A Church nursery, which “puts children’s health at risk,” has been slammed by Ofsted following a recent inspection.
Little Stars Nursery, in Norfolk Grove, was visited by inspectors on July 16 and was graded as ‘inadequate’, with this rating given across all four judgement criteria.
At the start of July, the watchdog responded to a complaint regarding the safeguarding policies, the quality of induction training given to staff and ensuring staffing arrangements were effective, with a particular focus on hygiene procedures.
However, at the most recent inspection, Ofsted found that the provider had failed to address most of the breaches identified at the previous inspection.
Inspectors said: “The provider has not ensured the safety of children in the nursery. For example, on the day of inspection, a child was able to leave a playroom and enter the nursery garden without staff knowledge.
“Staff fail to recognise risks such as doors being left open. They do not appropriately supervise these areas, meaning children can leave the room unsupervised. This compromises children's safety.”
Additionally, hygiene practice was not deemed to be consistent, and food from snack time was seen to be left on the floor within easy reach of babies and young children.
Ofsted added: “Poor risk assessment and inappropriate staff deployment pose a risk to children's safety. Hygiene practices are not at a consistently high standard. Furthermore, staff do not help children understand the importance of hygiene.
“This puts children's health at risk.”
The quality of education at the nursery was also seen to be variable, and insufficient time was given to establishing the curriculum or supporting staff to implement it effectively.
Learning was not planned with a clear or sequenced intent for children, and staff were seen to plan activities that children enjoy, but were unclear on how to implement learning that improves their outcomes.
Ofsted added: “Children sit down for lunch while food is still too hot. Children become restless while they wait for food to cool, and they bang their plates, drop items on the floor and babies crawl onto the table. This does not help children to make good progress.”
Additionally, the deployment of staff was not deemed to be effectively planned and meant children were left with minimal supervision.
Staffing ratios were said to be ineffective in meeting the needs of children, and the time spent teaching children is regularly interrupted as they respond to the needs of children in their care. This means that children disengage and wander around the room.
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Leaders were also noted as spending a considerable amount of time supervising children, while other members of staff manage children’s individual needs and behaviour.
This meant they were unable to fulfil their role and did not have time to arrange coaching and mentoring for staff.
Staff were seen to be motivated and show a nurturing approach, which does help children settle, but Ofsted said that insufficient time was given to improving coaching and mentoring to support the quality of teaching.
The nursery was seen to work closely with parents to support children with SEND, who benefitted from clear action plans and activities to meet specific targets and their individual needs.
Additionally, the provider responded swiftly to concerns about staff knowledge in relation to child protection and they can demonstrate clear knowledge of what to do if they are concerned about the well-being of a child in their care.
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