Northampton nursery ordered to improve after scoring 'inadequate' in all areas

A Northampton daycare where "younger children do not make the progress they are capable of" has scored the lowest rating possible in its latest Ofsted inspection.
Tiny Horizons Day Nursery, in Moulton, has scored the lowest rating available under Ofsted.Tiny Horizons Day Nursery, in Moulton, has scored the lowest rating available under Ofsted.
Tiny Horizons Day Nursery, in Moulton, has scored the lowest rating available under Ofsted.

Tiny Horizons nursery school, in Park View, Moulton, was told in October last year it needed to make changes to support its children and was handed a "requires improvement" rating.

But in the latest inspection report published today (June 10), the education watchdog scolded the daycare for not addressing weaknesses they found eight months ago.

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They have now branded the nursery "inadequate" in all areas - the lowest rating available.

Tiny Horizons Day Nursery, in Moulton, has scored the lowest rating available under Ofsted.Tiny Horizons Day Nursery, in Moulton, has scored the lowest rating available under Ofsted.
Tiny Horizons Day Nursery, in Moulton, has scored the lowest rating available under Ofsted.

The report reads: "The manager [Leanne Kentish] has not addressed all previous weaknesses raised at the last inspection. The manager's monitoring of teaching is not effective.

"Younger children do not make the progress they are capable of... Poor teaching means that younger children occasionally lose interest in activities and do not always learn to focus and concentrate.

"Staff turnover is high, and the manager has not provided effective supervision arrangements for the more recently appointed staff."

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It comes after Tiny Horizons scored a "good" rating in September 2016 - but over the years it has stepped down to "requires improvement" and now "inadequate".

The report, however, did point to examples of stronger teaching in the nursery, where children's communication skills are supported and play with toys is encouraged.

Inspectors also noted the good hygiene of children, who knew to wash their hands after playing with the nursery's resident goat and pony.

But Ofsted handed the nursery a list of points they wanted to see addressed by a May 30 deadline.

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This included making sure staff saw to children's needs "at all times", making sure each child had their own key person to better manage behaviour.

Tiny Horizons manager Leanne Kentish said she was "disappointed with the new judgment as it is certainly not an accurate reflection of the good practice that takes place at our setting daily."

She added: "I do understand that an inspector can only judge based on a snapshot of the day.

"On the day we were only a matter of days into a new management structure which meant we were in a position of transition and therefore unable to showcase properly our new approach that has already begun to show benefits to the learning and development of children as individuals.

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"Together, as a brand new team, we are excited about moving forward. With a heuristic and sensory focus, each child has their own unique planning, tracking and evaluation enabling their key worker to accurately track development and identify next steps for learning.

"We are based within a converted bungalow giving that warm home from home feel. We have a large enclosed rear garden that is also home to our Shetland pony and Goats that the children adore.

"I’m looking forward to our next inspection that I believe will take place within the next 12 months, as I know that it will be a much more fair and accurate reflection.

"I’m so grateful to the families that have supported and continue to support us, our little nursery really does have a big heart – that will never change."