safety, the arrangement can make them feel singled out and different to other children. Children enjoy healthy meals that encourage them to explore a variety of food. They are supervised to help reduce risks such as choking. However, staff do not always challenge younger children when they grab food from their peers' bowls. This does not support children to develop safe eating habits and good manners.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children enjoy fresh air and develop their motor skills. They have opportunities to be physically active, including during sport sessions, which support their health and wellbeing. Older children run and negotiate space skilfully during football lessons in a nearby park. Younger children strengthen their small muscles while using pegs to hang laundry in the home corner. Children form positive relationships with familiar adults and seek support when needed. If children become upset, staff comfort them with cuddles and reassurance. This supports children's emotional wellbeing.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

In the main, staff observe children, assess their ongoing development and identify their next steps in learning. Leaders have a vision for high-quality interactions to promote children's development across the areas of learning. However, teaching is not consistent across the setting, and the implementation of the curriculum is too variable to ensure children fully benefit. For example, a focus of the curriculum is for the children to be independent. However, staff complete tasks for children that they are able to do for themselves. For example, they hold cups for younger children when they need a drink and often tidy-up resources, rather than encouraging children to help.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Some children have access to activities that extend their learning. For example, pre- schoolers carefully use scissors to cut paper and ribbons for their creations. They concentrate and take their time to neatly place their decorations on cardboard rolls while staff describe what they are doing. However, these activities are not consistent enough across all age groups and available throughout the day. As a result, not all children have access to purposeful play and learning experiences across the day and the setting.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff promote children's communication skills. They provide opportunities for children to read books, sing songs and engage in some conversations. Younger children are encouraged to observe 'shelly' fish and the shark's 'sharp and shiny' teeth while reading stories. Older children learn new words as they test their hand-eye coordination playing with 'spanners and wing latches'.

p.4

Inclusion Needs attention

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to take part in activities. For example, children are provided with one-to-one support and extra resources, such as weighted blankets and sensory baskets, to support their individual needs. However, this support is not consistent across all age groups. As a result, not all children always receive support through appropriate adult interactions to help them progress.

p.4

Inclusion Needs attention

Staff support children with allergies to minimise the risk of cross-contamination. However, some arrangements, such as seating children separately from their peers, may limit their sense of inclusion.

p.4

Inclusion Needs attention

Children who speak English as an additional language are supported through tailored communication strategies. For example, staff provide multilingual books and invite parents and carers at the setting to share their cultures and backgrounds. This helps children to feel valued and included. Although there are no children on roll in receipt of additional funding, leaders have a clear understanding of how they would use additional funding. For example, they explain that they would provide children with extra resources and would ensure access to experiences they might not get otherwise.

p.4

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders do not consistently follow safer recruitment procedures. For example, they allow staff who are personally known to them to begin work before references are obtained. This is a breach of the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage because leaders have not fully checked that all adults are suitable to work with children. This places children at potential risk of harm and demonstrates that leaders' oversight of safer recruitment and ongoing suitability is not robust enough.

p.5

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders know what they want to achieve at the setting. However, their plans have not yet had sufficient impact to secure improvements in practice. For example, although staff receive some day-to-day directions from leaders, there is not a secure system in place to closely monitor all staff practice to quickly identify gaps in teaching and drive improvement. Furthermore, professional development is largely limited to mandatory training. This limits staff's ability to improve their practice.

p.5

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Despite these weaknesses, leaders show commitment to improvement. In addition, they maintain positive partnerships with parents and carers. Parents report that their children are happy to attend the setting. They praise the 'energetic' staff and are pleased with the service and the level of communication they receive.

p.5

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

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

p.5

Register

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

p.5

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

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

p.6

Register

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

p.6

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

Leaders have a vision for how they want staff to interact with children. However, variability in the delivery of the curriculum means children do not consistently benefit from high-quality teaching in all areas of learning. As a result, children do not always build on their learning or fully develop key skills. When children are provided with stimulating experiences, they enjoy taking part in the activities and show greater engagement. For example, pre-school children engage in conversations about making coconut soup while they use large pipettes and containers to pour water at the sensory tray. However, these opportunities are not consistently available to all children, including those facing barriers to learning.

p.6

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

Safer recruitment processes are not consistently applied. Leaders cannot assure that all adults working with children are suitable. This is because they do not always request references before a staff member starts if they know the individual personally. Although leaders have put some controls in place, such as ensuring these staff are never left alone with the children, this compromises children's safety.

p.6

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

Children experience a warm and generally caring environment and have positive relationships with staff. For example, they are keen to show staff what they are doing and ask for help and reassurance when needed. In some rooms, the learning environment is not organised as effectively as possible to enable children to deeply focus on their learning. For instance, in some areas, there are too many resources out and younger children struggle to negotiate space while exploring the environment.

p.6

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

Mostly, children enjoy each other's company. However, at times, when routines do not run smoothly or they do not receive the support needed, their behaviour can deteriorate. As a result, learning is disrupted, and children miss opportunities to make the progress they are capable of. Children are provided with experiences that develop their curiosity and

p.6

Inspector:

Damiana Cornacchia understanding of the world around them. For example, they enjoy special visits, such as meeting a gecko, and take part in outings to places such as the farm or the post office.

p.7

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:

p.7

Action Completion Date

ensure safer recruitment practices are implemented and that all staff provide references before starting work with children 30/07/2026

p.7

Action Completion Date

ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently so that staff are able to support children to access purposeful play and learning across the setting 30/07/2026

p.7

Action Completion Date

review the organisation of some routines and the environment to make sure children are not disrupted in their learning and are fully engaged in all activities and experiences 30/07/2026

p.7

Action Completion Date

ensure the environment is monitored and staff receive regular supervision so that weaknesses in practice are identified promptly and lead to sustained improvements in provision 30/07/2026

p.7

Action Completion Date

consistently embed expectations for children's behaviour to help them understand boundaries 30/07/2026

p.7

About this inspection

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.8

Address:

Registered person: The Barnes Village Nursery Ltd.

p.8

Address:

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

p.8

Facts and figures used on inspection

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

p.8

Exceptional

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

p.9

Strong standard

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

p.9

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.

p.9

Needs attention

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

p.9

Urgent improvement

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

p.9

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.

p.9

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.9

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Urgent improvement

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

p.9