St Bertha Daycare Nursery

Inclusion: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who face other barriers to their learning, receive the support they need to make progress. They do not prioritise early assessment, and the plans in place to support children are ineffective. In addition, leaders do not share information with staff, parents or other professionals consistently to support children's development and to close gaps in their learning. For example, staff are unsure about whether specialist assessments have been completed. Leaders do not inform them of the strategies that have been recommended to support children's development, such as the use of objects for reference. As a result, children requiring additional support do not receive consistent, high-quality help, and barriers to their learning and wellbeing persist.

Children who speak English as additional language do not have enough opportunities to hear and practise English. Staff value children's home languages and use them to support communication. However, when children, including those who have been attending the setting for some time, do not understand sentences in English, staff quickly switch to their home language instead of giving them time and appropriate support to communicate in English. This hinders children's communication and language skills and does not ensure that they are ready for school.

Curriculum and teaching: Urgent improvement

Leaders' curriculum lacks ambition and does not focus on priorities for children's learning, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In addition, key persons are not always based in the same room as their key children. This lack of organisation, together with the lack of understanding of what children need to learn next, means that staff do not plan effectively to meet children's individual needs and support their progress. Leaders do not ensure that staff are aware of the outcomes of children's assessments. Therefore, staff do not make the necessary adjustments to the curriculum to ensure that all children, including those with developmental delays or SEND, can participate fully in activities. As a result, children with SEND are placed at a disadvantage in their learning.

Staff interactions are poor. Staff spend most of their time supervising children rather than engaging in meaningful conversations with them to promote and extend their learning. For example, when children proudly show the 'apple' they have made using play dough, this goes unnoticed, so staff do not encourage them to talk about their creation. Children become disengaged during stories because staff do not hold their attention. Consequently, children miss opportunities to develop their understanding and use of new vocabulary. In addition, staff do not encourage children who speak English as an additional language to practise English consistently throughout the day. As a result, children have limited opportunities to extend their communication and language skills.

Achievement: Urgent improvement

Children do not develop the skills they need across all areas of learning. Their ability to acquire skills for the next stage in their learning is limited by the weaknesses in the curriculum and the lack of purposeful interactions from staff. As a result, children do not make secure progress and do not achieve well enough from their starting points. Children are not developing skills such as sharing, taking turns and being kind to their friends. They ignore requests that staff make of them, and argue with their peers. Staff look on, but do not intervene effectively to help children understand what is expected of them and to demonstrate positive behaviours. As a result, children do not learn to play cooperatively or the importance of valuing and respecting the feelings of their peers.

Children are showing some signs of progress in their physical development. They play outdoors, where they practise using their large and small muscles. For example, they toss rings towards cones and pour sand between containers. However, activities lack sufficient structure and challenge to support all children, including those facing barriers to learning, to make sustained progress. Children spend a lot of time in free play that is not organised to support their next steps. Any learning that takes place is incidental, rather than planned. This does not help children to make sufficient progress in preparation for school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Urgent improvement

Staff have a limited understanding of how to implement behaviour management strategies, and leaders do not provide them with effective support to develop their practice. This creates a disorderly environment, which has a detrimental effect on children's behaviour. Children run around aimlessly and hurt one another. Sometimes, staff notice and tell them to stop. At other times, they fail to notice children's altercations.

Staff do not have sufficient knowledge and skills to support children to resolve conflicts and regulate their behaviour. For example, when children snatch toys from each other or throw themselves on the floor if they do not get what they want, staff do not support them to learn why this behaviour is not acceptable. In addition, leaders have not put in place consistent routines for children. As a result, children do not know what to expect next, and become unsettled and upset.

Staff do not use praise and encouragement to support children to persevere when they try new activities. For example, when younger children attempt to pedal tricycles, staff do not offer the support they need to keep trying. As a result, children disengage and choose easier activities instead of persisting with the challenge. This limits children's opportunities to develop perseverance and has a negative impact on their attitude to learning.

Children's attendance is monitored, and any unexplained absences are followed up to check on their safety and wellbeing.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that children are kept safe in their care. Adults whose suitability has not been checked are allowed to work with the children. This places children's safety at risk. Risk assessments across the setting are poor. Leaders and staff do not take appropriate action to remove or reduce risks for children in the environment. For example, they recognise that the garden's slide is wobbly and presents a potential hazard to children's safety. However, the slide remains available to children, and they are often left unsupervised while using it.

The key-person system is not effective and does not meet children's emotional needs. For example, some younger children wander around the room distressed and crying, looking for their key person, who is often based in a different room. Staff try to comfort them, but at other times, they are left crying with no support and their feelings are not acknowledged.

Staff do not support children to build an understanding of healthy food choices, including through partnerships with parents. For example, staff do not identify and adequately address unhealthy lunch-box items. Some children are allowed to have chocolate cake while others are denied a healthier alternative, such as a digestive biscuit. Staff's lack of understanding and inconsistent approach mean that healthy eating habits are not promoted.

Staff demonstrate an understanding of safer sleeping practices, including by making sure that children are checked every 10 minutes to ensure they are safe.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

Leaders have a weak knowledge and understanding of the statutory requirements, and a poor oversight of their setting. They do not engage effectively with the local authority and other professionals, despite receiving visits and advice. They do not understand their responsibilities thoroughly. Safer recruitment processes are not consistently applied. Leaders cannot assure that all adults working with children are suitable. This is because they do not request references or complete background checks before allowing them to start working.

Staff supervision is ineffective. Leaders fail to recognise the significant weaknesses in teaching, which hinders all children's learning, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders do not provide precise feedback to staff and do not design a tailored professional development plan for them. In addition, they do not ensure that staff, including those with additional responsibilities, understand their roles. As a result, staff are not equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to meet children's needs. While staff carry out some training, leaders do not ensure that they implement their learning or check if this has an impact on the provision and, consequently, on children's outcomes.

Leaders do not work in partnership with external professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to ensure that children with SEND and those with barriers to learning receive the support they need. For example, early assessments of children's needs are not prioritised, and when specialist reports are received, leaders do not ensure that recommendations are promptly shared with staff and implemented.

Partnerships with parents are not effective. Parents are not aware of who their child's key person is or of their child's next steps in learning. This hinders continuity of education and care. Despite these weaknesses, parents say that their children enjoy attending the setting.