Kingston Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Staff have failed to follow the safeguarding procedures regarding the storage of their mobile phones and personal belongings. This compromises children's safety.

Staff do not consistently guide children to make healthy choices about what they eat and how to manage their personal needs independently. This reduces opportunities for children to become independent and ready for their next stage in education. Overall, children demonstrate positive behaviour.

Staff act as good role models and remind children about using their manners, sharing and taking turns when necessary. However, sometimes, some staff do not challe...nge or address children's unwanted behaviour. This gives children an inconsistent understanding of what is expected of them.

Despite this, children are happy as they arrive at the nursery and quickly settle into the routines of the day. Staff embed what they want children to learn through some carefully planned activities that build on what children already know and can do. For example, children make nests after reading the story of 'Owl Babies'.

They discuss what materials owls use. Children select their own materials from a wide range of resources. This helps to build on children's existing knowledge.

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

Leaders do not ensure that the mobile phone policy is implemented. Staff leave their belongings, including mobile phones, within easy access to children. Staff have access to their phones in the playrooms, toilet and garden areas that are used by children.

Consequently, this compromises children's safety and welfare.Leaders and staff do not consistently ensure that children demonstrate a good understanding of the behaviour which is expected of them and how to keep themselves safe. This leads to unnecessary risks, such as children putting knives in their mouth when eating, which compromises children's safety.

Children learn to put on their own coats. However, staff do not consistently promote children's independence skills. For instance, staff wipe older children's noses who are capable of doing this themselves.

Staff pour children's drinks, serve their food and scrape their plates when children can do this on their own. They do not encourage or teach children to make healthy food choices and do not work well enough with parents to ensure children are give a healthy balanced diet. When some children's lunchboxes consist mainly of chocolate, staff ask children to eat their sandwiches first but do not challenge children's choices when they eat all the chocolate items first.

Children are immersed in new learning experiences every week through the imagination of stories. Staff enthusiastically read stories while children anticipate what comes next. Children recreate the stories during activities.

For example, toddlers who are reading 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' match the size of the porridge bowls to the three different-sized bears. They practise pouring the porridge oats and feed a Goldilocks doll. This helps to develop children's love of stories and introduce new vocabulary to children from an early age.

Leaders and staff have a clear curriculum goal to improve children's speech and language skills. Many children who attend the nursery speak English as an additional language. Children hear, and staff encourage them to use, the language they need to communicate their needs and views.

Staff use objects of reference, pictures and simple words from children's home languages to communicate and extend their understanding of English. As a result, children make good progress in improving their speech and understanding of the English language.Staff work closely with parents to mirror babies' routines from home.

Staff offer babies plenty of smiles, cuddles and reassurance as they explore their environment, climb, make music and listen to stories. This results in happy, settled and trusting babies.Children enjoy spending time in the nursery garden, where they have access to a range of activities that support their physical health.

Children practise balancing across the wooden beams, making porridge linked to their story in large bowls and sorting natural objects. As a result, children make good progress in their physical development.Staff build positive relationships with parents, many who speak English as an additional language.

They encourage parents to attend music-and-movement sessions, which help them to understand what and how their children are learning through play, songs and stories.Staff have monthly supervision meetings. They have the opportunity to discuss their well-being, and gain support and guidance from the experienced manager.

Overall, staff or leaders identify any training opportunities that staff may have or would like to improve. Staff share their learning experiences with all staff at regular staff meetings. However, leaders have failed to identify and monitor staff's understanding of the importance of implementing the mobile phone policy, to keep children safe.

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 ensure that staff understand and implement safeguarding policies and procedures fully, in relation to mobile phones, to keep children safe 19/02/2024 make sure that staff's expectations of children's behaviour are implemented consistently to enable children to understand what is expected of them 19/02/2024 improve partnership working with parents so that children receive a balanced, healthy diet and teach children how to live healthy lives.

19/02/2024