Langham Nursery, received a scathing Ofsted report because the inspector felt staff don’t recognise the signs of children being vulnerable to extremist views. is how the report is summed up in the local paper.
Here is the full report that states a lot more:
Inspection of Langham Nursery
Langham C of E Primary School, Burley Road, Langham, Oakham, Rutland LE15 7HY
Inspection date: 24 June 2021
Overall effectiveness Inadequate
The quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement
Personal development Inadequate
Leadership and management Inadequate
Overall effectiveness at previous
inspection Not applicable
What is it like to attend this early years setting?
The provision is inadequate
Children's safety and well-being is compromised. Some staff do not have a secure
understanding of safeguarding matters. For example, they are unable to recognise
and respond to signs that may indicate children are vulnerable to extremist views.
Occasionally, older children become bored and lose interest in activities. Some
activities lack challenge and enjoyment for children. Equally, some staff lack
enthusiasm in their interactions. For example, staff plan to teach children about
size using dinosaurs. They ask children to order the dinosaurs by size, children
reply, 'you do it' and walk off. Consequently, this slows the progress children make
in their learning. Despite this, children enjoy the interactions with confident staff
who make learning enjoyable. For example, they enjoy an activity exploring
numbers and counters. These staff have high expectations of children and
challenge their thinking such as, 'you have six, if I take one away, now how many?'
Children benefit from the close relationship the nursery staff have developed with
the local school. They gain unique opportunities to meet teaching staff and older
children who play in the school grounds. Children get used to seeing the uniform
and have daily visits to the school 'red track' which helps them to become familiar
with the school environment. Overall, this contributes to their transition to school
when the time comes.
Children arrive feeling safe and happy, instantly greeting staff and other children.
They soon start playing and exploring independently. Since the COVID-19
(coronavirus) pandemic, parents have not entered the nursery and staff have met
the children at the school gate and escorted them to the nursery. This contributes
to safeguarding children's health. From the youngest to the oldest children, they
listen well to adult's instructions. Tidy-up time is particularly good as all children
get involved. This helps them to have a sense of responsibility.
What does the early years setting do well and what does it
need to do better?
n The management team has accurately reflected that some staff lack the
necessary teaching skills to fully support children's learning. There are occasions
when the manager needs to make suggestions to staff working with older
children when their interactions are not adequate. However, staff report that
managers are supportive, and at times, they role model good practice. Despite
this, the management team has not yet implemented an effective supervision
and coaching process to help weaker staff to improve their teaching practice to a
high standard.
n Despite staff completing safeguarding training, management has not checked
whether they have a good enough understanding of safeguarding. Some staff do
not know the indicators that children may be at risk of harm from extreme views
and behaviours. This means they are not able to report any relevant concerns to
the manager and appropriate authorities. Consequently, staff do not promote
children's safety and welfare adequately to protect them from harm.
n Staff know their individual children well. They knowledgeably talk about them,
knowing their family background and what children need to learn next. Most
staff plan experiences that help children to develop the skills they will need to
move on to the next stage in their learning. For example, when children need to
learn to share, the key person plans games that involves turn taking.
n Young children's behaviour is good. Staff gently support children to resolve any
conflict. Children in the nursery room are particularly receptive to the gentle
reminders they receive. When children are a little unsettled, staff take the time
to find out what is wrong and they coax them to play and explore. This
contributes to children's emotional security and demonstrates they have good
relationships with staff.
n Children have developed good relationships with staff, they know who to
approach for reassurance and security. For example, young children regularly
bring books to staff for some one-to-one time. The well established and effective
key-person system helps to support these relationships and contributes to
children's emotional welfare.
n Children's development in communication, language and literacy is a strength of
the setting. Children join in with familiar words during story time and thoroughly
enjoy singing sessions that incorporate actions and rhymes. Staff skilfully help
children to recall previous learning. For example, children of all ages recollect
familiar stories and can repeat known phrases. This contributes to their literacy
development and an early love of books.
n Staff access training and research, helping to improve learning outcomes for
children. For example, staff introduce child yoga. They speak positively about
how children develop balance during the sessions and learn how to listen and
follow instructions. This contributes to children's physical development and
communication and language skills.
n The nursery staff have nurtured strong relationships with parents. Those parents
who gave feedback during the inspection felt well informed and said that their
children loved attending and were making good progress. Furthermore, the
managers are passionate about how they and the staff, have during COVID-19,
offered an 'above and beyond' service to their children and families. For
example, the nursery was the only one locally that was able to stay open during
the pandemic.
n Staff respond well to children's requests. For example, when children ask, 'can
we do the bear hunt again?' staff read the book later in the session and enable
children to re-enact the story. However, staff do not always support children to
build on their emerging interests. For example, as children play they pretend a
book is a laptop. Staff acknowledge this but do not further children's interest
and enable them to explore technology further.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.
The management team do not ensure all staff have appropriate safeguarding
knowledge. Despite staff completing regular training to help keep their knowledge
of safeguarding up to date, some staff lack complete knowledge of how children
may be at risk from radicalisation and extreme behaviours. This means they are
unable to recognise and identify risks children could be exposed to. Despite this,
staff have a good understanding of how to identify children who are at risk of
abuse and the procedures in place for referral are clear.
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 date 28/08/2021
improve supervision meetings, coaching and mentoring to drive improvements to the quality of teaching
improve support given to staff in order to ensure they offer quality learning and development experiences that challenge older children and keep them engaged
ensure all staff have a secure knowledge of all safeguarding issues, including the 'Prevent' duty.
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider
should:
n support staff to react more readily to children's emerging interests in play, to
help them engage deeply in their learning even more consistently.
Setting details
Unique reference number EY563197
Local authority Rutland Council
Inspection number 10191405
Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare
Register, Voluntary Childcare Register
Day care type Full day care
Age range of children at time of
inspection 0 to 11
Total number of places 37
Number of children on roll 76
Name of registered person The Rutland Learning Trust
Registered person unique
reference number RP563196
Telephone number 01572 722676
Date of previous inspection Not applicable
Information about this early years setting
Langham Nursery re-registered in 2018. It is situated in Langham, Rutland. The
nursery employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold early years
qualifications, including one who holds a level 5 and the manager who holds a level
4 early years qualification. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday term time
only. Sessions are from 8am until 5pm. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the
provision of free early education for children aged three and four years.
Information about this inspection
Inspector
Sharon Alleary
Inspection activities
n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19
(coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the
pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation
of the nursery.
n The inspector completed a learning walk with the manager and deputy manager,
and viewed all areas of the setting used by the nursery.
n Parents shared their views through verbal feedback. The inspector took these
views into account.
n The inspector looked at a sample of the documentation. This included evidence
of staff's suitability and training records.
n Throughout the inspection, the inspector talked to the manager, deputy
manager, staff and children at suitable times.
n The inspector observed the quality of interactions during activities and assessed
the impact on children's enjoyment and engagement.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006
on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years
Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the
statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the
early years foundation stage.
If you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted.
https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50167346
