Busy Bees at Solihull Stratford Court

Inclusion: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that staffing arrangements and staff deployment meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning and wellbeing. When staff are moved between rooms, children are cared for by adults who do not know them well enough to understand and respond to their individual needs. Children spend time waiting for support, become distressed and disengage from learning. As a result, they do not benefit from the provision leaders have put in place to help them thrive. This is particularly evident in the rooms for toddlers and 2- to 3-year-olds, where children's wellbeing and developmental needs are not met.

Leaders identify children who face barriers to their learning and wellbeing, including children with SEND. They work with families and other professionals to assess children's needs and put support plans, interventions and additional funding in place with the intention of reducing barriers to learning and supporting children to thrive. For example, leaders use funding to broaden children's experiences and support their individual interests.

Leaders know children and families well and take appropriate action to support those facing challenges. Support plans, interventions and staff training are in place. However, staffing arrangements and staff deployment mean that staff do not have the capacity to implement these effectively, which has a negative impact on their learning. Children who face barriers to their learning and wellbeing do not benefit fully from the support leaders have put in place.

Curriculum and teaching: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that children receive the quality of teaching they need to make progress from their starting points. Although leaders have designed a curriculum that identifies what they want children to learn, they do not ensure that it is implemented effectively.

Staff do not use observations and assessments effectively to inform planning and teaching. Although staff know children appropriately, they do not use what they know about children's interests, starting points and next steps to adapt learning experiences. In the baby room, planning is largely the same for groups of children and does not reflect children's differing learning needs. As a result, teaching does not build on what children already know and can do.

The learning environment and teaching do not support children to engage deeply in learning. In the baby room, resources are largely placed on the floor, with limited challenge for older babies. Staff do not encourage children to explore, investigate or build on emerging skills. In the rooms for toddlers and 2- to 3-year-olds, staff interactions are often supervisory rather than educational. Staff focus on managing routines and supervising children rather than extending their communication, thinking and understanding. As a result, children do not receive the teaching they need to develop knowledge and skills.

While staff sing songs and share books with children, these interactions are often spontaneous and used to occupy children while they wait for routines, such as during lunchtime. Staff provide minimal language modelling during these times. Interactions are often limited to instructions, such as telling children where to sit, what to do or when to wait, rather than extending children's communication, language and thinking. As a result, children do not receive sustained interactions to develop their communication, language and thinking skills.

More effective teaching is evident in the pre-school room. Staff join children in their play and use conversations to extend learning. For example, children engaged in role play linked to their experiences outside the setting, and staff used questioning and discussion to help them recall events, share ideas and make connections between their play and the world around them.

Achievement: Urgent improvement

Children do not achieve as well as they should because significant weaknesses in teaching, staff deployment and support for individual learning needs reduce the progress they make from their starting points. Children do not receive the high-quality interactions they need to develop their communication and language skills. The interactions they receive are often brief and focused on managing routines rather than encouraging children to think, talk and share ideas. As a result, children do not develop and extend their vocabulary, communication and understanding as well as they should.

Some children develop age-appropriate knowledge and skills across the areas of learning. In the pre-school room, children demonstrate confidence, independence and positive social skills. For example, children sustain their play as they work together to build enclosures for dinosaurs, sharing ideas, solving problems and adapting their designs. These experiences are not typical across the setting. Children do not receive the quality of teaching and interaction they need to build knowledge and skills over time. Consequently, they are not developing the knowledge and skills needed for their next stage of learning as they should.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills needed to support children's behaviour, attitudes to learning and emotional wellbeing effectively. Expectations for behaviour management are not clear, and staff do not have a shared understanding of how to respond to children's needs appropriately. As a result, practice varies considerably between rooms and between members of staff.

