Star Early Years Provision Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Leaders do not ensure that the registration requirements are adhered to.

They have failed to make and maintain improvements needed since the previous inspection. They do not ensure that staff understand the setting's safeguarding policy or develop an understanding of essential safeguarding concerns. This means that safeguarding procedures are not implemented into practice and does not ensure children's safety and well-being.

Leaders do not ensure that staff are deployed effectively so that children are well supervised. Staff do not know how many children are present or where they are in the setting. Children leav...e the childcare room unsupervised.

They use toilets in an area that is accessible to unknown members of the public. The area is unsafe for children, placing them at risk of harm. Leaders do not ensure that temporary cover staff are suitable.

They do not provide induction, training and support to all staff. Consequently, staff do not understand their role. They do not know children well.

Therefore, the quality of care and education they provide is poor. Staff offer some activities that some children enjoy. However, learning opportunities are not planned or purposeful.

They do not build on what children already know and can do. Staff do not have clear, consistent expectations of children's behaviour. Strategies for supporting children's emotions are inconsistent.

Routines are not well planned. As a result, the setting is often chaotic. Children are not engaged in their play and learning and so do not make good developmental progress.

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

Repeated weaknesses in the quality of care and education provided show significantly poor leadership of the setting. Breaches to the safeguarding and welfare requirements place children at risk of harm. Staff are not alert to possible issues of concern in a child's life.

They do not understand the correct child protection procedures that must be followed. Staff do not know what to do if an allegation is made against a person who works with children. Therefore, they would not take the correct action to help keep children safe.

Staff use their personal mobile telephones within the setting. They use them to take photos of children and update information on the setting's communication software app. Leaders do not recognise that this may compromise children's safety.

Staff deployment does not meet children's needs or ensure their safety. Staff from other settings, who do not know children's individual needs, work with children while familiar staff complete tasks. Leaders and staff do not work together to maintain an accurate oversight of the number of children present and their whereabouts.

Children leave the childcare room without a member of staff knowing. They are left unsupervised in an unsafe area. This area includes an unlocked door that leads directly to the top of a steep flight of stairs.

This does not ensure children's safety.Leaders do not identify or minimise risks to children. Children leave the childcare room to use the toilets unsupervised.

The toilets, and surrounding area, are accessible to people who are visiting the main building. This means that children may come into contact with unknown adults. This places children at possible risk of harm.

Leaders have not confirmed each member of staff's suitability to work with children. They rely upon the checks conducted by other companies that staff work for. They are unable to provide records of enhanced criminal records checks for all staff.

Staff who work at the setting on a temporary basis do not receive the training, support and supervision they need to fulfil their role. As a result, they do not understand children's individual needs. The quality of teaching they provide is poor.

Additionally, the training, supervision and support provided to permanent staff, since the last inspection, has failed to improve the quality of education provided. Children are not supported to make the best possible progress of which they are capable.Staff do not understand or appropriately support children's behaviour.

For example, when children find it difficult to share with their friends, staff move them away from each other. Staff do not teach them the skills they need to manage conflicts. When children are upset, staff kiss and cuddle them.

Staff do not recognise that this is not an effective way of helping children to understand or manage their feelings. Staff do not use consistent strategies for gaining children's attention. This is confusing for children and does not support their emotional development.

They do not engage in routines or learning opportunities because they are not sure of staff's expectations.Leaders have not designed and implemented educational programmes that ensure children make good progress across all areas of their learning. Staff do not use information about children's current development to plan the activities they provide.

Staff do not teach children things in the correct order or provide the correct information. For example, staff limit paint and pens to orange- and green-coloured ones. They direct children to draw a pumpkin by creating a 'circle'.

They do not show children what pumpkins look like first. The activity does not help children to learn about pumpkins or enable them to express their own creativity.Staff talk with children as they play.

However, they ask children too many questions that require a limited answer. They do not wait for children to think and respond. Children who need additional support to improve their speech and language do not receive the support they need.

For example, staff have been advised to repeat what children say, demonstrating the correct pronunciation. Staff do not do this. As a result, children do not make good progress in their communication and language development.

Staff talk to parents about their child's day. However, they do not provide parents with information about their child's development. They do not support parents to understand how they can support their child's learning at home.

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?

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action.



We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to: Due date ensure all staff understand safeguarding issues and know what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare, or in the event of an allegation being made 01/11/2024 implement a policy regarding the use of electronic equipment, including mobile telephones, that helps to keep children safe 01/11/2024 deploy staff in a way that meets children's needs, ensures their safety and well-being, and ensures children are adequately supervised 01/11/2024 take all reasonable steps to minimise risks to children 01/11/2024 ensure all staff working with children are suitable, including by obtaining enhanced criminal records checks 01/11/2024 provide staff with induction, training, supervision and support that enables them to fulfil their role, get to know the children they care for, and provide good-quality care and education 01/11/2024 support and manage children's behaviour appropriately, including by helping them to understand and manage their feelings.01/11/2024 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 sequenced learning opportunities that take account of children's interests and build on what they already know and can do 01/12/2024 ensure all staff know how to support children's communication and language, particularly for those children who have additional support needs in this area of learning.01/12/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove information-sharing with parents so that parents are supported to help their child's learning at home.