Wolverhampton nursery facing enforcement action after being rated ‘inadequate’ following inspection
A day care nursery in Wolverhampton has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted bosses following a recent inspection.
Small Talk Nurseries in Green Lane, Tettenhall, which provides day care for 34 youngsters aged 0-4, is now facing enforcement action from the education body and will be issued with a Welfare Requirements Notice.
The nursery, which registered in 2021 and is run by Birmingham-based Rak Day Care Ltd, employs 13 staff – ten of whom hold childcare qualifications of level two or above. The facility was last inspected in February this year.
Ofsted highlighted the overall safeguarding of children as a major area of concern, stating “managers and staff do not understand child protection procedures” and “do not adequately supervise children to ensure they do not harm themselves or others.”
The report by inspector Lisa Bennett said: “Leaders and managers lack oversight of the quality of provision. They do not spend enough time monitoring teaching and practice to identify and address serious issues. This hinders the setting’s capacity to improve.
“Children are not safeguarded. Staff do not understand their duty to report child protection concerns as they arise. Managers fail to ensure that any safeguarding information is promptly referred to the correct agency.
“Furthermore, managers disregard the importance of maintaining clear, accurate and detailed records in response to safeguarding issues. This impacts on the safe and efficient management of the setting.
“Although staff are kind and caring towards children, managers have unrealistic expectations of them. As a result, although staff really try, they are unable to meet the individual needs of children. Some children remain upset during their time at nursery,” it added.
“Hygiene routines are not rigorous enough to promote children’s health. Carpets and toilets are dirty. Staff do not ensure that children have access to toilet roll. Children share drinks bottles without staff noticing. This increases the risk of cross infection.”
In order to improve, Ofsted says the nursery needs to:
ensure that managers implement a policy to safeguard children, including making sure any concerns are reported to the relevant safeguarding partners in a timely way.
ensure all staff receive training so that they understand how to identify and respond to any child protection concerns in an appropriate and timely way.
ensure that all required information and records are clear, accurate and sufficiently detailed and that they are accessible and available upon request.
improve the deployment of staff to make sure children are appropriately supervised at all times.
ensure the premises are clean, hygienic and fit for purpose, and improve hygiene practices to promote the good health of children.
improve use of risk assessment to ensure all risks are identified and swift action is taken to remove or minimize all risks and hazards.
implement effective procedures to manage children’s behaviour, so that they understand how to keep themselves and others safe.
ensure the deployment of staff meets the needs of all children, with specific regard to meeting children’s emotional needs.
ensure managers provide staff with effective coaching and support to help relieve pressures they encounter and provide them with effective supervision.
ensure there are effective arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that they receive appropriate levels of support to reach their potential.
improve staff’s knowledge and understanding of the curriculum and ensure that assessment is used effectively.
ensure that activities and experiences provided take account of children’s interests and stages of development.
“Parents generally provide positive views about the nursery and say staff are friendly and tell them about their child’s day,” added the report.
“However, parents do not consistently receive enough information about what their child is learning or ideas to extend their learning at home.”
A spokesperson for the nursery said that they were currently addressing a number of issues and did not wish to make an official comment at this time.