At the start of the day, staff are not prepared for children's arrival, and children spend time wandering around or waiting for activities to be organised. As a result, children become disengaged and display unwanted behaviours. Staff do not motivate children effectively or help them understand the purpose of activities. For example, children are told to join in rather than being encouraged and supported to participate. Long waiting times during routines, particularly at lunchtime, further reduce children's engagement and enjoyment. Staff expectations are not always appropriate for children's age and stage of development. Staff do not recognise when children need support to manage their behaviour. For example, children fight and scream without staff intervention because staff are focused on tidying and completing routine tasks. More effective practice is evident in the pre-school room, where staff help children understand expectations and manage their behaviour appropriately. For example, staff use familiar strategies, such as a pretend speed camera and speeding fines, to help children understand why they should walk indoors and follow the setting's rules. Leaders promote attendance appropriately, and children attend regularly.

Relationships between staff and children are not always positive. Staff do not consistently respond to children's needs with warmth, sensitivity and respect. Staff behaviour management strategies are not appropriate and, at times, are humiliating for children. For example, staff respond to unwanted behaviour by taking children to rooms for younger children. This does not help children understand expectations or manage their feelings appropriately. Distressed children are told that their mummy will not be happy with them when they do not sleep. Staff also use unnecessary physical intervention, including pulling children by the arm to stop their behaviour. Staff do not always treat children with the care, respect and understanding they need. These approaches have a significant negative impact on children's wellbeing, causing distress rather than helping children feel safe, supported and understood.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement

Leaders have not ensured that policies and procedures intended to support children's welfare and wellbeing are implemented effectively. As a result, children do not receive the attentive, nurturing and responsive care they need to feel safe, secure and well supported.

Weaknesses in staffing arrangements, staff deployment and supervision have a significant negative impact on children's day-to-day experiences. Staff are frequently focused on managing routines rather than responding to children's care and wellbeing needs. As a result, children do not receive the timely support, comfort and reassurance they need. Distressed children are not always comforted promptly, and staff do not consistently recognise when children need reassurance, comfort or support. Staff sometimes respond abruptly to children, using short instructions such as 'go to sleep', 'no crying' and 'sit down' rather than helping them understand expectations or responding sensitively to their needs. Children are often cared for by adults who do not know them well enough to respond appropriately to their individual needs. This is particularly evident when staff are moved between rooms, disrupting children's relationships with familiar adults and reducing their sense of security.

Staff do not always recognise or respond appropriately to children's personal care needs. Children's distress is sometimes viewed as unwanted behaviour rather than as a sign that they may require comfort, reassurance or personal care, such as having their nappy changed. Staff do not consider the reasons why children may be unsettled, and, when staffing pressures are high, children's toileting and care needs are not always identified and responded to promptly. These weaknesses have a significant negative impact on children's wellbeing, comfort and sense of security.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

Leaders have not identified or addressed significant weaknesses in staff practice, staff deployment and the day-to-day experiences of children. Although leaders have established policies, procedures and systems intended to support children's safety, wellbeing and learning, they have not ensured these are implemented effectively. As a result, weaknesses in practice have a significant negative impact on children's safety, wellbeing and achievement.

Leaders acknowledge that staffing difficulties and deployment decisions have had a significant impact on children's experiences. Although staff remain in ratio, leaders do not ensure that staffing arrangements support children's safety, wellbeing and learning effectively. Leaders have not taken sufficient action to identify and address the impact that these arrangements are having on the quality of care and education children receive.

Leaders provide staff with training and take some steps to monitor practice. However, leaders have not identified significant inconsistencies in the quality of staff interactions, behaviour management and care practices.

Staff wellbeing and workload are not managed effectively. Staff are stretched across multiple responsibilities and frequently move between tasks and rooms, reducing their ability to focus on children.

Leaders have established systems to communicate with parents, and most parents speak positively about the setting. However, leaders do not ensure that communication with families is effective. Frequent changes to staffing arrangements mean that some parents are unclear about who their child's key person is and do not receive enough information about their child's day-to-day experiences. As a result, leaders have not established effective partnerships with all families that are needed to support children's wellbeing and learning.