Clifton Tots Day Nursery

Inclusion: Urgent improvement

Leaders and staff do not identify children with barriers to learning quickly or accurately enough. Staff do not know children well enough to recognise emerging needs, understand how these affect children's learning and wellbeing, or identify when additional support is needed. Although some staff can describe children's individual needs and areas of need, they do not recognise these as barriers to learning. They do not think about how they can adapt interactions and activities to support children effectively. For example, some staff identify that children are experiencing barriers to their learning. They describe actions they would take to support children. Some children require help to understand and manage their emotions. However, these strategies are not evident in practice, and staff do not support children's emotional development effectively. For example, staff say 'stop' or 'don't do that' with no follow up. This does not help children understand how to manage and understand their actions or emotions.

Children with previously identified needs receive support from external agencies that visit the setting. However, leaders and staff do not use assessment information effectively to identify other children who may need additional support. As a result, some children's needs remain unidentified, and opportunities for early interventions are not implemented.

Leaders have not sufficiently trained staff to identify, assess, plan and review support, nor do they make it clear who staff can seek for help with this. Overall, the weakness in the provision means that children who need additional support are not given the help they require to make meaningful progress in all areas of their learning and development.

Curriculum and teaching: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. Their monitoring and evaluation do not identify weaknesses or the improvements needed to ensure that all children receive high-quality learning experiences.

Leaders do not ensure that staff implement a broad curriculum with high enough expectations for what children can achieve. Many staff are inexperienced, and leaders do not provide them with sufficient support to develop the knowledge and skills required for their roles. Consequently, staff do not have a secure understanding of what they want children to learn and cannot clearly identify the intended learning behind activities and experiences. Staff often provide activities that focus on completing routine tasks rather than promoting purposeful learning. For example, children create medals and enjoy the activity. However, staff cannot explain the purpose of the activity or identify what they want children to learn.

Staff demonstrate limited knowledge of how to deliver the curriculum and support children's learning and development through their interactions. They frequently ask repetitive questions and ask children to repeat what they have said rather than extending conversations, introducing new vocabulary or promoting children's own thinking. For example, during play-dough and mark-making activities, staff do not use discussion or targeted questioning well. Children are not able to develop their language, communication and thinking skills further. In the outdoor area, children spend their time running around while staff supervise from a distance. Staff do not engage children in purposeful learning, model play, or use these experiences to extend children's development.

As a result, staff do not provide children with high-quality experiences or purposeful interactions that build on their learning and development. This limits children's opportunities to develop new knowledge, skills and understanding. This hinders the progress they are capable of making.

Achievement: Urgent improvement

Children do not make sufficient progress through the curriculum, because it is not broad or ambitious. It is not effectively sequenced to help children progress and sustain their learning. Children do not experience meaningful interactions that promote their learning and development across all areas. As a result, children do not develop their knowledge and skills as well as they could.

Children access a range of activities, but these do not help them build knowledge and skills over time. For example, children spend extended periods building with bricks or playing with dolls. While children enjoy these experiences, this is not deepening children's learning or closing gaps.

Children who face barriers to their learning and wellbeing do not receive learning experiences that meet their individual needs. As a result, gaps in learning remain. Consequently, children do not develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for their next stage of learning and, where appropriate, for school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Urgent improvement

Leaders have not established a positive environment with clear expectations for behaviour. Staff do not implement behaviour expectations effectively or provide children with the support they need to understand routines and expectations.

Leaders do not implement the key-person system effectively. Many staff do not know which children they are responsible for and do not know children well enough to understand their individual needs, stage of development or next steps in learning. Leaders do not ensure that all parents know who their child's key person is. As a result, many staff do not build secure relationships with children or provide support that reflects children's individual needs and circumstances.

Staff do not demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to support children's learning, behaviour and development. They cannot clearly identify children's developmental levels or explain how they support children to make progress. Although some staff recognise when some younger children are ready to achieve developmental milestones, such as around toilet training, they do not consider how to adapt practice or the environment to support children at the earliest opportunity. This delays children in reaching some of their milestones.

Staff do not demonstrate that they understand how to help children understand routines and expectations. For example, during mealtimes, staff sometimes pick children up and move them to the table rather than helping them understand what is expected. Staff provide limited explanations and do not use these opportunities to promote independence. When children throw toys, staff do not help them understand the impact of their actions on others or redirect them towards appropriate play. Consequently, staff do not support children to develop the independence, self-regulation and social skills they need to learn and interact positively with others.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that children experience a safe, nurturing and well-managed environment that promotes their welfare and wellbeing. Leaders do not implement effective procedures for obtaining, recording and monitoring information about children's welfare. Staff do not consistently gather, record or review information relating to injuries, accidents and concerns about children's wellbeing. Leaders do not maintain effective oversight of this information, and do not ensure that records are accurate, complete or used to inform safeguarding decision-making. As a result, leaders cannot demonstrate effective monitoring of concerns or identify patterns that may indicate children are at risk of harm.

Leaders do not deploy staff effectively to ensure children's safety throughout the day. Staff do not maintain sufficient supervision of children or the environment and do not consistently identify potential risks. For example, children engage in potentially unsafe behaviour, such as climbing and jumping on furniture, without staff providing appropriate support, guidance or intervention. Staff also do not identify when children require immediate care and support. On several occasions, staff did not recognise that children were wearing wet clothing. This has a negative impact on children's health and wellbeing.

Leaders do not maintain effective oversight during daily routines. For example, during mealtimes, staff do not consistently notice when children leave their seats or attempt to retrieve food from the floor. These weaknesses demonstrate that staff do not remain sufficiently alert to children's needs, actions and wellbeing.

Leaders do not ensure that staff have the knowledge, skills and vigilance required to keep children safe and meet their care needs. As a result, staff do not consistently identify risks, respond promptly to children's needs or maintain a safe environment. Staff demonstrate an awareness of safer-sleep guidance and follow appropriate arrangements for sleeping children.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

Leaders have failed to keep sufficient oversight of safeguarding practices and procedures at the setting. They do not ensure that staff have the knowledge and understanding needed to follow safeguarding procedures and respond appropriately when concerns arise about children's safety and welfare. Leaders have also failed to follow safeguarding procedures in line with policies when concerns and allegations have been raised about adults working with children. Breaches of statutory requirements, including those relating to safeguarding, have a significant impact on children's safety, wellbeing and learning and place children at risk of harm.

Leaders do not ensure that staff receive the support, training and professional development they need to carry out their roles effectively. Although leaders have introduced and adapted a training programme, this has not yet improved the quality of practice. Many staff are inexperienced and lack the knowledge and skills needed to deliver a meaningful curriculum, support children's learning and development, and fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities. However, some staff report that they enjoy working at the setting and feel supported by leaders.

Leaders do not support staff to identify children's barriers to learning accurately or establish secure relationships that support children's learning and wellbeing. Leaders do not ensure that all parents know who their child's key person is or that they understand the role of the key person in supporting their child's learning, development and wellbeing.

Leaders do not monitor staff practice rigorously enough to identify weaknesses and secure improvement. As a result, leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the quality of education, care and safeguarding across the setting, and children do not receive the support they need to make steady progress. Parents report that their children enjoy attending and developing relationships with their peers.