The Sunshine Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

The arrangements to promote children's safety and welfare are not sufficiently effective. Staff lack a secure knowledge of their safeguarding responsibilities.

In addition, weaknesses in staff deployment mean that children are not always supervised well enough. For example, at the start of lunchtime, staff do not consistently observe to ensure that children only eat the food that is provided to reflect their individual dietary requirements.Safeguarding is ineffective.

Staff, including those who take lead roles in safeguarding, are not consistent in following the setting's policies and procedures to report concern...s. This means that children's safety and welfare are not fully promoted.There are weaknesses in the provision for children's learning and development.

The manager does not have a clear vision of what she wants children to learn during their time at the nursery. This means that she is unable to support staff to implement a broad and exciting curriculum to promote all areas of children's learning. At times, children lose interest in activities and wander around the space.

Therefore, although children appear settled and make friendships, they do not benefit from experiences that support them to make good enough progress.

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

The manager has failed to meet some of the legal requirements. For example, they have not notified Ofsted of significant events in the correct timeframe, as required.

They have not taken appropriate action in managing concerns and making timely referrals to partner agencies. Additionally, staff have gaps in their safeguarding knowledge and a poor regard for their responsibilities.Staff are not consistent in managing children's behaviour.

They do not set clear expectations to promote a positive attitude towards learning and behaviour. Children do not learn that their actions have consequences or impact on others. For example, children throw toys across the table to land on the floor.

Staff do not intervene to redirect this behaviour and encourage children to care for the toys and resources available to them. Children's behaviour is a result of a lack of staff engagement with the children to enable them to focus and join in meaningful interactions that support their learning and development.The quality of teaching is not good enough.

The manager does not ensure that staff receive effective support to fully understand their roles and responsibilities. The manager does not have a clear vision of what she wants children to learn. Staff are not effectively directed and lack the skills and knowledge to plan an effective curriculum.

They do not provide a broad range of activities that build on children's interests and support their next stage of learning. As a result, children do not engage in or focus on purposeful play.Staff fail to promote children's health and well-being.

For example, they do not notice that children do not have constant access to fresh drinking water. They rely on children bringing drink bottles from home. However, they do offer a drink if they notice during lunchtime that children have not brought a drink bottle.

Staff do not promote children's independence skills or help them to manage some personal care routines for themselves. For example, children are gathered to wash their hands at lunchtime. Staff take the children's hands and wash and dry them before directing them to sit at the table.

Many children have runny noses, and staff do not take action to encourage children to use a tissue or help them wipe their noses.Parents are happy and comment on the support they receive from the nursery. They value the input from the staff and comment that their children are always happy when they drop off and collect them.

However, staff do not always share information on how parents can support learning at home. Some parents do not know who their child's key person is to be able to build the relationship and share information about children's learning.

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 that staff have a sufficient understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities, particularly with regards to reporting concerns in a timely manner 19/04/2024 take action to implement appropriate and consistent behaviour strategies for all children; this specifically refers to ensuring that children's behaviour is managed appropriately, and help children to understand the consequences of their actions on others 19/04/2024 ensure that staff receive effective supervision and coaching to help them to fulfil their roles and responsibilities 19/04/2024 review and improve the arrangements to manage children's individual dietary requirements 19/04/2024 ensure that children have access to drinking water at all times 19/04/2024 implement a curriculum that is ambitious and provides children with challenging learning experiences to help them to make good progress.19/04/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide parents with the information they need to know who their child's key person is, and their role, to improve the partnership working with parents.