Woodside Children’s Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Children do not develop good attitudes to their learning. The quality of interaction that children receive from some members of staff and regular student volunteers is poor.

Children become bored because the activities that staff provide do not hold their attention for long. Some staff focus their teaching too narrowly on a prescribed outcome, which limits children's opportunity to develop a broad set of knowledge and skills. For instance, pre-school children are provided with a picture of a chick that they must decorate with a fork dipped in paint.

They can easily do this, and staff do not introduce any new lear...ning for children to build on what they know and can already do. Student volunteers learn from staff's poor practice. They are not supervised well enough which means their poor interactions with children go unnoticed by the manager and staff.

Staff give children mixed messages about what is expected of them. For example, they persuade pre-school children to tidy away by offering them a sticker. Some children are rewarded without helping.

This is confusing for all children involved.Children's personal development is not well supported by staff. For example, staff do not consider children's privacy when they change their nappies.

Children are changed on unhygienic, ripped changing mats in the corridor, or where other children are playing. Babies crawl close to a large bag of dirty nappies. Staff do not always consider how they can keep children safe while they sleep.

Some babies sleep in baby bouncers, which compromises their posture and potentially their breathing. Staff lift resources over the heads of sleeping babies with the risk of items falling on their heads.

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

Unexpected changes have been made to the management structure of the nursery.

The assistant manager is currently responsible for the day-to-day running of the provision. She is new to post and does not have an effective enough oversight of the nursery to make sure all requirements of the early years foundation stage are being met. At the time of inspection, Ofsted had not been informed about a significant event in relation to the leadership, which could affect the running of the nursery.

Staff are not clear about what they want children to learn. The curriculum does not meet the individual learning needs of all children. Staff have not given enough thought to how they can adapt activities to make sure all children benefit and make progress.

Furthermore, some activities that staff provide do not capture the interests of children. As a result, children are generally disengaged from learning and their behaviour deteriorates as a result.Staff's teaching varies in quality across the nursery.

For example, staff show babies how to work their fingers to sprinkle rice, but children are ushered away from the activity before they are ready because staff want to tidy away. This means children are not able to independently practise these skills. The assistant manager does not identify and address poor practice swiftly enough because current performance management systems are not effective.

The strategies that staff use to support children's behaviour are not effective or appropriate. Staff struggle to manage the range of different emotions and behaviours that children show. They say they 'bribe' older children with stickers.

Staff tell children they will send them to the office if they do not do what is asked of them, implying this is something to fear. These are not appropriate ways of supporting children's development.The systems in place for supervising student volunteers are not effective.

The assistant manager fails to identify and address weaknesses in their practice. Student volunteers are not clear about what they can and cannot do in their role. A student volunteer is observed pulling babies away from activities and kissing them repeatedly around the face.

This goes unnoticed by staff. Babies show reluctance to this interaction.Staff do not follow the latest government safety guidance when they lay children down to sleep.

Not all babies are placed in a suitable bed or cot. Staff allow some babies to sleep in a cradled baby bouncer, which means they cannot lie flat. This can impact on their physical development and breathing.

Staff do not recognise the risks of lifting resources over the heads of sleeping babies.The facilities and arrangements that staff use for changing children's nappies are not suitable or hygienic. Staff do not take all appropriate measures to promote children's dignity.

They change children of all ages in view of their peers. Staff leave dirty nappies in reach of other children. The changing mats that staff use are damaged and internal foam is exposed, which means they cannot be properly cleaned and children are exposed to germs.

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 design and implement a curriculum across all areas of learning and development based on children's individual needs and interests 29/04/2024 embed effective performance management systems to raise the quality of education provided across the nursery 29/04/2024 ensure staff use appropriate strategies to support and manage children's behaviour 29/04/2024 ensure that volunteers understand their roles and responsibilities and are properly supervised at all times 29/04/2024 ensure arrangements for nappy changing are safe and suitable for all children 29/04/2024 ensure arrangements for sleeping children are in line with the latest government safety guidance.

29/04/2024