Kingwood Children @ Muddifords Court

Inclusion: Needs attention

Leaders identify children that may require additional support; however, the implementation of this support is inconsistent. Leaders do not have sufficient oversight to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are monitored and receive targeted support.

Although leaders have begun to improve systems to monitor and support all children, these are not currently effective. Leaders do not ensure information about what some children require is available or shared between staff working directly with these children. This means staff do not know all children's individual needs or provide appropriate adaptations. For example, staff do not consistently use the intended visual aids, which limits some children's communication.

Leaders do not ensure all staff have the knowledge and skills required to adequately support children with SEND, although they are taking steps to address this. Additional funding is used to provide resources for children. However, leaders and staff do not all know the difference this funding makes to children and therefore do not target gaps in children's learning effectively. Leaders and staff are beginning to engage more with all parents and external professionals to further support children's learning.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders are aware that the curriculum is not ambitious for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The standard of teaching is variable. The curriculum is not well designed to ensure all children are engaged and motivated to learn. At times, staff interaction with pre-school-age children is limited. Staff do not consistently seize opportunities to extend children's learning or adapt their interactions to meet children's needs, particularly those with SEND. Pre-school-age children become bored and wander off.

There is a sequenced communication and language curriculum in place for babies. Leaders ensure that babies have the opportunity to develop their early speaking skills and expand their vocabulary. Staff sing songs to expose babies to new language, rhythm and rhyme. Babies join in and babble. Staff talk about numbers and count with toddlers. Toddlers listen and begin to refer to numbers in their play. Staff prioritise children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. Older children play running games and develop their spatial awareness and coordination. Staff encourage older children to persevere and achieve tasks, such as putting on and taking off their shoes.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children are not all sufficiently prepared for their next stage of learning. Some children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not make sufficient progress from their starting points. Children do not all benefit from suitable adaptations to enhance their attitude to learning or ensure their readiness for school. Babies make progress in their listening and attention skills. They watch staff in awe as they sing songs to them. Babies clap along and begin to formulate some words. Toddlers improve their speaking skills and engage in back-and-forth exchanges with staff. They listen and repeat words back to staff. This strengthens and builds on toddlers' vocabulary. Some pre-school-age children develop a broader understanding of their own feelings and how to regulate their emotions.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

At times, staff do not encourage older children to focus, and they disengage from activities. These children are not consistently supported to develop positive attitudes to their learning or understand the expectations of the setting. Typically, behaviour is managed effectively and consistently across the setting. Staff help toddlers to overcome frustrations positively. They remind children about being respectful to one another and to use their good manners. Children show they understand and generally play cooperatively with each other. Older children have positive relationships with each other. They smile and wave at each other from across the table while they eat snack. Staff are kind and act as positive role models. Leaders and staff monitor all children's attendance and punctuality, so they are alert to any patterns of irregular attendance. They follow procedures to contact families if children do not attend as planned and support children to establish routines to prepare them for future learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Some staff have insufficient knowledge about the children they are caring for. This negatively impacts on children's attachments. Staff are not consistently responsive to all children's needs, including those who face barriers to their learning needs. This lessens some children's sense of belonging. Children are sometimes unsettled on arrival and do not show that they feel secure.

Staff take into account the member of staff that babies have bonded with the most when allocating individual key persons. This supports babies' attachments to staff and strengthens their wellbeing. Staff are beginning to support all children how to manage and express their feelings. They look at visual representations of emotions together. Staff share these with some parents so they can continue this learning at home. Staff teach children about how to keep themselves safe when outdoors exploring the grounds. They remind children about the rules, such as sitting on an allocated tree stump and not going too close to the fire. Children know this routine and remind their friends of the rules regularly. Children learn about good hygiene and know to wash their hands with soap before they eat. Staff support all children to make healthy food choices, and all children enjoy daily fresh air.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

Leaders have not ensured that staff have the safeguarding knowledge they need. There have been significant changes to staffing within the last year, which has created inconsistencies in practice and the day-to-day running of the setting. Since the last inspection, leaders have supported staff to implement consistent strategies that build on children's understanding of behaviour expectations. However, action to sustain improvement has been ineffective. Leaders have some understanding of the setting's strengths but do not independently identify or improve areas of weaknesses.

Similar themes of poor practice are repeated and demonstrate that leaders do not act in the best interests of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Following a regulatory visit an enforcement notice was served. This was monitored at an inspection. Leaders have improved staffing arrangements to meet the needs of babies, improved safer eating practices and improved procedures to promote staff wellbeing and develop their personal effectiveness. However, the quality and impact of professional development is yet to be embedded.

Leaders do not deliver sufficient training to all staff to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to offer all children high-quality teaching and learning. This was identified as a weakness at the last inspection. Leaders do not ensure all children, including those with SEND, are monitored and receive targeted support so they can make the best possible progress. Leaders do not keep a written record of all complaints and their outcome. Some parents state that they do not feel heard or that their concerns are fully acknowledged, investigated or taken seriously.