Shh! Hush little babies – Nursery told to turn the volume down by inspectors
A nursery has been told to turn down the volume when playing songs so its children can better 'engage in conversations'.
One of the key findings of the Music Box Nursery's latest Ofsted inspection was that 'unnecessary background noise'prevented toddlers and older children from communicating clearly with adults and other children.
The nursery in Wellington Road, Bilston, has been told it 'requires improvement'.
Inspector Mary Henderson concluded staff do not provide enough opportunities for children to develop their listening, understanding and speaking skills. Managers also came under fire for failing to provide effective monitoring of staff to identify and address all weaknesses in teaching.
Ms Henderson, who inspected the privately-run nursery at the end of November, said the quality of teaching varied between those caring for younger and older children.
"Staff caring for babies and younger children provide a broad range of opportunities to experience a language rich environment," she said. "Staff provide a running commentary during children's play and daily routines. These children develop confidence in expressing themselves through verbal and non-verbal communication with one another and the staff caring for them.
"However, staff caring for the toddlers and pre-school children are sometimes less engaged. At times, these children wait for routine activities with very little interaction from the adults around them at the table.
"Nursery rhymes sometimes play so loudly in the toddler room that there are fewer opportunities for these children to consistently engage in conversations."
The nursery, which has 38 children on the books, was also told it required improvement when inspectors last visited in May.
The latest report said some progress had been made and indicated several 'strengths' such as children developing emotional attachments with the staff that care for them, which helped them to settle quickly.
Ms Henderson singled out effective feedback for parents and guardians about their child's learning and development so they can continue their learning at home.
The report also says most children make reasonable progress towards early learning goals through effective monitoring. Nursery bosses were unavailable for comment.
