Parsons House Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

There are inconsistencies across the team of adults caring for children and this has an impact on children who attend. Some staff do not have the knowledge or skills to carry out their roles effectively. Key persons are not consistently available to ensure the emotional needs of some children are met when they need reassurance.

Some children remain unsettled and are unable to fully engage in learning opportunities.Teaching is not effective in all rooms. Some children, including those who speak English as an additional language, do not benefit from targeted teaching to help them make the progress of which they are capable....

This affects their ability to develop positive attitudes to learning.Children have some positive experiences. Weekly baby yoga and multisport activity sessions with external coaches contribute to children's physical development.

Staff support babies to develop an interest in books from an early stage. Babies lift flaps and look closely at illustrations. Older children begin to understand how to change the consistency of materials.

They strengthen their hand muscles as they squirt water to soften and mould their clay creations. Children enjoy nutritious meals that take account of their dietary requirements. Staff gather information from parents about their child's health and implement effective hygiene procedures.

They know how to respond in medical emergencies.

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

Since opening the nursery, senior leaders have been unable to establish a stable staff team. This affects their ability to implement nursery action plans and organise more consistent routines.

Current arrangements to support staff in their roles are not effective. Senior leaders do not identify and address gaps in staff's knowledge, including that of the practitioner responsible for safeguarding.Teaching is too variable.

Older children experience effective teaching that helps to close gaps in children's learning. Staff support them to interact with others, develop their vocabulary and work things out for themselves. Staff do not receive the support they need to help babies engage in learning opportunities that link to what they need to learn next.

For example, staff do not plan activities that further develop the physical skills of pre-walking babies. They do not use teaching methods that support children who speak a language other than English to engage in a broader range of learning opportunities.Some children experience frequent changes to staff.

This has an impact on their emotional wellbeing. Senior leaders ensure that each child's allocated key person has a 'buddy'. However, some children who are cared for by different staff remain unsettled.

Key persons are not always available, resulting in some children not building secure relationships with adults who care for them. At times, their needs are not met.Senior leaders have prioritised the recruitment and retention of staff.

They try to ensure a consistent approach by contracting with the same agency and using staff from linked sites. However, they do not deploy staff effectively enough to ensure that the qualification ratios in all baby rooms are maintained. There is a disorganised approach to children's use of the nursery's nearby enclosed garden area.

This is due to different adults needing to intervene to ensure the safety of children, for example, when coming down the stairs or crossing the road, and staff having to keep going back to the nursery to fetch forgotten items such as wipes and tissues. This can be unsettling for children.Leaders do not ensure that those who are responsible for safeguarding have a secure knowledge of child protection in order to support, advise and guide staff and to know when to engage with relevant agencies.

Senior leaders monitor the accidents and incidents in the nursery, which has resulted in some improvements over time. However, some matters have not been as well addressed. For example, earlier in the year a wall mounted nappy changing unit came away from the wall during a nappy changing time.

Although this did not result in any serious injury to a child at the time, and the unit was secured, it has not been routinely checked since to ensure a similar incident does not happen again given that over time, particularly as children age and their weight increases. In addition, staff do not stop babies from walking around eating uncooked rice during activities or explain that this is a potential choking hazard. This compromises children's safety and does not help them to understand what may put them and others at risk.

Senior leaders seek feedback from parents. Nursery events and workshops help parents to understand more about their child's development. Parent representatives are being established.

The provider responds promptly to parents who raise formal concerns. However, the outcome of complaints is not always shared with complainants or easily accessible.Older children with special educational needs and/or disabilities experience focused teaching to help close gaps in learning, such as in their communication and language development and their interactions with others.

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 that the practitioner responsible for safeguarding has the knowledge required to provide appropriate support, advice and guidance to staff and knows when to engage with relevant agencies 27/09/2024 provide regular and appropriate training and support, so that staff understand how to implement an effective curriculum that meets the individual learning needs of children, including those who speak English as an additional language 27/09/2024 ensure key persons are available to support children's emotional wellbeing, ensure their individual needs are met and build positive relationships with their parents 27/09/2024 ensure that staff qualification ratios are consistently maintained in baby rooms 27/09/2024 deploy staff to meet children's needs and keep them safe throughout daily routines, activities and outings 27/09/2024 ensure that all equipment used for children is fit for purpose and appropriate for the age and development needs of children who attend 27/09/2024 improve arrangements to manage risks so that potential hazards are promptly addressed and continually maintained 27/09/2024 ensure that the outcome of any complaint is shared with the person who made the complaint, and available to those with a professional need to see them.

27/09/2024