Railway Children Nursery Elsecar

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Staff do not plan learning opportunities which build on what children already know and can do. Adult-led sessions, including story, singing and phonics sessions, are too easy for some children and too difficult for others. In between these sessions, children choose from a range of resources.

They pretend to push dolls in pushchairs and create a 'shrink ray' from construction materials. However, staff do not support and extend children's learning. Interactions between children and staff are warm and friendly.

However, staff do not use these interactions to ignite children's curiosity. For example, rather than talk...ing to children about the 'shrink ray' they have imaginatively created, they tell children they must remain seated when using the construction equipment. As a result, children move from one activity to another and do not develop high levels of concentration.

Staffing arrangements are poor. Leaders do not consider the impact of staff deployment on the children attending the session. Children are not cared for by their key person.

Staff working with them do not know them well. Consequently, babies are often unsettled. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who need targeted support do not receive this.

Therefore, children's emotional needs are not met and they do not make the best possible progress of which they are capable. Leaders do not identify or address weaknesses in staff's practice. Therefore, training and development opportunities do not raise the quality of care and education provided.

Despite the weaknesses, children arrive happily at the setting. They excitedly greet their friends as they arrive and enjoy playing together.

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

The provider has not designed educational programmes which take account of how children learn or considered the order in which staff teach children skills.

Therefore, staff do not provide learning opportunities that support children to make good progress across all areas of their development.Staff find out about what children know and can do when they start at the setting and at the end of each term. This information is shared with parents in writing and during parents' evenings.

However, staff do not assess children's abilities and interests between these times. As a result, they plan activities which are often too difficult or not challenging enough for children. Children lose interest and some disrupt others' learning.

The deployment of staff does not meet children's needs. At times, there are not enough staff working with children. Unqualified staff work alone with a group of children and are also responsible for answering the door.

This means that they are unable to provide quality care and education to the children they are responsible for.Although children are allocated a key person, that person does not always work with them. Staff working with children do not know them well.

Babies are often unsettled. Children's transitions are poorly supported. Some children visit their new room but then do not move to it, despite being ready for this next step.

Other children move to their new room without key information being shared with their new key person. This does not support children's emotional well-being or developmental progress.Staff remind children of the rules in the nursery.

For example, as children play they tell them, 'Remember, we use kind hands.' Children tell staff when their friends are not sharing and staff ask children to take turns. Children follow their directions but become upset.

Staff do not use these opportunities to help children to learn about their own and others' feelings.Staff sing and share stories with children. Children copy some actions and watch themselves in the mirror as they dance along.

Staff introduce some mathematical language, for example, when singing 'Five currant buns'. However, when children lead their own play, staff do not provide high-quality interactions that extend children's thinking or spark their interests. Staff respond warmly to children's communications but rarely initiate conversations.

Some staff ask children too many questions. They do not wait for children to think or respond. As a result, children do not make good progress in their communication and language development.

The provider meets with parents to discuss targeted support for their children. However, support plans only have one target. They do not outline enough support to ensure that children make good progress in all areas.

Additionally, staff do not implement the agreed support. Partnership with parents, and other professionals, is not effective. This results in significant delays in children receiving the support they need, which will impact on children's long-term educational outcomes.

The provider does not keep a written record of complaints. They do not investigate complaints in a timely manner. The provider does not write to the person who made the complaint, explaining the outcome, within the required 28 days.

Staff supervision, training and support does not identify weaknesses in staff's practice. Staff do not recieve the training they need to fulfil their roles. Consequently, the quality of care and education provided to children does not improve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is 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 plan and deliver educational programmes that support all children to make good progress across the areas of learning, including engaging learning opportunities, which take account of children's interests and build on what they already know and can do 09/10/2024 deploy staff in a way that meets children's emotional and learning needs and promotes their well-being 23/08/2024 meet children's individual care and learning needs through effective and settled relationships with their key person, and improved transition arrangements 23/08/2024 ensure that staff know how to support children's behaviour, including by helping them to understand and manage their feelings 09/10/2024 support children's communication and language skills, including through high-quality interactions and the sensitive use of questioning 09/10/2024 provide support to meet all areas of children's needs without delay, by working in partnership with parents and other professionals, and having appropriate regard to the special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) code of practice 09/10/2024 maintain records of all complaints and share investigation outcomes with the complainant within 28 days 23/08/2024 provide staff training, supervision and support to raise the quality of care and education.

09/10/2024