Scallywags Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Weaknesses in leadership and management compromise children's welfare and good health. Since the previous visit, the provider has taken some steps to address the cleanliness of the nursery in the areas that children sit and play, for example, the carpets have been cleaned.

However, risk assessments remain ineffective in identifying potential hazards in the environment so they can be removed or minimised.Children do not receive the level of education to which they are entitled. Staff do not sufficiently focus on the skills each child needs to develop when planning activities.

Younger children's individual needs ar...e not met and children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are not sufficiently supported to move on to the next stage in their learning. Staff do not interact with children in a way that helps them to sustain in purposeful learning experiences or develop positive attitudes to learning. However, older children enjoy being physically active.

They spend time jumping in the large puddles and enjoy re-enacting the story of 'We're going on a bear hunt' in the garden.Children arrive happy and are ready to play. They readily leave their carers at the door.

Children form close bonds with staff who are familiar to them. Staff respond to babies' emotional needs well, offering them cuddles, comfort and reassurance when needed.

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

The provider does not ensure that the environment is fit for purpose and maintained to a good standard.

Although cleaning routines are in place, they are not effective in promoting children's good health and well-being. Toys and chairs where children play are dirty.At the beginning of the inspection, some staff had not been provided with suitable bins in their rooms to dispose of used nappies, meaning that used nappies were left on the floor and in reach of children.

While improvements in cleaning regimes and equipment were evident by the time the inspection concluded, the nursery remains dirty and unkempt.The manager and staff do not assess risks to children effectively enough, both indoors and in the garden. For example, they have failed to implement effective risk assessment procedures to ensure children are unable to leave the premises unsupervised.

Staff do not manage children's behaviour consistently. For example, some children run inside without consistent guidance from adults. This means that children do not understand what is expected.

At times, staff do not deploy themselves effectively to meet the needs of all the children. On occasions, some staff prioritise housekeeping tasks. This takes them away from directly supervising the children, leaving the remaining staff overwhelmed.

This has an impact on the way they manage children's behaviour and does not support children's personal, social and emotional development.The quality of education and teaching across the nursery is inadequate. Although staff identify some learning intentions for children, the curriculum is not implemented well enough.

They do not take sufficient consideration of what children need to learn next when planning activities. This means that learning is incidental rather than purposefully planned to build on children's skills and knowledge over time. This does not help all children reach their full potential.

The arrangements for the supervision of staff are weak. The manager does not monitor staff's practice well enough to ensure that identified weaknesses in their practice are addressed. Consequently, the quality of the provision has deteriorated since the last inspection.

Parents speak positively about the nursery. They say that their children enjoy attending. Staff share information with parents at drop-off and collection times.

Parents are kept informed of their children's next steps so that they can continue their children's learning at home. Additional funding is used to provide some one-to-one support for children who need it.The manager and staff understand how to recognise possible signs and indicators of abuse.

They know how to report concerns to the relevant external agencies. Staff are aware of the whistle-blowing policy and know what action to take if they are concerned about the practice of a colleague. Recruitment processes are effective to ensure that those working with children are suitable to do so.

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, the provider must: Due date ensure the premises, including all equipment and resources, are fit for purpose, suitable and clean and do not pose a health risk to children 22/12/2023 ensure that staff have a robust knowledge of effective risk assessment and take all reasonable steps to make sure children are not exposed to unnecessary risks 22/12/2023 take all reasonable steps to ensure that children cannot leave the premises unsupervised 22/12/2023 ensure children's behaviour is managed in an effective and appropriate way 22/12/2023 ensure that staff are deployed effectively at all times to adequately supervise children and meet their needs 22/12/2023 ensure there is an ambitious curriculum based on children's learning and development needs that is implemented effectively through planned, purposeful activities and experiences 22/12/2023 ensure that staff supervision arrangements are effective in helping them to understand their roles and responsibilities, identifying ongoing training needs and tackling underperformance.

22/12/2023