Mountlands Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Although the leadership team has employed a new manager and made some changes since the last inspection, these actions have not improved the quality of the provision.

There are significant weaknesses in practices and procedures. Risk assessment procedures are not effective, which puts children's safety at risk, particularly when they are outdoors. Due to weaknesses in the induction procedures and lack of support and supervision for staff, staff lack a good enough understanding of their role and responsibilities, and their interactions with children are weak.

The design and the intent of the curriculum remain weak... and do not have a strong enough focus on what leaders want children to learn. Staff do not get the support they need to help them understand the curriculum so they can provide targeted and purposeful learning opportunities. As a result, children do not receive the support and challenge that they need to help them to make progress in their learning.

Children become bored and run around the playroom. They struggle to share the resources and often snatch toys from each other. Although staff intervene, they do not help children learn how to manage their feelings in an appropriate way because they do not know how to.

Children spend time wandering around with little or no interaction from staff. When staff do interact with children, they do not impact positively on children's learning. For instance, when children are interested in insects they find in the garden, instead of helping children to identify the insects, staff tell them that they do not know what they are and ignore the children's requests to learn.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Weaknesses to leaders' and staff's knowledge and understanding of how to identify and reduce risks place children at risk of harm. Although they carry out checks of the garden before children go out to play, staff do not consider the risk of children playing with the poisonous berries from a holly bush or the ivy growing where children play. Furthermore, they leave boxes of heavy toys stacked up high in the playhouse, where children play independently.

In addition, at mealtimes, leaders encourage children to put large pieces of hard garlic bread, which are too big for them to chew, into their mouths, and they do not see the potential risk of a child choking.Leaders do not ensure that staff know and understand their roles and responsibilities. The induction that staff receive is ineffective, and staff do not receive supervision to help identify and address any weaknesses in their practice.

This means that staff are unclear of day-to-day procedures and are unable to deliver a curriculum that meets children's needs. Staff spend too much time simply watching children play, as they do not know how to support children's learning.Although the new manager has designed a new curriculum and planning procedures, she has not ensured that staff have received any training or support on how to implement these or to help them understand what children need to learn.

Children do not receive the challenge that they need to help them to make good progress in their learning. For example, they enjoy role playing on a pretend bus, but they soon lose interest, as staff do not provide any direction to extend their ideas or challenge what they already know. Staff do not provide learning based on children's next steps.

For example, staff encourage children to join dots together to form letters when they are playing outside and standing up. Staff get them to try to write when they are not developmentally ready to do so. Children do not receive the right support to develop the skills that they need for future learning.

Children enjoy having opportunities to play outside in the garden with the large ride-in cars and bicycles.Leaders and staff take part in child protection training. They understand their responsibilities to monitor children's welfare and to report any concerns that they have about children's well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date improve risk assessment processes so that risks are identified and reduced, to help keep children safe 05/01/2024 plan and deliver a broad, ambitious and stimulating curriculum that builds on every child's knowledge and skills and helps them to make good progress in their learning 31/01/2024 provide staff with effective support and coaching to raise the quality of their interactions with children, to support children's engagement in learning 31/01/2024 provide staff with effective induction and supervision, to help them understand their roles and responsibilities and provide children with good-quality learning experiences.

31/01/2024