Kids Planet Lawley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

There are significant weaknesses that affect the safety and welfare of children who attend the nursery. At times, particularly at the start of the day, there are far too many children in the nursery for the number of staff present. Staff do not alert managers or parents of these breaches to the maximum staff-to-child ratios.

In some rooms, staff are completely unaware of how many children are in their care. They continue to admit more children as they arrive, despite this being unsafe. Children are not always properly supervised, including when eating their breakfast, because staff are so stretched.

This impacts ...on the safeguarding of children.The curriculum is not planned for effectively. Staff do not always have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn through the activities and experiences they provide.

Children are keen to play and join in with what is going on. Younger children blow bubbles as they play in water, and they listen to stories that staff read. Older children use tools to transport sand and construct towers using blocks.

However, once children finish what they are doing, there is not always something new for them to move on to. As a result, some children become bored, which negatively impacts on their behaviours.

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

Leaders and managers lack oversight of the quality of provision and do not prioritise children's basic needs.

They are unaware that they are not meeting the legal requirements set out in the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'. Risks to children's safety are overlooked, which leaves children at risk of harm.Leaders and managers have failed to ensure adequate staffing arrangements.

On the day of inspection, staff-to-child ratios were exceeded significantly across the nursery. As parents drop children off, staff happily accept them into their care, despite there already being far too many children present for the number of staff available. Although ratios were rectified during the inspection, staff report that this is a regular occurrence, which is causing unnecessary pressures on them.

Staff are unable to properly attend to children because there are too many children to meet all of their needs. This impacts on children's safety and welfare.Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff are deployed appropriately to keep children safe and meet their needs.

There are not always enough qualified staff working directly with babies to meet the prescribed ratio requirements. Staff fail to properly supervise children. On occasion, this is because there are too many children in their care.

Staff are not alert to children who put unsafe materials, such as paint or sand, in their mouths. They do not notice when children have conflicts or hurt each other. This puts children's safety at risk.

Staff do not receive the relevant support from managers to fulfil all of their roles and responsibilities. They do not report to managers in a timely way when ratios are exceeded. Staff do not recognise when they should stop admitting children into the nursery in the interests of children's safety.

Although staff have received copious amounts of training and professional development opportunities, they are often too stretched in meeting children's basic needs for this to have an impact on the education that children receive. However, they understand safeguarding policies and procedures and know what action to take in the event of a child protection concern arising.Children's good health is not adequately supported.

Staff fail to wash their hands after wiping children's noses. They then proceed to use their hands to break up banana to give to other children, which increases the risks of cross infection. For older children, there are insufficient facilities for changing children's nappies.

This results in children waiting for extended periods of time to have their nappy changed, which limits the time available for purposeful learning experiences.The quality of education that children receive is weak. Staff do not precisely identify what they want children to learn next.

Furthermore, staff are not always sure about what they intend for children to learn through the activities they provide. This means that teaching is not yet focused enough in supporting children to make progress in their learning.Children are eager to learn and want to be busy.

They make choices about what they want to play with during their day. However, weaknesses in planning mean that when children have finished what they are doing, they become easily distracted. Younger children begin to run around with paint.

Older children climb on, and jump off, furniture and equipment.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support. Staff are aware of their individual needs.

The special educational needs coordinator works with staff to prepare individual support plans to help tailor their care and learning.Partnerships with parents and other professionals are continuing to develop. Parents welcome the information they receive about their child's day through an online app.

They feel confident in approaching staff and managers should they have any concerns about their child's care.

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?

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action.

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to: Due date make sure that there is effective oversight and monitoring of the nursery to ensure the safety and welfare of every child 12/06/2024 ensure that all children are properly supervised at all times, including while eating, in order to keep them safe 12/06/2024 ensure that there are enough staff available and present to meet the minimum staff-to-child ratios at all times 12/06/2024 ensure that there are enough suitably qualified staff working directly with children to meet the minimum staff-to-child ratio requirements at all times 12/06/2024 make sure that all staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities and are able to effectively fulfil these in order to keep children safe 12/06/2024 ensure that hygiene practices and procedures promote the good health of all children 12/06/2024 ensure that there are suitable facilities for changing children's nappies without excessive delay.12/06/2024 To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date use assessment information to identify what children need to learn next to help them to sequence their learning and make progress in their development 17/07/2024 plan and provide suitably interesting and challenging activities and experiences that take account of children's individual needs and stages of development.

17/07/2024