Tiny Feet Private Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement There are weaknesses in leadership and management. The quality of the provision is not good enough.

The minimum qualification requirements and number of staff working with children are not consistently met at the start of the day. This impacts on the quality of experiences provided to children. In addition, it has led to lapses in leadership oversight and monitoring the implementation of policies and procedures.

Leaders have a vision and know what they want children to achieve. However, there are times when the curriculum is not coherently planned and children's learning needs are not met. For example, staff working with ...two-year-old children attempt to teach them about number and colour when they are not ready to learn this.

At times, the intentions for children's learning are too broad, which means activities lack focus and suitable challenge. This impacts on children's behaviour. Children are not developing positive attitudes to learning or making the best possible progress.

Children are observed wandering around without purpose, rolling around on the carpet or sitting and looking on as others engage in a yoga activity. Children arrive happy. They have some meaningful opportunities to learn about people who are different to themselves.

An example of this was during an 'act of kindness week'. Staff took children out in the community to share flowers with local people. Children are settled to sleep by gentle staff who play peaceful music and use soft lighting to relax them.

Babies receive a calm and purposeful experience. Staff working with new babies are skilled at caring for them and helping them to feel secure. Staff provide wheeled toys and climbing equipment for babies to develop physical strength and coordination.

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

Leaders and managers do not consistently organise the provision well enough. Leaders fail to ensure that the minimum qualification requirements are met and that staff are deployed effectively with the children. This results in a slightly chaotic environment.

Staff are supervising children to keep them safe and are completing other tasks, such as answering the door. Therefore, they are unable to deliver a purposeful curriculum and children's learning needs are not being met. Poor staff deployment also means that the manager is unable to maintain a clear oversight of how staff implement planned processes.

These include checking the outdoor area is suitable before children play outside.Staff plan some activities that children enjoy. However, other activities lack clear learning intentions.

They are not focused on what children need to know next, such as developing small muscles ready for early writing. During a road safety activity, older children are encouraged to cut around paper traffic lights.However, staff do not teach them how to hold the scissors correctly.

Pencils are blunt, which means children are unable to make marks. They do not develop pencil control and precision and lose interest.Staff training and development are not precisely targeted.

Leaders recognise the need to further support staff to strengthen practice and implement the curriculum consistently. Nevertheless, staff access mandatory training online and choose from courses that interest them. Staff say they are happy at work and they feel valued.

Staff receive rewards, motivational messages and uplifting reminders from leaders who tell them how appreciated they are.Children enjoy a freshly prepared roast dinner and help themselves to drinks of water. However, spoons are provided rather than a knife and fork.

This does not help to prepare children for the next stages in their development. Staff interact positively with children during the social mealtime experience and relationships are friendly. However, hygiene practices are not consistently implemented.

Staff ask children to wash their hands without explaining why. Runny noses go unnoticed and children are not encouraged to cover their mouths when they cough at the lunch table. This does not provide children with positive messages about health and hygiene.

Staff gather meaningful information about children from parents which includes details of routines from home and the skills that children have at the beginning. This helps to settle children, particularly babies. However, staff do not utilise the information about babies' knowledge and capabilities to plan to support learning right from the start.

Staff provide a welcoming and inclusive setting. Staff work with external agencies to support children who require extra help. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities thrive.

Additional funding is used well to help to meet children's unique needs. For example, leaders purchased books and puppets which are used well to calm children down and refocus their attention.Staff working with older children successfully help them to manage their emotions.

Staff offer lots of reassurance, model expected behaviours and provide gentle reminders to encourage good manners. Staff weave a favourite book into the routines. Children confidently talk about how they are feeling, referencing characters and colours from the book.

Overall, children are secure and have fun at this nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders ensure that all staff are trained in the child protection policy and procedures.

Staff can confidently identify the signs of abuse and know what to do if they are faced with concerns about children's welfare. Staff understand how to report any concerns about the behaviour of a colleague. Detailed information on how to respond to a safeguarding concern is displayed in all areas.

This means staff have the necessary information to hand to allow them to take swift action. The nursery premises are secure. Staff greet parents and visitors at the door.

This means that only people who have been verified can gain entry and helps to keep everyone safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve staff deployment and maintain the minimum qualification requirements.06/12/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: maintain clear oversight of how staff are implementing planned procedures which include checking the environment before using it strengthen opportunities for older children to be prepared for early writing nimprove systems for staff training and development to focus on their individual needs to help them to adapt practice and improve the quality of education nuse information gathered from parents on entry and plan precisely to support babies' learning from the start reinforce positive hygiene practices to help children to understand the importance of healthy lifestyles.

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