Springburn Childcare

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff successfully promote an inclusive environment for all children. They work effectively with other professionals to ensure children's needs are met. This collaborative approach helps children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to receive timely support and intervention. Those with responsibilities for SEND uses precise tracking to identify clear and achievable next steps in learning. As a result, children with SEND make sustained progress from their individual starting points. However, this is not consistently the case for other children attending older age groups within the nursery.

Staff gather information about what children already know and can do at home and in the nursery. Through regular observations, staff identify gaps in learning and development promptly. Leaders implement a range of strategies to support children with SEND and those facing additional barriers to learning. They seek advice from other professionals to inform targeted support for individual children. For example, staff ensure that children with hearing difficulties can always see their face when they talk to them. This develops children's communication skills. Staff promote children's physical development effectively, such as by encouraging movement through obstacle courses and activities that develop large-muscle skills. This contributes to supporting children's learning and development, particularly their mobility.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders have not fully embedded the curriculum into daily practice for all children. They do not have an accurate understanding of the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching or how effectively the intended curriculum is implemented. As a result, leaders do not have a clear plan to drive improvement. Consequently, staff do not consistently recognise opportunities to introduce new vocabulary, build on children's interests or extend their learning. This limits children's ability to deepen their knowledge and develop new skills. Nevertheless, the curriculum is inclusive and weaknesses in the curriculum do not have a negative impact on children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Children's experiences vary across the nursery. At times, staff provide activities that engage children well and support their development. For example, staff sensitively support younger children as they balance on beams. Children show great enjoyment as they stomp and dance while singing nursery rhymes and move their bodies in different ways. These experiences help to develop their physical skills and resilience as they try hard to master the skills to balance. However, leaders do not provide sufficient support to ensure that all staff have a secure understanding of the curriculum and its key areas of learning. They do not monitor staff practice effectively enough to identify weaknesses in interactions and the quality of teaching. As a result, teaching is inconsistent and does not support children's progress fully. This is particularly evident in how staff promote children's personal, social and emotional development. For example, some children struggle in loud and chaotic environments, while other children are told 'no' in harsh tones repeatedly.

Achievement: Needs attention

At times, older children struggle to engage meaningfully in play and collaborative learning. Due to weaknesses in staff support, children do not consistently develop the self-regulation skills they need, such as taking turns and managing their emotions. Children enjoy exploring the available toys and resources. However, they do not benefit from purposeful teaching, high-quality interactions and stimulating activities to help them master new skills and achieve well. Consequently, some older children are not well prepared for the next stage in their learning, including their move to school.

In contrast, babies and toddlers benefit from a wide range of engaging experiences. They enjoy activities, such as singing nursery rhymes, sharing stories and exploring sand, gaining appropriate communication and language skills. Staff generally support these children well, helping them to develop positive attitudes towards their learning.

All children enjoy spending time outdoors. They develop their coordination and confidence as they challenge themselves to climb, balance and negotiate equipment, such as climbing frames and slides. These experiences support children's physical development effectively.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that staff consistently act as positive role models across the nursery. As a result, the support children receive to understand the importance of kindness, respect and consideration for others varies significantly. These inconsistencies in practice have a negative impact on some groups of children. In some rooms, mealtimes are positive, social experiences, where children engage well with staff and their peers. However, this is not the case for all children. Weaknesses in behaviour management mean that some children do not understand what is expected of them. At times, staff provide unclear and confusing instructions that are not appropriate to children's age and stage of development. For example, staff repeatedly tell children 'no' and remove their pudding without explaining the expectations to them. Consequently, children are not supported effectively to develop the skills they need to manage their own behaviour.

Overall, leaders establish appropriate expectations for children's behaviour. For example, staff support toddlers to take turns and gently remind them to wait when they want the same toy. However, this approach is not consistent across the nursery. Some groups of children are not consistently supported to understand and maintain positive behaviour. Staff do not always help these children to follow daily routines, such as tidying up and preparing for snack times. For example, when older children are engaged in activities, staff shout, 'Hands on heads' to signal that it is time to tidy up and move on to the next part of the routine. Some children do not understand the instruction, while others do not respond or run away with the resources they are using. Staff then repeat the instruction more loudly several times. The resulting noise level causes distress for some children, who show signs of discomfort. This does not support children to develop positive attitudes towards learning and play.

Leaders have appropriate systems in place to monitor children's attendance. They follow up on absences promptly by contacting parents to obtain relevant information. This helps to promote children's regular attendance and enables them to benefit fully from the learning opportunities available at the nursery.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement

Repeated weaknesses in practice and persistent breaches of requirements have a significant impact on children's safety, welfare and emotional wellbeing. Leaders do not ensure that all staff understand and implement policies and procedures consistently. For example, staff are observed repeatedly shouting 'no' at children while standing over them. Some children appear intimidated by this approach, which does not promote emotional security. Other staff lack the confidence to challenge this poor practice when it occurs. Furthermore, leaders do not take appropriate action when concerns about staff conduct are reported to them. As a result, inappropriate practice continues and remains unchallenged.

Leaders do not consistently evaluate the effectiveness of policies and procedures or ensure that they are implemented in practice. There are weaknesses in the arrangements for supporting children, when their key person is absent. On these occasions, staff are not sufficiently aware of children's individual next steps in learning and do not provide opportunities to build on their development. However, this is more consistent in babies and younger toddlers. In addition, routines are not structured effectively to help children understand what will happen next. This means transitions between different parts of the day are, at times, chaotic and disorderly. This does not support children's emotional wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

Leadership and governance fail to ensure that children receive safe, high-quality care and education. Leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the quality of education and care provided. Although they identify some priorities for improvement, these are not sufficiently aligned with the nursery's weaknesses. As a result, significant breaches of requirements, including those relating to allegations against staff, behaviour management and the quality of teaching, have not been addressed effectively.

Leaders do not have effective arrangements in place to monitor, coach and support staff. Consequently, staff are not sufficiently supported to understand and fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Although staff have opportunities to discuss their work with leaders, they do not receive the training and guidance needed to improve their practice and deliver high-quality care and education. For example, staff working with older children do not receive the support necessary to understand and meet children's developmental needs. As a result, they are not equipped to provide consistently responsive and effective care for children.

Leaders have not ensured that the key-person system is implemented effectively. Parents are not provided with clear information about their child's learning, development and care, including who is responsible for meeting their child's needs on a day-to-day basis. Consequently, parents do not have a clear understanding of who is supporting their child. This weakens partnership working and limits opportunities to promote children's learning and development consistently between home and the nursery.