'Inadequate' Walsall nursery put children at risk by giving them medication not prescribed for them

Abu Bakr Nursery on Wednesbury Road, which was also found to be putting children's welfare at risk by giving them medication not prescribed to them, has been rated inadequate by Ofsted.

As well as the concerns over medication, inspectors gave a damning view of the teaching provided at the day nursery describing it as 'not good enough'.

The nursery was rated inadequate for its leadership, quality of teaching, behaviour and outcomes for children.

Ofsted now say they will take enforcement action against the nursery unless by November 4 they:

- Ensure permission is gained from parents before administering medication and only administer medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor whenever possible

- Conduct regular and purposeful staff appraisals, supervisions and observations to identify any training needs; and provide support and coaching to foster a culture of continuous improvement

- Improve the quality of teaching across the setting by ensuring that observation, assessment and planning are used effectively to track precisely the progress of all children

- Ensure that routines and staff are organised to meet the needs of all children and that staff interact with all children appropriately to help them settle quickly, develop their independence and make strides in their learning.

Listing a host of failings, a report prepared by inspectors after they visited the nursery says: "The provider does not monitor the quality of the setting well enough. Consequently, there are several breaches of the teaching and learning, and welfare requirements.

See the full report here

"Some staff do not know the children well enough and are unaware of individual children's stages of learning. Staff's assessments of children's learning and development are not accurate in the toddler and pre-school room. Staff's written observations are not always evaluative and they do not always help to identify the next steps in the children's learning and development. Not all staff have a secure understanding of how to support children's learning and development. Not all children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning or their transition to school.

"Staff do not do enough to get to know the children and to help them feel emotionally secure in the setting. As a result, too many children become very upset and staff have to interrupt teaching and activities to take time to deal with individual children.

"Weaknesses in teaching means that children are not well supported and do not make the progress of which they are capable in their learning and development. Children are not inspired to learn or have the opportunities to improve their concentration and perseverance."

Despite the host of concerns found by inspectors, it was noted that parents speak positively about the nursery and feel their children are well cared for.

Abu Bakr Nursery was contacted but did not provide a comment before the Express & Star went to print.