Little Doves Nursery & Preschool Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Leaders and staff do not ensure risk assessments are effective so that the environment is safe for children. There are risks to children, indoors and outdoors, which are not identified or removed by staff. In addition, staff take babies to areas where they prepare bottles using boiling water and fail to see this as a risk to children.

Staff's knowledge is not good enough to ensure children are safeguarded. Some staff lack knowledge of child protection issues and how to respond to these. This puts children at risk of harm.

The arrangements for supporting and monitoring staff practice are not yet effective. Staff d...o not understand how to carry out their roles effectively or how to provide high-quality interactions which support children's learning. Leaders do not monitor if staff have completed training courses which are necessary to improve their practice.

As a result, staff do not have the knowledge and skills they need to support children's learning successfully and keep them safe. Leaders do not have an ambitious curriculum in place. Children do not benefit from activities which support them to make the best possible progress.

They often make their own entertainment and are not engaged in the activities on offer. Staff do not plan opportunities which motivate children to learn. Children are not appropriately challenged and, therefore, they do not learn the skills they are capable of.

In addition, children's behaviour is not managed consistently well enough. Despite weaknesses, children are happy at the nursery. Staff smile and laugh with them and praise them for their efforts.

Children show confidence in the environment and enjoy spending time with staff.

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

Risk assessments are not robust enough to ensure children's safety. Staff do not recognise what may pose a risk to children.

Consequently, risks are not removed or minimised. For example, plugged in charging wires hang down in areas where children play indoors. Outdoors, there are large nettles and pieces of chipped wood on the ground, which could cause harm to children.

Furthermore, some staff are not able to identify signs of abuse or explain the correct procedures they should follow if allegations are made against staff. This compromises children's safety.Staff do not have a good enough understanding of how to place children down to sleep safely.

For example, some staff who regularly work with babies place them to sleep with extra clothing on which contain hoods, and do not remove their shoes. This does not follow the latest government guidance on safer sleeping arrangements. As a result, children's safety and well-being are not well supported.

Children are given drinks with their meals. However, children do not always have access to fresh drinking water. Although there is a water station available, not all children are capable of communicating their needs to ask for a drink when they need to.

In addition, babies' drinks are kept in their bag out of sight and reach. This means that children's needs are not met effectively to support their good health.Leaders do not have effective arrangements in place to support and monitor staff practice.

Staff do not understand their responsibilities or carry out their roles effectively. Leaders do not provide suitable coaching, or ensure that staff have completed training which has been identified to improve their knowledge and skills. This means that staff do not have the support they need to improve their performance and provide high-quality care and education.

Leaders and staff have not constructed or implemented a curriculum which ensures that children make the progress they are capable of. Staff do not plan activities which excite or stimulate children. Children often initiate their own games as a way of being occupied, and quickly lose interest in the activities provided by staff.

As a result, children do not make good progress in their learning.Staff do not understand how to support children's learning effectively. Although, at times staff do join in with children's play, they do not provide high-quality interactions which challenge children and ensure they learn the skills they need.

For example, older children often explore materials at a basic level, and some children who are getting ready to move to school eat with their hands rather than using cutlery appropriately. Consequently, children are not well prepared for the next stage of their education.Staff do not provide a consistent approach to supporting children's behaviour.

Some staff do not intervene at all when children experience conflict. When staff do respond, they are not consistent in how they do this. For example, some staff just say 'stop' to children, while others try to explain to them what they want them to do.

As a result, children receive mixed messages and do not become confident in their knowledge of what is expected of them.Parents and carers comment that they are generally happy with the care their children receive. However, they do not yet receive information which helps them to support their children's learning further at home.

That said, parents do comment that they can see children making some progress and they are happy to attend.Children enjoy exploring different materials. They show some interest in mixing flour and water to make play dough, and watch sand as they pour it from spades into containers.

As a result, children learn how materials change when different items and ingredients are added.

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?

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 all staff are trained to understand the safeguarding policy and procedures, including being able to identify possible signs of abuse and neglect and who to contact if they have concerns about a member of staff 06/09/2024 implement effective risk assessments which help staff to identify areas of the environment that pose a risk to children, and ensure they take action to remove or minimise these 06/09/2024 ensure babies are placed down to sleep safely in line with the latest government guidance 06/09/2024 ensure fresh drinking water is always available and accessible to all children 06/09/2024 provide all staff, including managers, with effective supervision, which includes monitoring, coaching and support, to ensure that they fully understand and fulfil their roles and responsibilities.06/09/2024 To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date devise and implement an ambitious curriculum, which provides children with high-quality learning opportunities 06/09/2024 provide staff with support to improve their teaching skills so that children benefit from high-quality interactions 06/09/2024 provide staff with support to help them understand how to respond to children's behaviour consistently, so that children confidently understand what is expected of them 06/09/2024 improve parent partnerships so that all parents know how they can support their children's learning at home.

06/09/2024