Acorns Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

The provider has failed to implement their safeguarding policy and procedures effectively. Where concerns are raised about children's welfare, they do not always act on them appropriately or swiftly. At times, staff are slow to identify potential risks to children.

This compromises children's safety and welfare.At times, teaching is not good enough. Although staff interact pleasantly with children, some children miss out on learning opportunities to build on what they already know.

For example, during an activity to support children's understanding of emotions, staff focus most of their attention on supporting on...e child's learning. Consequently, some children do not make consistently good progress in their learning. Some children lose interest quickly and leave the activity unfulfilled and deflated.

Children enter confidently and are greeted warmly by staff. They initiate hugs with staff, showing they feel comfortable and build strong and trusting attachments to them. Staff embed some areas of the curriculum well such as helping children understand the world they live in.

Staff take young children on outings to the local shop where they benefit from looking at and buying fruit and vegetables for snack. This promotes children's early healthy eating habits, alongside providing a foundation for children's future learning on sustainability and fostering respect for the planet.

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

The provider does not ensure that staff implement their safeguarding policy effectively.

This means concerns about children's welfare are not reported swiftly to the appropriate agencies. Some staff do not receive robust training and support to help them understand their roles and responsibilities, including those relating to safeguarding and child protection. This compromises children's safety and welfare.

Stringent procedures in place ensure children's allergies and dietary needs are supported. Staff keep children safe in the sun. They ensure children wear hats and have sun cream applied regularly.

However, the provider fails to embed adequate monitoring systems and ensure staff are consistently fulfilling their responsibilities and removing all potential risks posed to children. As a result, children's safety and welfare is not always maintained.Children demonstrate a fondness for books and reading.

They develop their imaginations and communication skills when excitedly inventing stories with their peers. Staff sing rhymes and repeat single words to young children, who keenly make sounds and begin to copy the words they hear.The provider does not sufficiently identify weaknesses in staff's teaching and provide specific training to strengthen and improve their practice.

Therefore, there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and learning experiences that children receive.Overall, children are happy and inquisitive learners that mostly play cooperatively with their peers. However, the provider does not ensure that all staff understand how to manage and support children's behaviour in acceptable ways.

Consequently, children receive mixed messages from staff regarding behaviours expected of them. This leads to children becoming confused about how to behave and reduces their ability to regulate their own behaviours and emotions.There are significant weaknesses in the continuity of care and education provided to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The provider and staff are not proactive in liaising with parents and other external agencies working with children. The lack of collaborative working considerably hinders children's learning and ability to achieve their best possible outcomes and does not prepare them well enough for the next steps in their education, including school.Overall, mealtimes are sociable events.

Children have some opportunities to practise key skills to develop their independence, such as learning to drink from open cups. However, pre-school children begin to get frustrated and despondent when staff ask them several times to eat properly, but they are not given the correct pieces of cutlery to practise this.Parents appreciate daily communication from staff about their children's day.

However, the provider has not implemented effective strategies to support staff to discuss children's learning and progress with parents in greater depth to help them to extend their children's further learning at home.There have been notable challenges in recent times, including changes to the management and staff team. Despite this, staff express their well-being is considered and they feel valued in their role.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date implement effective safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure that the appropriate agencies are notified of any concerns about a child without delay 10/09/2025 improve daily risk assessments to ensure children are not exposed to risks and demonstrate how these risks will be managed 10/09/2025 improve the effectiveness of staff supervision to ensure they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and receive training, support and coaching to improve their personal effectiveness 01/10/2025 improve arrangements for supporting children with SEND to ensure they receive appropriate support that helps them to make continuously good progress 08/10/2025 ensure that staff manage children's behaviour consistently 08/10/2025 support staff to undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities to continually improve their skills and knowledge of how to provide good quality teaching and learning experiences for all children.

22/10/2025

Also at this postcode