Forest Hill Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Children's safety is not given sufficient priority. Although staff understand child protection procedures, leaders do not always ensure that equipment is used and managed safely. Young children are left in highchairs for extended periods of time without the safety straps being used.

Children then become bored and attempt to reach out around them, which is unsafe. Staff fail to recognise the risk of dragging the highchairs across the room with children still sitting in them without safety straps fastened. Leaders are not always good role models for staff.

They are unaware of safe ways to handle children as they le...ad children by holding their forearms or wrists, which places children at risk of injury.The quality of education that children receive does not support them to make sufficient progress in their learning. The deputy is able to describe some appropriate learning intentions for children, however these are not effectively fulfilled in practice.

Children are confident to self-select their chosen resources and some children can play cooperatively with their peers. However, planned activities lack focus and are not always meaningful to children. This means that children's own creativity and ideas are not always promoted.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the right levels of support needed to help them make the best possible progress. Children are left unsupported for unacceptable periods of time, resulting in them becoming bored or disengaged.

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

Leaders fail to recognise poor practice and have insufficient oversight of the nursery.

Consequently, children's safety is compromised. Leaders do not evaluate the setting robustly enough. They do not identify where improvements are needed to support children's safety and to meet their learning needs.

Leaders do not organise staffing effectively. Some children struggle with managing their feelings and behaviour, however this is left for new agency staff to manage. These staff are unfamiliar with the children's needs and do not get the support required.

Staff use some positive methods to support children's behaviour such as re-enforcing routines with picture cards.The grouping of the children and organisation of the environment do not consistently meet children's needs. When there are staff shortages, children are grouped together for long periods.

The room becomes over-crowded, which results in the environment becoming chaotic with high noise levels.Children develop some skills to help them progress in their development. They enjoy building train tracks and towers out of construction toys.

They build tall towers and excitedly show their friends what they have made. Staff introduce simple mathematical concepts into children's play such as counting, shapes and size.Some children can confidently express themselves and hold conversations.

However, staff do not consistently support all children to make sufficient progress in their language and communication, including those with SEND.Children show pride when their name is sung during the welcome song and some children are able to communicate how they are feeling. Older children confidently speak to visitors about what they are doing.

They act out using the doctors set and know what a stethoscope is used for.Overall, children are content when they arrive at the setting and are greeted warmly by staff. However, leaders sometimes communicate with children in an abrupt way by giving one word instructions such as 'come' or 'sit'.

This does not support children's emotional well-being.Staff build positive partnerships with parents. They provide useful daily handover information and more detailed feedback about children's progress during planned parents' evenings.

Leaders have considered how they can involve parents more in nursery life and intend to invite parents in to read stories to children in home languages.Parents speak positively about the setting. They find the staff friendly and supportive with matters such as toilet training.

Parents like receiving updates about their children's development. They enjoy hearing their children sing songs and rhymes that have been learned at the nursery.Children benefit from healthy fruit snacks.

They name the fruits and talk about the different colours. However, children's physical health is not consistently supported as they do not always have daily opportunities to access outdoor play. Children's behaviour deteriorates when they become bored and they repeatedly run around indoors, which staff fail to recognise.

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 improve staff's understanding of risk assessment to ensure that equipment is appropriately used to support children's safety at all times 05/04/2024 ensure that staff use safe and respectful methods when handling and communicating with children 05/04/2024 increase staff's knowledge and understanding of how to support and meet the needs of children with SEND to enable them to make the best possible progress 30/04/2024 ensure all staff understand how to plan and deliver a curriculum that is precisely tailored to the individual needs of each child 30/04/2024 ensure planned activities are meaningful for each child taking part and maintain their interest 30/04/2024 improve the organisation of the environment and grouping of children to ensure their needs are consistently met and their behaviour is positively supported 30/04/2024 ensure all children have daily access to outdoor play.

05/04/2024