Happy Hearts Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

The provider does not fulfil their responsibilities in ensuring requirements relating to the premises and staff are met, to reduce potential risks to children. When staff raise concerns about aspects of the building's upkeep, the provider does not take action to address them. Recruitment processes are not robust to ensure staff's suitability to work with children.

The provider's lack of oversight of the setting has a significant impact on the experiences children receive at the nursery. The provider does not ensure a suitably challenging curriculum is in place that staff can deliver to meet children's individual needs. St...aff do not receive induction training or the support and coaching they need to be able to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

As a result, most staff do not know how children learn, what children already know or what they need to learn next to promote their development. Staff do not provide children with meaningful engagement, meaning children show little motivation to learn. Children do not make progress from their starting points and are not well prepared for the next steps in their education, including school.

That said, children behave well and are happy. Staff speak kindly to children and remind them to use good manners.

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

The provider does not ensure that the premises are fit for purpose.

For example, hot water is only available when the heating is on. This means that the nursery can become uncomfortably warm at times. Following a previous mould problem, the provider has not ensured that the nursery is well ventilated, this includes the room where babies sleep.

The provider is aware that maintenance is required but has not taken action to address this.The provider does not follow robust recruitment processes to ensure the suitability of staff. Unvetted staff work with children and undertake children's intimate care unsupervised, which does not appropriately safeguard children.

The provider does not ensure that staff remain suitable to work with children during their employment.There has been a high turnover of staff in recent months, which has caused some instability in staffing arrangements. Staff care about the children at the nursery but staff morale is low, which impacts on the quality of care and education provided.

Staff well-being is not a priority. For example, when staff raise concerns that they do not receive enough support, the provider takes no action to provide it. Staff report that they are frustrated that their voices are not heard.

The provider does not ensure that a curriculum is in place that builds on what children already know and can do. Staff work with parents when children start at the nursery to understand children's starting points. However, staff do not have the skills and knowledge necessary to assess children's abilities, or to shape activities and experiences to support their learning.

This means that children frequently wander around without any meaningful learning or interactions. Due to poor staff interactions and a lack of suitable activities and resources, children show little motivation to play and explore. They move from one activity to another, with little interest or concentration.

At times, staff carry babies around for long periods of time, without providing any stimulation.Children's language skills are not well nurtured. For example, staff do not add new vocabulary to extend children's language or engage in two-way conversations that teach children the skills they need to be able to communicate with others.

When speech is unclear, staff do not do enough to support children to learn to pronounce words correctly. Children often do not have the skills or confidence to communicate with others to share their thoughts and ideas.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the support they need to help close the gaps in their development.

For example, appropriate referrals are not made to external agencies and additional funding is not used appropriately to meet their needs. Staff do not have the support, knowledge or skills they need to be able to provide good-quality care and education for children. As a result, children make poor progress in their learning.

Induction training is not in place for new staff or for those taking on new positions to ensure they have the skills they need to fulfil their duties. Staff supervision is not undertaken to provide staff with the coaching they need to develop their practice. Despite the provider being aware that there are training needs within the staff team, they have not taken action to address these.

As a result, most staff do not provide suitable learning opportunities that suit children's age and stage of development. For example, activities are overly repetitive or are too long in duration and children lose interest.Occasionally, staff working with older children provide some activities that support children to develop their fine motor skills and learn to take turns.

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 undertake checks to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children, and implement effective systems to check their ongoing suitability 02/10/2024 make sure that the premises are adequately maintained to ensure they are suitable and fit for purpose 02/10/2024 ensure arrangements are in place to meet the needs of children with SEND, to promote their learning and development 16/10/2024 ensure that staff new to the setting and undertaking new roles have a suitable induction to make sure that they have the skills and knowledge they need to fulfil their duties 30/10/2024 implement appropriate arrangements for staff supervision to provide the ongoing support, coaching and training staff need to develop their practice 30/10/2024 design and implement a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all children to help ensure they make good progress in their learning.

30/10/2024