Ardwick Day Nursery

Inclusion: Urgent improvement

Leaders have failed to ensure that children's care and learning needs are identified, assessed and met effectively. This failure is particularly evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged. Leaders do not have a clear or accurate understanding of the barriers that these children face. They have not acted with the urgency required to address them. As a result, appropriate support is not put in place. This means that disadvantaged children and those with SEND do not receive the support they need to achieve well.

Leaders do not fulfil their statutory responsibilities to identify concerns with children's learning and development. Consequently, some children do not receive the support that they need. In some cases, parents and carers have been incorrectly led to believe that referrals to external professionals had already been made on their children's behalf. This demonstrates a serious lack of oversight, accountability and honest communication from leaders. Barriers to learning are not reduced, and gaps in learning widen. Leaders' failure to act decisively and effectively has a detrimental impact on children's learning and progress.

Leaders monitor the impact of additional funding effectively. For example, they purchase resources to support children's balance and coordination skills. This helps to improve children's physical skills.

Curriculum and teaching: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not provide children with an ambitious curriculum. The majority of learning that takes place is incidental rather than purposeful. Staff demonstrate a weak understanding of child development. They do not have a secure knowledge of children's individual starting points. Staff do not respond well to children's interests. For example, when older children show a clear interest in outdoor learning, they are prevented from accessing the outdoor environment because staff prioritise routine tasks.

Babies do not receive high-quality learning experiences. They are often unsettled and are prevented from engaging in meaningful activities. For example, staff are preoccupied while trying to complete administration tasks while caring for babies. This limits babies' learning and development.

The quality of teaching is poor. Staff lack the knowledge required to deliver an inclusive curriculum. This is particularly evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders do not ensure that the curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of children with SEND. Staff interactions with children with SEND are limited. Consequently, children with SEND are frequently disengaged from activities and wander around the setting with no clear direction to their learning.

Achievement: Urgent improvement

Children do not achieve well. The curriculum is not implemented effectively and does not ensure that it is inclusive for all children, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Learning is not well sequenced or adapted to children's age, stage or individual needs. This means that children do not benefit from varied learning experiences. For example, children with SEND are not included in some activities. They wander between activities with no clear learning intent. This lack of purposeful interaction and planning affects the achievement of children with SEND.

Children do not develop the essential knowledge and skills that they need for their future success. Too many children fail to make sufficient progress from their starting points. They are not adequately prepared to move on to the next stage of learning, including moving on to school. For example, some children move on to school without receiving timely help to address their needs. This places children at a considerable disadvantage from achieving what they are capable of.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge required to support children's behaviour. Staff give inconsistent messages about behavioural expectations, which means that children do not always understand what is expected of them. Some children struggle to regulate their own feelings and emotions. They become frustrated at times and do not always build positive relationships with their peers.

Routines are poorly established and inconsistently applied, which unsettles children and disrupts their learning. For example, at lunchtime, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not supported effectively to engage in the routine and are observed running around disengaged. They do this for the duration of the routine with limited interactions from staff.

Approaches to promoting positive behaviour, attitudes and routines are ineffective. Leaders do not ensure that all children, particularly those with SEND, receive the support that they need to participate fully at the setting. This means that some children with SEND are left without appropriate support, which limits their engagement, wellbeing and ability to flourish.

Leaders promote attendance effectively and encourage parents and carers to ensure that their children attend the setting regularly.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement

The key-person system is ineffective. Frequent changes to staffing mean that children are unable to form secure and consistent relationships with staff. As a result, children's emotional wellbeing is not supported effectively. Some children remain unsettled and cry for prolonged periods, which indicates that they do not feel settled at the setting. The facilities for nappy changing and toileting are unhygienic. Leaders have not ensured that these areas are cleaned regularly.

Leaders fail to ensure that the welfare and wellbeing of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are met. Children with SEND struggle to settle, regularly become frustrated and have not developed secure bonds with a trusted adult. This significantly undermines their emotional wellbeing and prevents them from being ready to learn.

Children's development is compromised at times as staff are not always deployed to meet the needs of children. This means that some babies are held in staff's arms for prolonged periods of time. This does not support their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Children have access to a well-equipped outdoor area. They are provided with healthy meals and learn about the importance of brushing their own teeth.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

There have been significant changes to staffing. Leaders have struggled to secure and maintain a stable and consistent staff team, which has resulted in weaknesses in the continuity of care and learning for children.

Leaders have failed to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support that they require. Referrals to external professionals are not made promptly, which means that children with SEND do not access appropriate support. This means that their learning, development and wellbeing needs are not met.

The arrangements for staff supervision, coaching and professional development are ineffective. Supervision processes do not provide staff with clear guidance to improve their practice. Training is limited and largely generic, focusing mainly on mandatory requirements, such as safeguarding. Staff are not equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to support them in their roles.

Leaders do not ensure that hygiene standards are consistently maintained. For example, nappy changing and toilet areas are not kept clean. This represents a risk to children's health.

The curriculum lacks ambition and is not implemented effectively. Children are not sufficiently engaged in learning and do not make secure progress from their starting points. The key-person system is ineffective and fails to support children's emotional wellbeing. Staff are not equipped with the skills needed to help children manage their own behaviour. This means that some children do not know what is expected of them.

Leaders do not deploy staff effectively. For example, staff are frequently preoccupied with duties, such as cleaning surfaces. This limits opportunities for meaningful interactions. As a result, children do not receive the quality of education and care they are entitled to. Parents and carers receive some information about their children's time at the setting.