Stellar Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

There are a number of significant safety and welfare requirements that are not met at this nursery. This has a direct impact on the quality of care and education children receive. For instance, there are weaknesses in risk assessment arrangements, supervision of children and educational programmes.

Leaders and staff carry out some risk assessments when opening the nursery. However, they do not consider the individual needs of some children when completing these risk assessments. In addition, leaders do not take decisive action to ensure children are adequately supervised and their safety and well-being are not compromised....

For example, at times, staff who do not have the appropriate suitability checks are left unsupervised with children. This means at times, children's safety is at risk.Staff understand the correct procedure for reporting concerns regarding a child's welfare and managing allegations effectively.

Leaders show a commitment to making the necessary improvements. Despite these weaknesses, children are generally happy and enjoy coming to the nursery. For example, older children excitedly chat back and forth as they work together as they use their imaginations to help the teddy bear at the pretend doctor's surgery.

Children have developed secure friendships with their peers. Children comply with staff requests regarding behaviour, they use manners, such as please and thank you at mealtimes, and know to put on their wellies for outside play.While staff correctly identify some gaps in children's development, they do not plan activities or provide the support the youngest children need to help them build on what they already know and can do.

This means children are not receiving an ambitious challenging curriculum to help with their future learning. Some younger children spend long periods wandering and not engaged in purposeful play.

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

On the day of the inspection, some staff were still awaiting suitability checks to be completed, such as an enhanced criminal record check.

This means that leaders cannot be assured of staff's suitability to care for children. However, these staff were left unsupervised with children at multiple times during the inspection. This puts children at potential risk.

At times, staff prioritise the routines of the nursery over the care and supervision of children. Although some risk assessments are conducted, leaders do not ensure staff have the knowledge required to identify and take action to minimise or eradicate risk. This is to the detriment of children's health and safety.

For example, staff are not vigilant enough to ensure resources are age and stage appropriate when young children access areas used by older children. For example, young children put objects in their mouths that are a potential risk and children are not always strapped into highchairs. In addition, children play around the hoover lead while the hoover is being used.

This compromises children's safety.Newly recruited leaders have a vision for a broad curriculum and plans for this are in their infancy. Leaders are in the process of recruiting new staff.

While the minimum staff-to-child ratios are met, current staffing arrangements do not fully support children's learning and development. For example, children start to enjoy a book with staff about animals and this is quickly interrupted as the member of staff needs to answer the door and take phone calls and supervise other children at the same time. This impacts staff supporting children's learning effectively.

Staff do not have a good enough understanding about what children need to learn next and how to plan for this effectively. For example, some focused activities are planned and provided for the children. However, the youngest children are not supported to take part in activities that have not been planned for them.

This leads to children wandering around the room and becoming disengaged. As a result, children do not make the progress they are capable of.Staff undertake safeguarding training to help keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date.

The newly recruited leaders demonstrate a commitment to take the relevant action required to embed and drive improvement and raise the quality of the provision.Staff develop positive relationships with parents. They gather routine care information from parents when children first attend the nursery.

Parents say that the staff are friendly and welcoming. Managers ensure staff understand how to store and administer medicines effectively. They document accidents children have and effectively share these with parents.

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 robust risk assessments are in place so that any person who has not had the required suitability checks do not have unsupervised access to children at any time 10/02/2025 ensure that all areas children have access to and the resources they use are safe and suitable 10/02/2025 ensure staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety 10/02/2025 implement an ambitious and sequenced curriculum to ensure children develop the skills they need for future learning, particular the youngest children.

10/02/2025