The Co-operative Childcare Body Shop

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Managers and staff do not complete thorough risk assessments of the environment.

Procedures in place are weak. The managers and staff fail to identify potential risks and do not take action to remove or minimise these. Areas in the garden are unsafe and have not been securely sectioned off.

For example, children can access wooden decking that is rotting and exposing screws. In addition, hazards such as stagnant water and broken equipment pose further risks of accident and injury to children. Furthermore, safety gates are left open, leaving cleaning chemicals within children's reach.

This means that child...ren's safety cannot be assured.Despite this, most children arrive at the nursery happy. They separate from their parents with ease.

Staff plan activities to support children's learning and development. For example, they encourage babies to stretch out to toys that are just out of reach and pull themselves up on low-level equipment. They support toddlers to learn how to use tweezers to pick up small items such as plastic spiders.

Pre-school children enjoy making marks on large chalkboards. This supports children's muscle development. However, there are variations in the quality and consistency of activities offered.

For instance, although some children engage in activities, others wander around the room, as staff do not plan activities that interest them. This results in poor behaviour, such as throwing toys and sand. Staff fail to recognise when children are not engaged.

They do not support children to understand the impact of their behaviour. This does not support children's progress.

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

Risk assessments are not effective.

Managers do not take prompt enough action to address risks and maintain a safe environment. Although managers took steps to remove some hazards during the inspection, these had not been identified during daily risk assessments, particularly in the garden.The manager has a clear curriculum intent.

She recognises the importance of supporting children's emotional development. However, the quality of education and teaching across the nursery is variable. Staff do not always recognise when they need to provide emotional support.

For example, when children become upset, they are told they do not need to cry. This does not promote children's emotional development, despite this being a focus of the curriculum.Staff do not set clear expectations for children's behaviour.

There are inconsistencies in strategies used across the nursery. At times, behaviour is overlooked or ignored by staff. For instance, behaviours such as running indoors, climbing on chairs and poking friends are not addressed.

This does not support children to learn right from wrong.The new manager has an improvement plan in place. She demonstrates ambition to implement positive changes.

Staff have regular supervisions and are provided with professional development opportunities. However, the manager fails to monitor the effectiveness of the training. For example, all staff, including the behaviour management coordinator, have recently received behaviour training, yet they still lack understanding of how to put this into practice.

Children benefit from an effective key-person and buddy system. This supports children to form attachments with other members of staff if their key person is not available. Children's personal care routines, such as nappy changes and mealtimes, are managed by their key person.

Staff ensure they follow familiar routines from home to ensure children settle and feel secure.Staff weave mathematics into children's play and planned activities. For example, they support children to count conkers and find the matching numeral.

Children hear positional words such as 'under', 'over' and 'through'. This helps children to understand and use positioning words.Partnership with parents is effective.

Parents speak highly of the nursery and praise the staff team. They feel well informed of their children's progress. Staff share children's next steps and provide parents with activities to continue their children's learning at home.

Parents know who their child's key person is. They have regular opportunities to attend parents' evenings.The special educational needs coordinator, although new to her role, is confident to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

She works closely in partnership with parents and other professionals to develop targeted plans. This ensures that children receive the support they need.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Managers and staff do not identify and minimise potential hazards to ensure children's safety. Although daily risk assessments are in place, these are not effective. This compromises children's safety.

Despite this, staff know the signs that indicate a child may be at risk from abuse or harm. Staff demonstrate their understanding of the 'Prevent' duty and county lines well. 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 is robust, and staff working at the nursery are suitably vetted.

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 ensure that robust risk assessments are implemented, and that the risk assessment process is effective in identifying and removing all potential hazards 26/10/2023 provide staff with support and coaching to implement appropriate and consistent strategies for managing children's behaviour, to help all children to feel safe and understand how to manage their own feelings and behaviour.26/10/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the monitoring of staff and the implementation of the curriculum, to focus more closely on improving staff's practice so that they can provide all children with consistently good teaching.