Otters Nursery Schools Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Weaknesses in safeguarding practice mean that children's safety is put at risk.

Furthermore, children's health and well-being are compromised due to poor staff deployment and staff not maintaining the nursery's policies and procedures. For example, staff do not supervise children when eating, and some children are given cooked meals that are observed to be too hot for them, resulting in children crying and others removing the food quickly from their mouths. This goes unnoticed by the staff, and the inspectors highlight this to them as they give the children comfort.

Overall, the quality of teaching is variable. S...ome children receive a suitable amount of attention and support; however, this is not consistent for all. Children make choices in their play.

For example, babies self-select natural resources from low-level baskets to explore with. Not all children are engaged, and too often they are seen to spend periods of time wandering the environment with little engagement in purposeful activities. Despite this, key-person arrangements are suitable, and staff demonstrate that they know the children well.

Staff deployment is poor. Staff do not always know what the children are doing, which means that at times children's actions do put themselves and others at risk. For example, when children are climbing, jumping and standing hazardously on chairs, this has to be highlighted to staff by the inspectors.

Nevertheless, children are friendly and are developing an awareness of feelings and friendships. They show they are happy as they interact and talk to visitors.

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

Those that make up the leadership team do not monitor staff practice effectively.

Staff have a poor regard to their safeguarding responsibilities, which jeopardises children's safety, especially when serving hot food and when children are eating. Furthermore, staff do not maintain all children's well-being as they are not vigilant in their supervision.Not all staff are confident in their roles and responsibilities.

This has a detrimental impact on the practice that they follow and the quality of learning and development that they provide. Despite weaknesses, children do enjoy some learning experiences. Staff recognise that children enjoy outdoor learning, and all children have opportunities to play outside to develop their physical and imaginative skills.

For example, babies master walking skills with walking frames, toddlers navigate play equipment and are adept at negotiating the slide and older children enjoy role play in the mud kitchen.When teaching is a better quality, children of all ages enjoy books that are read well to them and singing time. Pre-school children are keen to explore the new vegetable shop activity and have fun as they explore the real vegetables.

All children have opportunities to play and explore sensory activities, such as mark making, water, sand and mud.Children are developing some effective independent skills in their personal care. For example, babies are encouraged to feed themselves, and older children are supported to manage small tasks for themselves, such as handwashing and putting on outdoor clothing.

Overall, children demonstrate appropriate behaviour towards each other.Staff show they are kind and considerate to children when engaging with them. Managers ensure that sufficient qualified staff are on duty to care for the children.

However, they do not always ensure that staff are appropriately deployed to supervise children adequately. Despite this, the environment allows for staff to be within hearing and sight of children as they play. The nursery provides a well-balanced and suitable amount of food for the children throughout the day.

The management team supports staff's well-being and gives staff the option to take a shorter or longer break during the day where needed. Staff comment that they feel well supported overall. However, staff mentoring and supervision are not effective in identifying and addressing weaknesses in the quality of teaching.

Despite this, staff can talk about their key children and the achievements they have made in their development since starting.Parents demonstrate they have a professional relationship with the staff. They comment that they and their children are welcomed into the nursery, and they appreciate the information that they receive.

This includes verbal and electronic communication.The management team has appropriate policies and procedures in place, which includes complaints and recruitment processes to ensure that all staff working with the children are suitable. In addition, an appropriate visitors' procedure is maintained to ensure that all visitors are supervised when in the proximity of the children.

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 ensure staff are deployed effectively to supervise children to remove and minimise all risks and hazards to their safety; specifically, in regards to supervising children when they are eating, to minimise the risk of choking 12/04/2024 implement effective risk assessments in relation to food served to children to ensure this does not put children's health and well-being at risk 12/04/2024 provide all staff with appropriate mentoring and build on supervision to ensure all staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities to improve the quality of teaching 10/05/2024 improve the planning and implementation of the curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious, sequenced effectively and builds on what children know and can do in order to maximise their learning.

10/05/2024