Ashbourne Day Nurseries At Swanbourne

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement There have been many changes to management and staffing at the nursery.

The curriculum is under review, with the provider shaping and developing the programme of what children will learn. Senior staff review teaching and learning and have high ambition for what children will learn. The curriculum intentions are clear for children of all ages.

There are good plans for what they will learn, which are appropriate for their age and stage of development. However, staff feel under pressure and this compromises their capacity to deliver the curriculum well. Some activities are planned simply to contain children rather than provi...de them with quality learning experiences.

The provider does not ensure that staff have supervision that will enable them to improve their personal effectiveness. Despite this weakness, staff appear motivated in their engagement with children most of the time. Where there is less strong practice, senior staff intervene to provide guidance.

As a result, children enjoy activities. Staff encourage them and, overall, know how to help them to progress in their learning.Children appear happy and settled.

Babies smile readily and are happy to follow the daily routine. Older children are talkative and eager to engage with adults. Staff understand how children's brains develop and know how to support them to manage their emotions and feelings.

This helps to encourage children to play well together.

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

Staff know the curriculum well and understand how children learn. They can identify what children need to learn next to move their development forward.

Children are making steady progress. Staff encourage children to learn outdoors. Children enjoy exploring different resources that interest them, such as twigs and leaves.

This encourages children's natural curiosity. Staff engage with children well. For example, they get down to children's level and talk with them about their learning.

This helps to promote children's own impulse to talk and communicate.Although staff can support children's learning well, their time is taken away from teaching and supporting children as they carry out household tasks, such as cleaning. Staff experience frustration as the provider does not ensure that they always have the equipment they need, such as a computer printer.

This means that they make time-consuming handwritten records when required, which further takes their attention away from children.There is an insufficient induction for new staff. Staff who are undertaking training do not have the time they need to absorb and understand how to apply their learning.

This compromises staff's ability to benefit from their induction and training so they can increase the quality of their support for children. Furthermore, supervision for staff at all levels is not effective in enabling them to improve the quality of the provision for children.The provider does not ensure that staff have the support they need.

Staff feel undervalued and unheard. Consequently, morale is low and staff absence, sickness and turnover are high. Some staff have recently changed the rooms where they work to meet staffing shortfalls.

This has a negative effect on the key-person arrangements. Although key people know children extremely well, when they leave or are off work, other staff do not know children so well. The continual changes to staffing negatively effect children's emotional security.

During the daily routine, such as before and after mealtimes, staff often 'hold' children at activities. This is because other staff are undertaking tasks, such as organising children's meals and tidying up. These activities become less meaningful, and children fidget and become irritable as they wait.

All staff clearly know and understand their responsibilities in keeping children safe. They readily recognise any indicators that children might be at risk of harm and know what action to take. Those with responsibility for safeguarding at the nursery are knowledgeable about their role and the measures to take to refer any concerns about children's welfare to local safeguarding partners.

This contributes towards children being safe at the nursery.Staff show genuine care for children. They are kind and compassionate and respond to children with warmth.

Parents have the chance to talk to staff about their children's development when they collect them each day. This helps them to know how to support children's development at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is 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 provide staff with effective supervision to establish coaching and create a culture of mutual support and teamwork that values staff feedback to bring about improvement 06/12/2024 ensure that staff who are undertaking training have the support they need to successfully understand and consolidate their new learning to enhance the quality of their teaching 06/12/2024 develop a stable, settled staff team so the key-person arrangements are consistent and support children's emotional security.06/12/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the effectiveness of staff deployment so that children consistently benefit from purposeful activities and positive interaction and support.

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