Grenfell Early Years

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children arrive happy and are greeted with a warm welcome from caring staff. Staff ask parents for a quick update so they can understand children's needs and anything that may have an impact on their child's learning for the day.

Children quickly settle on arrival and engage in activities that have been set up to capture their attention. Staff know children well and form positive relationships with them. Children show that they feel safe and secure.

Overall, leaders are ambitious for every child to make progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They demonstrate a clear intention for ...children to have a wide range of learning opportunities. However, staff do not always deliver the curriculum consistently well.

The quality of education is varied. For example, some staff do not ensure that children are engaged in meaningful learning as much as possible. There are also inconsistencies in how staff interact with children and model language for them.

This hinders the progress that some children make.Children's positive attitudes to learning are, at times, impacted by how staff plan and deliver group activities and routines. On occasions, children lose interest, as staff do not always effectively stimulate their learning.

Staff manage children's behaviour well and provide children with clear messages about their behaviour.

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

Leaders and staff know the community well. They understand the needs of the children and families since the fire at Grenfell Tower.

They have provided support to families. However, leaders have not ensured effective oversight of the provision. Staff practice is not consistently evaluated, and support and coaching are not yet fully embedded to ensure that teaching is always of a high standard.

This has resulted in inconsistencies in the quality of education provided.Leaders understand the importance of building children's communication and language. Children hear nursery rhymes and listen to stories during the day.

Children who speak English as an additional language have key words from home and visual cards to support their understanding. However, this is an aspect of the curriculum that is not always implemented consistently across the staff team. At times, interactions between staff and children are lacking, and some adults do not model and support children's language skills effectively.

Staff help children to wash their hands before having snacks and at mealtimes. However, they do not always consider the risk of cross-contamination and hygiene during activities. Some children put toys and malleable materials in their mouth during play, which are later used by other children.

Staff do not ensure that they effectively help to minimise the spread of infection.Young children snuggle up and listen to stories as staff settle them in for the day. Older children listen with intent as staff read stories and use voices and actions to capture their attention.

However, activities are not always well planned and delivered. At times, staff do not fully consider children's abilities and stages of development, which leads to some children becoming bored and disengaged in their learning.Staff do not always organise whole-group time and routines effectively.

At times, children wait for extended periods with not much to do. At these times, children's individual needs are not fully met.Children enjoy outdoor experiences at the nursery.

They learn to use the climbing wall and share their joy in achieving this with staff. Younger children use balance boards, and older children use scooters to manoeuvre around the playground. They learn how to manage the slope and take risks.

Children laugh as staff scoop up leaves and place them in the wheelbarrow and throw them up in the air. They whoop in delight as the wind blows the leaves around the playground, and they repeat the activity, scuttling around to catch them.Parents speak highly of the nursery.

They say that staff are kind and nurturing towards their children. Parents appreciate the dedicated settling-in process, which helps their children to form good bonds with their key person. This reassures them that their child is ready for nursery.

Parents are happy with the regular communication they receive verbally and via an online app. This updates them on care routines and what their child is learning.

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, the provider must: Due date provide effective oversight, support, and coaching to develop staff practice and improve the implementation of the curriculum, to raise the quality of teaching and interactions consistently to a good or higher level 25/04/2024 improve hygiene arrangements, to prevent cross-contamination and the spread of infection between children.25/04/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: take account of children's abilities and stages of development, while planning and delivering activities to help children progress in their learning review organisation of whole group time and routines, such as mealtimes to ensure that all children are consistently well engaged, and their needs are met.