Smiley Faces Childcare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Leaders fail to prevent children being exposed to risks in the environment that compromise their health. Walls, furnishings and resources, such as the song bags staff use in the baby room, have mould on their surface.

Some staff cannot promote children's safety because they do not recognise signs that indicate a child may be at risk of harm. Furthermore, when leaders become aware of potentially serious incidents, they do not take appropriate action to refer the concerns. Children have not had an assigned key person since staff recently moved rooms.

Therefore, staff working with the children do not know vital info...rmation about them and have not identified how best to support them. Therefore, they are unable to meet children's needs. Some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) spend most of their time laid on the floor distressed while staff interact with other children.

Some children wander the environment unoccupied with inappropriate resources in their mouths, such as magnetic toys. The learning experiences for children at the nursery are inconsistent. Some children receive a poor quality of care and education, as staff lack the necessary knowledge and skills to support them.

At times, children explore the environment with little purpose and receive limited interaction from staff. Babies and younger children, however, enjoy joining in with staff singing nursery rhymes. They imitate key words staff repeat and smile, clap and giggle, enjoying playing alongside staff.

Younger children show they are reassured by staff. They seek cuddles and include staff in their chosen play, taking toys over to them. Children develop close relationships with others.

They hug their friends at times throughout the day and hold hands when playing.

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

Leaders have not ensured that when staff recently moved into different rooms they were assigned key children. Therefore, staff do not know the children's care and developmental needs.

Staff do not know what children need to learn next and therefore do not recognise when they need support. For example, when a child picks up a pencil, staff do not offer purposeful direction, resulting in the child walking around the room with the pencil in their mouth. Staff attempt to interact with children while they play a number game.

They ask the children questions about what they are doing and tell them what the different numbers and colours are. However, as staff do not know children's different abilities, these are not considered when engaging in activities. As a result, any learning is incidental, and children show very little interest in adult-led activities, instead wandering around the room unoccupied.

Staff practice is inconsistent between rooms, and some staff, particularly those working with toddlers and pre-school children, do not interact well with children.They fail to engage with children for long periods of time during the day and instead sit near them in silence. When staff do interact, it is not adapted to meet the needs of the children.

For example, staff read a story that is far too complex and long for the children, who become distracted and show unwanted behaviours. Staff working with the younger children talk back to babies when they babble and help them learn basic conversational skills. They teach them sounds and simple words that children can copy while playing with farm animals.

Staff do not provide children with the right support they need to develop their independence. At lunchtime, staff give children cutlery to cut their fish fingers and potato waffles. However, as most children do not have the hand and finger skills needed to use these tools, they end up using their fingers.

Children behave well despite not always knowing staff's expectations, and they follow staff instructions, such as washing their hands and sitting down. Children share resources with one another and help their friends, when needed, with finding toys. They show a willingness to learn and listen to staff.

Leaders do not ensure that hazards to children's health in the environment are identified. Therefore, they fail to take the appropriate steps to reduce or remove these risks. When some staff and leaders become aware of children displaying signs or symptoms indicating a risk of harm, they do not take the appropriate action to keep children safe.

Although leaders have identified poor teaching from some staff, they have not assessed the impact this has on children's learning or taken any action to improve poor practice. The curriculum that leaders have in place does not meet children's learning and development needs and does not equip staff to build upon what children know and can do.Overall, parents and carers are positive about the care children receive and how staff communicate with them.

They explain that their children usually enjoy attending the nursery and talk about staff pleasantly when they are at home.

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?

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action.

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to: Due date train all staff and leaders so they understand and implement safeguarding policies and procedures effectively, ensuring they consistently identify any possible concerns and take appropriate and swift action to safeguard children 17/02/2024 review all information known about children and demonstrate that appropriate action has been taken to manage any concerns, including ensuring concerns about children's safety or welfare are referred without delay 31/01/2024 ensure staff understand and fulfil their role as a key person effectively so that the care and education provided or tailored meets the needs of every child, including children with SEND 17/02/2024 take all reasonable steps to ensure the premises are safe and secure and that children are not exposed to risks.31/01/2024 To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure the curriculum is planned to provide the knowledge, skills and understanding you want children to learn, building upon what they already know and can do, and ensure that staff implement the curriculum effectively.

17/02/2024