Partou Chapel House Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children's safety and well-being are not assured. Risks to children are not consistently assessed and minimised. Leaders do not ensure that fresh drinking water is readily available for all children. Additionally, accidents that happen to children are not consistently recorded, and information about these is not shared with parents in a timely manner. Breaches to requirements are not recognised by leaders and managers.

Children do not consistently receive the expected standard of care and education across the nursery. Older children generally experience quality staff interactions and benefit from strong teaching. For example, older children are supported during story time, and staff enhance children's interest in books. However, younger children do not receive the same level of support to ensure their learning and developmental needs are met. They do not benefit from a well-sequenced or ambitious curriculum. While younger children generally engage with the resources provided, staff interactions are often limited and lack a clear purpose. Activities are not planned carefully enough to help children build on what they already know and can do. This hinders the progress younger children make during their time at the nursery.

Despite these weaknesses, all children behave well and respond positively to staff's explanations of rules and expectations. Staff working with older children support them in understanding positive behaviours, such as sharing and taking turns.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Leaders have not addressed some of the actions raised at the last inspection. In addition, further breaches of statutory requirements were identified during this inspection. Although leaders have provided training, coaching, and guidance since the previous inspection, this has not yet had a consistently positive impact on staff practice.
• Drinking water is not always available or accessible to all children. Staff place beakers on countertops that are out of reach for younger children. They do not offer water to babies and toddlers regularly between mealtimes. This does not support children's good health.
• Staff do not safely supervise younger children as they explore climbing equipment. They do not support babies and toddlers, as they use the indoor climbing frame safely, and as a result, accidents happen. These accidents are not consistently recorded by staff or shared in a timely manner with children's parents. As a result, children's safety is not assured.
• Leaders do not ensure that robust procedures are followed to prevent unauthorised persons from entering the premises unsupervised. This lack of security compromises children's safety and potentially puts them at risk of harm.
• Leaders and staff do not demonstrate an adequate understanding of potential risks to children. They fail to identify and remove hazards, such as pieces of cling film and bubble wrap, which are accessible to very young children. As a result, these children are exposed to unnecessary risks.
• Leaders have begun reviewing the curriculum and have implemented some positive changes, particularly in the pre-school room. However, they acknowledge that some weaknesses in staff's knowledge and teaching skills remain, particularly in providing tailored support and planning activities for younger children. This includes identifying what these children need to learn next.
• Older children engage in activities they enjoy. For example, they explore sand and water and manipulate playdough, using tools to create patterns. Staff extend older children's learning during conversations and by asking open-ended questions. However, staff do not engage as effectively with younger children, particularly to support their language and communication skills during play. For instance, they do not introduce new vocabulary or explain narratives. As a result, children's language development is not promoted as well.
• Staff report feeling supported by leaders and say their well-being is carefully considered. They attend regular supervision sessions and receive some training relevant to their roles. For example, they have completed a course on the correct procedures for lifting children, which ensures that all staff handle children appropriately.
• Parents report that their children are well settled in the nursery and speak positively about the staff and the care their children receive. However, staff do not consistently share important information with all parents in a timely manner or provide support in helping their children learn at home. This negatively affects the continuity of children's learning.