Pippa’s House Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Staff do not have a robust safeguarding knowledge. They lack understanding of local safeguarding procedures.

In addition, managers do not sufficiently monitor the front entrance to ensure only authorised people are let into the building. These weaknesses in safeguarding mean that the children's safety cannot be assured. Children are not supported well enough to feel safe and secure.

They have not been allocated a key person that they can form a strong, warm and nurturing relationship with. Current staffing challenges mean that children do not receive consistent care from staff that understand their individual lea...rning and care needs. Often, children find the environment challenging.

This results in them becoming upset and being comforted by unfamiliar adults. Consequently, they find it difficult to settle. The curriculum is not securely embedded in practice.

Staff do not effectively plan activities that are meaningful, especially for the youngest children. For instance, children play with the same toys throughout the morning and become bored and unstimulated. However, staff in the room for older children recognise that children need support in understanding their emotions.

For example, they read children stories about emotions and encourage them to talk about their feelings.

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

Staff have not undergone robust training to ensure they are confident to manage and respond to safeguarding concerns. For instance, some staff members do not understand the procedures following an allegation against a member of staff.

Following recent leadership and management changes, some staff members do not know who the designated safeguarding leads for the setting are. Managers and leaders have not identified these gaps in staff's safeguarding knowledge. Despite this, staff in the youngest children's room understand safer sleeping protocols and effectively check children while they sleep.

Weaknesses in leadership and management have had an impact on all areas of the setting. Those in charge do not have effective oversight to ensure managers are fulfilling their roles and responsibilities. Staff recruitment and vetting processes are not robustly monitored to ensure all those working with children are suitable to do so.

This does not ensure children's safety and welfare. However, the manager who is currently in place to support the setting recognises the weaknesses and understands where support and attention are needed most.The curriculum is focused around supporting children to settle into their environment and encouraging children's emerging communication and language skills.

This is appropriate for the children's current needs. However, staff do not effectively assess children's starting points to enable them to build on what they can already do. The intentions for learning are not understood and most staff do not know what it is they are teaching children and why.

This leads to children becoming unsettled and making limited progress, particularly with their speech.Children have not been assigned a key person to work with their parents and help them settle into their environment. This has a negative effect on their personal, social and emotional development.

Staff do not provide every child with tailored support that encourages them to move on in their learning and achieve their next steps. Although this is something that managers are aware of and are working towards rectifying, this has a direct impact on the children's learning and development and the progress that they make.Arrangements for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are poor.

Managers have not shared vital information from outside agencies with staff, to enable them to meet individual children's needs. Therefore, staff are unaware of the care and tailored support that is needed to help children improve and develop their skills. As a result, the gaps for children with SEND are widening and they are not making good progress.

The support in place for staff is ineffective. Staffing challenges mean staff are given extra workloads and become overwhelmed. Staff practice is not effectively monitored to enable managers to understand their strengths and areas to be developed.

In addition, staff have not received robust inductions to help them understand their roles and responsibilities and the setting's policies and procedures. The lack of support for staff has a direct impact on the care and education that the children receive. However, the new managers in place recognise the strain on staff and the importance of putting this right.

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 staff understand their roles and responsibilities with regard to all aspects of safeguarding children, in line with the setting's policies and procedures 28/06/2024 improve oversight and governance of the provision to ensure managers understand and fulfil their roles and responsibilities and implement robust procedures for making sure that people looking after children are suitable to do so 28/06/2024 improve staff's understanding of the curriculum to build on each child's existing knowledge, skills and capabilities and engage them fully in their learning 05/08/2024 ensure all children are allocated a key person to support them to settle and to meet their individual learning and care needs 28/06/2024 put arrangements in place to ensure children with SEND receive appropriate support 28/06/2024 take action to ensure all staff receive a robust induction and tailored support and training 28/06/2024 put in place effective systems for sharing information with parents to build relationships and ensure consistent communication.

28/06/2024