Alert Kids Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

The provider has failed to meet a number of requirements of the early years foundation stage.

This results in the overall quality of care and education for children being poor. The provider does not thoroughly assess suitability of all staff and does not ensure they have a secure knowledge of key aspects of safeguarding. This puts children at risk.

Due to poor staff deployment and compromised staff-to-child ratios, children's needs are not met at times during the day. In addition, the provider does not ensure that there are suitable people to take charge in the absence of the nursery manager. Furthermore, staff l...ack the skills and knowledge required to care for and educate the children.

Staff do not complete statutory assessments or share information about children's progress with parents to ensure that gaps in children's learning are identified and closed. Staff do not follow appropriate hygiene practice and do not ensure that children can access fresh drinking water. Nevertheless, older children enjoy activities that help them to develop some skills needed for their move to school.

For example, children enjoy counting small sorting animals, while using tweezers to sort them according to the colour or type. Activities like this also help children to develop their hand-to-eye coordination.

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

nThe provider does not have a secure knowledge and understanding of all statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage and the Childcare Register.

He does not monitor the quality of the provision effectively to ensure any breaches and weaknesses are identified and addressed promptly.nSome staff do not have appropriate knowledge and understanding of all safeguarding matters to keep children safe. They do not know what signs might indicate that children are being exposed to extreme views and/or are at risk of female genital mutilation.

nThe provider does not follow all requirements of safe recruitment procedures to assess suitability of staff. For example, the provider does not cross-reference and challenge discrepancies in references and in the employment history provided, and does not ensure that references requested are from previous employers and/or managers.nThe provider does not ensure staff have clear knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities to comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation, including hygiene requirements to avoid any cross-infection.

For example, staff do not ensure children wash their hands before each meal and they do not arrange snack time to support children's good health and to eliminate cross-contamination. For example, children sit touching their feet and the floor with their hands and then take their breadsticks. Some of the children also drop these on the floor, pick them up and eat them without staff noticing.

Furthermore, some equipment is not age-appropriate and affects children's ability to sit and eat comfortably. For example, children under two years old sit at the table which is too high, resulting in the table top being at their neck level. This means children do not have an opportunity to sit appropriately for mealtimes.

In addition, some staff do not use the safest techniques of picking up children.nThe provider does not ensure that there is a named deputy who is capable and qualified to take charge in the manager's absence at all times. In addition, they do not meet the ratio requirement to meet the needs of all children, particularly during the morning.

For example, in the morning of the inspection there was no manager, deputy or capable third in charge in place, to ensure the smooth running of the provision. During that time, staffing arrangements were poor and did not meet the ratio requirements to meet all children's needs. Consequently, children did not receive appropriate quality of care and education.

nAlthough each child has an assigned key person, the key-person system in place is not effective to meet all children's individual needs. For example, babies who are newer to the setting do not have required reassurance and emotional support for almost two hours in the morning until their assigned key person arrives to start their shift. This does not help children become familiar with the setting, offer a settled relationship for them or meet their emotional needs.

nStaff do not ensure that fresh drinking water is available and easily accessible to children at all times. For example, children are given water only at snack times and mealtimes. There is no access to water for younger children during other times of the day.

Although older children have a jug with water and cups in the room, they are not always easily visible and/or accessible to children to help themselves.nThe manager does not ensure that staff complete the required progress check for all children aged between two and three years. Therefore, they do not identify children's strengths or any areas where they may need further support.

This means that children, who are possibly not developing within the typical range of development, may not getting the support needed in a timely manner to help them rapidly progress. This particularly has an impact on those children who learn English as an additional language and do not receive targeted support.nSome staff do not have a good knowledge of the early years foundation stage.

They do not understand how to plan and provide age-appropriate and challenging activities to meet each child's learning needs and to help them progress towards their next steps. Some staff do not know how to engage children in purposeful interactions to help them make good progress. Sometimes, all children are asked to join in group activities and expected to sit for too long without quality interaction.

Some activities are uninspiring. As a result, some children become bored or restless.nStaff are calm and caring.

They teach children about respect and manners, and regularly remind them to say 'please' and 'thank you'.nParents report that they are satisfied with the care and learning opportunities their children receive. They feel that staff are warm and caring and keep them informed about their child's progress.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.The provider does not follow safe recruitment procedures to check that staff are suitable for their role. Not all staff have a clear understanding of all safeguarding matters, such as the 'Prevent' duty and female genital mutilation.

Although all staff attended safeguarding training, the provider does not monitor that it is effective and any gaps in their knowledge are identified and tackled promptly. The provider does not ensure that there is an appointed senior member of staff available at all times at the nursery to smoothly run the provision and to deal with any emergencies. The ratio requirement is not met at all times, which affects the quality of care provided to children.

In addition, some staff do not always use the safest way to pick up or move children to ensure their safety. These breaches compromise children's safety and welfare.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must:Due dateensure all staff have appropriate knowledge and understanding of all safeguarding matters, with particular regard to how to recognise and prevent children from being exposed to extreme views and/or female genital mutilation08/11/2019implement effective recruitment procedures to ensure the suitability of all staff08/11/2019ensure all staff have clear knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities to comply with requirements of health and safety legislation and to meet children's health and welfare needs effectively08/11/2019ensure ratio requirements are met at all times and staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children08/11/2019improve key-person arrangements to ensure they are able to meet the child's individual needs, to help the child become familiar with the setting and offer a settled relationship for the child08/11/2019ensure all equipment used is fit for purpose and suitable for the age of children cared for, in particular, the tables used for younger children08/11/2019ensure fresh drinking water is available and easily accessible to children at all times08/11/2019ensure there is a named deputy who is capable and qualified to take charge in the manager's absence at all times08/11/2019ensure staff complete a review of children's progress and provide parents and/or carers with a short-written summary of their child's development, when a child is aged between two and three years08/11/2019improve the quality of education provided and ensure that all staff have a good knowledge of the early years foundation stage; understand how to plan and provide age-appropriate and challenging activities to meet each child's learning needs; and know how to engage children in purposeful interactions to help them make good progress.

08/11/2019

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