Stafford Kids Club nursery rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted
A nursery that does 'not make sure that the welfare of children is a high priority' has been rated inadequate by the education watchdog.
Stafford Kids Club has been given the lowest rating by Ofsted inspectors and told to ensure its follows national safeguarding policy 'closely' in the future after a one day inspection on May 18.
A report released by the education watchdog rates the school as inadequate in terms of its leadership and management, as well as its standards in relation to personal development, behaviour and welfare.
The final rating of inadequate represents a huge drop for the Tennyson Road nursery, which had been rated as good in its previous inspection.
The report, written by inspector Mary Henderson, reads: "The provider does not implement the child protection policy and procedure in place to ensure children's welfare is protected at all times.
"Management is not yet fully successful in monitoring the progress made by different groups of children, this means there are fewer opportunities to identify any gaps that may arise in children's learning that need to be quickly acted upon.
"Staff do not always foster parents' confidence in supporting their child's learning at home."
The nursery, which has 40 children on its roll, operates from Castlechurch Primary School in Stafford and employs nine members of staff.
It was given a 'good' rating in terms of quality of teaching and outcomes for children, but inspectors deemed that its failings in terms of safeguarding outweighed these positives.
One of the biggest concerns was that referrals to local safeguarding groups were not made quickly enough if there was a problem with a child.
Another issue was not supporting the children to learn at home.
Ms Henderson said: "The provider does not follow the safeguarding policy and procedure to ensure that children's welfare is not compromised.
"She does not always implement the referral policy in line with local safeguarding children board procedures quickly enough.
"To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and the Childcare Register the provider must make sure the safeguarding policy and procedure is closely followed in the event of any child protection issue so that any concerns about a child are swiftly acted upon.
"Staff talk to parents each day about their child's care and learning, however, staff are less successful in helping parents to support their child's learning at home."
Positive points raised by inspectors were that children were encouraged to use a variety of learning tools and that they were also making good progress.
Ms Henderson said: "Staff effectively support older children's investigations.
"Children become excited as they use cameras to take pictures and share these with their friends.
"They laugh and giggle as they talk about their findings.
"Staff encourage younger children to experiment and explore water play using tools, such as whisks and colinders.
"All children make good progress.
"They grow in confidence as they recognise their own name and make marks with pencils and chalks."
Julie Wetton, the managing director of Stafford Kids Club, said: "We are dedicated to improving outcomes for children and committed to ensuring all children are safe.
"The decision that has been made is about a process, not about the quality of our staff.
"We are disputing this decision and are working with the local authority to improve."
