Beechcroft Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Children's safety is not assured at this setting. Parts of the outdoor area are poorly maintained, which puts children at risk. For example, the provider has not taken steps to remove a broken plastic kitchen unit.

Furthermore, there is a large amount of chicken faeces in the chicken coop, which is within close range of where children play. Additionally, this indicates that risk assessment arrangements are not effective. Children do not learn to regulate their behaviour or consider the impact of their actions on others.

Staff fail to explain the dangers to older children when they kick balls close to where young ...babies are playing. Although staff do lift babies up to prevent accidents, they do not consistently consider the impact on their emotional well-being, which affects how safe babies feel. Staff plan themed craft activities.

For example, children make Halloween pumpkins and spiders. Children make paint marks with brushes and their fingers. However, the staff do not have clear learning intentions for all children, which impacts on the progress children make.

The curriculum is poorly designed and lacks ambition. Leaders and managers fail to ensure staff have a good understanding of what they want children to learn.

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

Poor planning of the environment puts children at risk of harm.

For example, all children access the outdoor area at the same time, which leads to overcrowding and a high risk of accidents. Staff fail to consider the safety of non-mobile children when other children ride bikes around them.Staff have a poor understanding of effective risk assessment arrangements.

As a result, some hazards are not identified or removed to keep children safe. Some resources, such as mud kitchen equipment, are in a poor condition and are not frequently cleaned.Staff can explain their expectations for children's behaviour, however, they do not put these into practice.

For example, at times children run around indoors unchecked. Staff do not talk to older children about the difference between right and wrong when there are minor altercations. As a result, children do not to learn to regulate their own behaviour.

The key-person arrangements are ineffective. At times, staff are preoccupied with routine tasks and do not notice when young babies need emotional support, such as when they are getting tired. This impacts on how children learn to understand their emotions and meet their own needs.

Children try to do things for themselves, such as putting on their shoes and pouring their own drinks. At times, staff intervene too soon and do things for children, such as pulling up children's sleeves when they wash their hands. which limits the opportunities children have to become independent.

Staff have some knowledge of children's individual learning needs and interests. However, this knowledge is not consistently used to support children's learning. For example, toddlers are encouraged to take part in group sessions they are not yet able to pay attention to.

This impacts on the children's development of positive attitudes to learning.The provider has failed to identify weaknesses in staff practice. Although staff undertake training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date, there are insufficient arrangements in place to help them develop their understanding of how children learn.

This impacts on staff's understanding of their role in supporting children's learning and ensuring they make the best possible progress.The provider's curriculum does not set out clear intentions for children's learning. Planning is broad and is not sequenced to reflect the different stages in children's development.

Planned activities lack focus and do not meet children's individual learning needs.Staff have a suitable understanding of child protection matters. They can explain they procedures they would follow to report any concerns about a child's welfare.

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, the provider must: Due date take action to ensure the premises are safe and suitable 08/11/2024 improve the risk assessment and ensure all staff have a good understanding of what this means 08/11/2024 implement an effective behaviour management policy that supports children to learn to regulate their behaviour and understand the impact of their behaviour others 08/11/2024 strengthen the key-person arrangements to ensure children's individual needs are identified and met, including their learning needs 08/11/2024 implement effective supervision, and learning opportunities, for staff to develop their teaching skills and understanding of how children learn 08/11/2024 implement an ambitious curriculum that considers the individual needs, interests, and development of all children in your care.

08/11/2024