Apple Tree Day Nursery & Kidz Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Leaders still do not demonstrate sufficient oversight to meet all of the requirements of the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'. They cannot fully assure children's safety. For example, despite having processes in place for staff to monitor sleeping children they are not consistently followed.

This means that leaders and managers are unable to confirm that sleeping children are regularly checked for their safety. Despite staff receiving training and supervision, the quality of education remains poor. Although staff know the small number of children who attend the nursery, they do not use what they ...know to support children to achieve sufficiently well.

Staff are frequently disorganised with resources and distracted with other tasks during activities when they should be interacting with children. As a result, children are not fully involved or supported during activities and this has a significant impact on children's engagement and learning.The premises continue to be tired and uninviting.

There are areas which are grubby and worn, and in places the decor is damaged and unkempt. This does not create a suitable environment for children where they are encouraged to play and learn and make the most of their early years experience.The key-person system has improved.

Staff speak confidently about the children in their care, their interactions with children are warm and welcoming and they manage any minor discrepancies in children's behaviour sensitively. Children happily speak to visiting adults. Those children who are unable to communicate verbally, take visitors by the hand to show them the toys they enjoy playing with.

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

Leaders do not provide sufficient support to staff to help them improve the quality of their teaching, even though supervision arrangements are in place. Furthermore, they do not recognise when the nursery's policies and procedures are not being followed.Staff are poorly prepared for the delivery of activities, which disrupts children's levels of engagement.

This means that children wait for lengthy periods while staff find all of the resources they need for the activity. Therefore, the initial interest children show in the activity is quickly lost and they find something of their own choosing to play with, where they display stronger levels of engagement.Although staff provide children with instructions and talk to them regularly, they do not promote children's communication and language skills effectively.

For example, staff tell children that their food is 'yummy' as they eat their healthy, freshly cooked meal. However, they do not engage children in further conversation, to encourage them to share their thoughts, opinions and ideas. This lack of meaningful interaction happens frequently throughout the day.

Some children complete activities with limited communication from staff and this has a negative impact on their learning.Adult-led activities are too prescriptive. Children are expected to create Christmas crafts in a certain way and are not offered choices or encouraged to follow their own ideas to make their work unique.

Despite staff providing children with a range of different coloured paints, children are guided to use the 'expected' colour when creating specific Christmas crafts. This limits children's experiences and has an impact on their levels of focus and enjoyment.Not all staff understand how to adapt their teaching in response to children's emerging interests.

For instance, children keenly speak about the birds they see as they play in the garden. However, staff fail to respond to children's observations and instead encourage them to join in with a counting activity. Children quickly lose interest and find something else to play with.

Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has improved. Communication between parents, managers, and the staff team benefits the children. For instance, parents share information from other professionals with staff during the doorstep handover when children arrive for the day.

Staff use appropriate strategies to help children with SEND to understand what will happen next. This helps children to transition at key points in the day, such as when they need their nappy changing.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Children's safety cannot be fully assured due to ineffective procedures for staff to follow to monitor sleeping children. Staff have a firm understanding of issues relating to child protection and whistle-blowing. They complete relevant training and managers check their understanding.

Leaders and managers understand how to raise concerns with other agencies regarding child protection issues. Staff speak to children about how to maintain their privacy when using the toilet. The provider has not taken timely action to provide information which would allow Ofsted to ensure that all adults connected to the registration of this setting are suitable for their roles.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action.

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to: Due date ensure that procedures to monitor sleeping children are consistently and properly implemented by all staff and that leaders and managers oversee this to identify and address any inconsistencies and issues 05/01/2024 ensure leaders take all required action, and have clear and consistent oversight of staff practice and the provision on offer, to be able to meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage 05/01/2024 ensure that the premises are in a suitable condition that encourages the children to make the most of their learning.05/01/2024 To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure that learning opportunities are organised and arranged appropriately so that staff can fully promote children's learning and build on children's levels of concentration and enjoyment 23/02/2024 ensure that staff interactions with children are consistently purposeful and allow children the opportunity to make choices during their play, building on what children already know and can do for themselves.

23/02/2024

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