Halesowen nursery rated inadequate by Ofsted
A nursery has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted after inspectors found ‘children’s safety was not assured’.
The education watchdog discovered issues with the quality of education at Tiger Lily Day Nursery during the inspection carried out in November.
It marked a drop in performance from the previous inspection in April, where inspectors rated the Halesowen nursery as ‘requiring improvement’.
Ofsted gave the nursery eight steps it must follow to improve following the concerns raised in the report.
Ofsted said the nursery was inadequate – the lowest rank possible – for the categories of ‘effectiveness of the leadership and management’ and ‘personal development, behaviour and welfare’.
For the other two categories, ‘quality of teaching, learning and assessment’ and ‘outcomes for children’, Ofsted said the nursery ‘required improvement’. But Ofsted did praise the nursery for forging strong relationships with its children.
The nursery declined to comment.
The nursery, which was set up in 2010 and is based on Lutley Lane, provides education for children aged two to four and employs 19 staff.
The inspection report found issues with around the safety of children, with inspectors writing: “Children’s safety is not assured. The leaders do not take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised persons entering the premises.”
Meanwhile, safety risks were also found in the environment.
The report said: “Leaders and staff do not use risk assessment adequately to help identify, minimise and remove risks to children.
"This relates to the windows on the ground floor, suitability of some activities undertaken and risks associated with staff working on their own.”
Another area Ofsted said needed improving was the system around covering staff absences.
“In the absence of the managers and deputies, the named deputy who is left in charge is not capable to take charge in their absence," the report said. "This compromises children’s welfare."
There were also issues systems regarding the development of staff opportunities.
The Ofsted inspection report said: “The systems in place to monitor staff and staff professional development opportunities are not focused sharply on raising the overall quality of teaching to a good standard.
“The joint managers do not work effectively together to secure improvement and their roles and responsibilities are not clearly defined.”
The achievements of children is not understood well enough because staff do not use information from assessments of children, the report also highlighted.
But Ofsted praised the relationships staff have with children, and how parents are kept up-to-date with their achievements.
The report said: “Staff have close relationships with children and support their emotional well-being. Staff keep parents well informed about their children’s day, care and achievements.”
Ofsted carried out the inspection by observing teaching indoors and outdoors, carrying out a joint observation with the deputy and by holding a meeting with the manager and deputy manager.
The steps Ofsted said the nursery must meet to improve are:
Ensure all reasonable steps are taken to prevent unauthorised persons entering the building
Take all reasonable steps to ensure children are not exposed to risks, this relates to the windows on the ground floor and ensuring all activities are suitable and safe
Improve the quality and range of activities on offer to help motivate children’s enthusiasm for learning.
