Nurtureville Nursery Loughton

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

There are weaknesses in safeguarding that have an impact on children's safety at the nursery.

Staff's supervision of children is not consistently suitable to meet their needs and ensure their safety, particularly when young children are eating. Minimum requirements to have suitably qualified staff caring for babies are not always adhered to. As a result, they do not receive care from those who are most suited to understand how to meet their needs.

Leaders and managers have clear intentions for what children will learn. However, although this has been communicated to the staff team, leaders have not made sure that... staff are certain of how to successfully implement the curriculum. Consequently, teaching is not effective in focusing on what children need to learn.

In some areas, such as communication and language development, teaching is weak. Although children are settled and explore activities with some interest, staff do not provide a curriculum that supports their good progress. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive suitable support and staff work with other professionals to help identify their needs and plan support.

The provider does not ensure that children's basic requirements for sleeping and drinking are met. This compromises their well-being and good health. Despite these serious weaknesses, staff support children's behaviour in a suitable manner.

There is an effective key-person system in place to help children to feel settled and content.

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

The provider does not consistently ensure that allegations are dealt with correctly by reporting to the local authority designated officer. The provider conducts their own investigations and has not informed Ofsted of incidents.

This contravenes the setting's own safeguarding policy and procedures and guidance from the local safeguarding partners that is in place to help keep children safe from harm.During some points of the day, staffing does not meet the needs of young children. In the morning, when children first arrive, staff provide them with breakfast.

However, staff leave the room to open the door for parents when they arrive. This means there are not enough staff to safely support young children when they eat as well as care for older children. This poses a risk to their health and safety.

This weakness was previously identified by Ofsted, showing the provider has failed to take effective action to maintain safe staffing arrangements.Staffing arrangements do not consistently meet minimum requirements for staff qualifications. For example, there is no level 3 qualified member of staff to work with children under two years old.

The baby room is not consistently staffed by those who have knowledge and experience of how to meet the needs of young babies. Although the provider explains difficulty around staffing and recruitment, they do not take decisive action to ensure that children's safety and well-being are not compromised.Drinking water is not consistently available for babies who are unable to communicate when they are thirsty.

As a result, some babies have to wait until snack time before they are offered a drink.The provider does not ensure that staff understand about their curriculum. Although managers provide wall displays and explain about the intent of learning, staff do not demonstrate they know how to put this into action for children.

As a result, teaching is disjointed and lacks consistency. Supervision of staff is not effective because it does not focus on improving practitioners' knowledge of the curriculum and what it means for their practice.There is a lack of consistency and understanding about how staff support children's sleeping arrangements.

The setting policy states that staff ensure that children sleep for as long as they need and do not wake them. However, staff say they often wake tired, sleeping babies, which means they are not well rested. Leaders and managers give inconsistent accounts about their expectations for how staff manage children's sleep.

Furthermore, they do not fully consider the wider health and well-being implications of children having enough sleep.Some staff lack confidence in supporting children's communication and language development. Sometimes, staff use limited and stilted communication and this means that children do not hear a range of words to support them to build their vocabulary.

Staff learn communication skills through training, such as sign language, but do not readily implement this in their practice.Children enjoy being outdoors and playing in the garden. Staff support them to practise strengthening and developing their muscles as they climb and balance and children enjoy playing imaginatively.

Children eat balanced and healthy meals that are suitable for their age and their dietary requirements.Parents are positive about the care their children receive and the relationships that staff develop with them. They feel well informed about the progress that their children make at the setting.

All staff recognise indicators that children might be at risk of harm and know how to refer any concerns to relevant safeguarding partners. There are robust recruitment procedures in place, ensuring that the provider takes all required steps to confirm the suitability of those who work with 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 and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date ensure that any allegations are always managed in accordance with local safeguarding children partners procedures 21/11/2024 arrange staffing to always meet the needs of children, including ensuring that there is close and consistent supervision for very young children at all times when they are eating 21/11/2024 ensure children have access to fresh drinking water at all times 21/11/2024 ensure that there is always a suitably qualified level 3 member of staff to work directly with children under two, ensuring their needs are met 21/11/2024 ensure that there is adequate supervision and support for staff so they are clear about their roles and responsibilities, including how to deliver the curriculum for children, particularly in the area of communication and language development.21/11/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: deliver consistent practice across the whole staff team to better promote children's health and well-being, especially during sleep times.