Hopscotch Nursery

Inclusion: Urgent improvement

Leaders fail to implement an effective system to identify, assess and meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pre-school children typically benefit from effective support from experienced staff who understand their individual needs. However, leaders have not ensured that those with responsibilities for SEND have time in rooms to identify younger children's needs promptly and to provide appropriate support for them. In addition, when key persons are absent, staff do not have sufficient knowledge of children's individual needs to provide appropriate support. These weaknesses and inconsistencies mean children with SEND do not receive the targeted support they need.

Adaptations to reduce barriers to children's learning are ineffective. Staff request additional resources to support children with SEND. However, leaders do not respond to these requests promptly. This means children do not have the resources and adaptations they need to participate fully in learning and to make secure progress. Leaders fail to monitor any support that is put in place for children effectively or assess its impact on their progress. Leaders do not always follow up promptly on referrals and recommendations from external professionals.

Leaders do not typically respond effectively to children facing barriers to their learning and wellbeing. For example, prolonged absences of children known or previously known to social care are not followed up. This does not ensure that children who are particularly vulnerable receive the appropriate support and safeguarding response they need. Leaders understand some challenges faced by local families and use additional funding appropriately. However, overall, systems to identify and address barriers to children's learning and wellbeing are ineffective.

Curriculum and teaching: Urgent improvement

The quality of teaching is inconsistent, and children do not make the progress they are capable of. Leaders do not ensure that the curriculum is sequenced to build on what children already know and can do. Oversight of staff's interactions and quality of teaching is ineffective. Staff do not always understand the purpose of planned activities or how to support individual learning. Overall, staff know their key children's next steps. For example, children learn about capacity during water play, supporting mathematical development. However, weaknesses in the key-person system mean staff are not always aware of children's existing skills or next steps. The weak oversight by leaders has not ensured that those working with younger children when their familiar adult is absent have the knowledge and skills to support their next steps in learning.

The quality of teaching is variable, and in some cases poor. Staff do not match their interactions closely enough to children's ages and stages of development. For instance, staff encourage younger children to write letters from their name when they cannot yet hold a pencil. Overall, children receive support to develop independence through everyday routines. They pour their own drinks and clear away their plates after eating. However, staff do not use all interactions to extend and support children's learning. They spend much of their time supervising children rather than engaging them in purposeful learning.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive teaching that is sufficiently adapted to meet their individual needs. Leaders do not ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to adapt interactions and teaching approaches to support children with SEND. This means children with SEND do not have the same opportunities to participate and make progress alongside their peers.

Achievement: Urgent improvement

Children do not progress well from their starting points across all areas of learning. Some children make typical progress in the prime areas of learning. For example, children develop physical skills through daily outdoor activities. They ride bikes, climb, scoop mud and leaves and run around. However, children do not develop the skills and knowledge that build on previous learning. Staff are often unaware of children's individual next steps. This means there is insufficient support for children. They do not receive experiences that build on what they already know and can do to help them become confident learners.

Children spend much of their time outside choosing their own activities and playing independently. This means opportunities for children to extend their learning and develop new skills are often overlooked. Gaps in learning, especially for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are not addressed promptly. This means that not all children make the progress they are capable of. This does not prepare children well enough for their future learning and their eventual move to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Urgent improvement

Leaders lack a strategic approach to promoting regular attendance. Not all children benefit from regular attendance, which limits their opportunities to develop secure routines and positive attitudes to their learning. Leaders do not provide staff with support and guidance to promote positive behaviour and attitudes. The busy layout of the outdoor environment, where children spend most of their day, means staff often focus on the supervision of children and care routines rather than supporting children's engagement and learning behaviours.

Children generally behave well and respond positively to staff. Most children develop positive relationships with staff and other children and appear settled during familiar routines. However, children do not always have opportunities to engage in purposeful play, sustain attention and persevere with activities. This limits their opportunities to develop positive attitudes to their learning.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not receive support that meets their individual needs. Although the setting has a designated sensory room, this is often used as a sleep room instead. This means children do not always benefit from access to a quiet and calm space when they need support to self-regulate their emotions. This limits their ability to engage fully in the experiences available.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement

Children's welfare and wellbeing are not prioritised by leaders. Children are not supervised effectively at all times, and poor staffing arrangements do not meet children's needs. For example, when children move inside during free-flow play, they are not always in sight and hearing of staff. This does not promote children's wellbeing or safety effectively and is a breach of requirements.

Overall, children develop positive relationships with key staff. Babies receive reassurance and emotional support from familiar staff when needed. However, children do not receive care that consistently meets their individual needs. For instance, when key persons are absent, other staff do not have sufficient knowledge of children's individual needs to fully support them. This means children do not always experience the secure and responsive relationships they need to support their emotional wellbeing. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not receive consistent care that is sufficiently adapted to their individual needs.

Children benefit from regular opportunities to develop their physical skills and learn about healthy lifestyles. Food provided by the setting is healthy and well balanced. Overall, when present, key persons implement effective sleeping and feeding routines and respond to children's individual preferences. Children receive support to develop independence through everyday routines. Staff encourage children to wash their hands before eating, feed themselves and pour their own drinks.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

Leaders fail to identify significant weaknesses in the provision or take effective action to address them. This has resulted in a number of breaches to the requirements. Leaders lack oversight of practice and have ineffective systems to safeguard children and maintain accurate records. They do not ensure staffing and deployment arrangements meet children's needs or support their safety. This has resulted in children being out of sight and hearing of staff. In addition, leaders unsuccessfully monitor practice and the implementation of mobile phone policies and procedures. For example, staff use personal mobile phones where children are present. This places children at risk of harm.

Leaders demonstrate a poor ability to act in children's best interests, particularly those who may be vulnerable. Leaders fail to follow up on prolonged absences of children known or previously known to social care, and they do not successfully keep records. These weaknesses put children at risk of harm.

Staff's wellbeing is not appropriately supported, and their workload is unsustainable. Leaders are often not present, leaving staff with limited support and guidance. Although supervision sessions take place, they do not identify development needs effectively or provide constructive feedback. Leaders do not provide feedback following informal staff observations to raise the quality of teaching and interactions. Professional development is largely limited to mandatory training and does not address weaknesses in staff practice.

Since the last inspection, leaders have made some improvements. For example, communication with parents has been strengthened to share children's learning and next steps. However, actions to address other areas of development have not been effective. Significant weaknesses remain in leadership oversight of staff and the support they offer.