New Dawn Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

The nursery has undergone a period of instability, which has had a negative impact on the quality of education provided. This results in a number of breaches in requirements.

The newly appointed leaders show commitment to bring about change and improvement in their own knowledge and the practice in the nursery. However, at present, there are significant weaknesses in practice that impact on children's safety, care, learning and development. Children's welfare is not fully assured.

This is because leaders do not have a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures for reporting allegations. They do not ensure th...at safer recruitment processes are in place and that risk assessments minimise risks to children effectively. Leaders do not set out clear intentions for children's learning.

Planning is not sequenced to reflect the different stages in children's development. Provided activities lack focus and do not meet children's individual learning needs. Many children are not developing the skills they need to build secure foundations for future learning, particularly in their communication and language development.

Despite these weaknesses, children show a sense of belonging in nursery and play mainly happily with their friends. Staff are kind and helpful and show caring attitudes towards children.

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

Leaders and staff attend safeguarding training.

Although some staff have suitable knowledge of aspects of safeguarding, leaders, including designated safeguarding leads, have gaps in their understanding of procedures to follow when allegations are made against a member of staff. This compromises the safety of children.Leaders do not complete robust recruitment and vetting checks for all staff.

They do not follow their own procedures, such as keeping a record of written references and ensuring all job application forms are in place. This does not help to ensure that all those who work with or have access to children are suitable.Leaders do not effectively support staff to deliver quality teaching.

As a result, teaching is disjointed and lacks consistency. Supervision arrangements are not in place. This means that although leaders are able to identify weaknesses, they do not focus enough on rapid improvement of staff's teaching practice, and this negatively impacts on the progress children make in their learning.

Leaders do not ensure that all children are assigned a key person. This means that there is no person with overall responsibility for children's learning and development, which leads to their needs not always being met. This also means that parents do not have a designated person to talk to about their children's learning and development.

Staff can explain their expectations for children's behaviour, however, they do not put these into practice. For example, at times, staff ask children not to run around indoors but do not follow this up when children continue to do so. Staff do not talk to children about their expectations and are inconsistent in their approach to rules in the setting.

As a result, children do not to learn to regulate their own behaviour.Assessments of children's learning and development are not in place. This means that leaders and staff fail to identify what children need to learn.

The basic information that staff have does not always accurately reflect children's abilities. Staff do not complete progress checks at age two. They do not identify clear and appropriate aims to help children to learn more.

This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.Leaders and staff do not take sufficient steps to identify hazards and protect children from risks to their health and safety. For example, staff do not remove plastic bags from children's reach.

This places children at risk of harm.Leaders do not ensure that their learning intentions are clear and well sequenced. In addition, some staff lack confidence in supporting children's communication and language development.

Their interactions with children are, at times, limited to instructions. This means that children do not consistently hear a range of words to support them to build their vocabulary. Children do not gain needed skills to progress in their learning.

This includes children who are learning to speak English as an additional language.Parents say children like coming to the nursery. Staff support parents to provide healthy packed lunches for children.

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 ensure all leaders, including designated safeguarding leads, have an up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues, including the allegations process, so that they know and follow reporting procedure in line with their local safeguarding partnership 12/03/2025 implement effective and robust recruitment and vetting checks to ensure all those who are working with or have access to children are suitable 12/03/2025 ensure there is adequate supervision and support for staff so that they are clear about their roles and responsibilities to improve their teaching and quality of education for all children 12/03/2025 put in place effective key-person arrangements to ensure that staff give children the support they need and to improve information sharing with parents to ensure continuity of children's learning 12/03/2025 ensure that children's behaviour is managed consistently and effectively 12/03/2025 improve staff's understanding of assessments, including how to complete the progress check at age two, and ensure that areas of developmental delay are swiftly identified and addressed, this includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) 12/03/2025 improve risk assessments to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure children are not exposed to risks and their health is prioritised 12/03/2025 plan and deliver an effective curriculum to ensure that all children make good progress in their learning, particularly in the area of communication and language development.

12/03/2025