Shropshire Star

Inspectors take action at Telford nursery after 'inadequate' Ofsted rating

Compliance action was taken at a Telford nursery which was found to have an overall effectiveness rating of ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted inspectors.

Published
Club 0-5 nursery in Halesfield was rated as having an overall effectiveness rating of ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted inspectors in November. Picture: Google Maps

Inspectors visited Club 0-5 nursery in Halesfield 20 and found that the service was ‘inadequate’ when assessing the areas of personal development along with leadership and management.

The quality of education along with behaviour and attitudes was assessed as ‘requires improvement’.

Inspectors returned to the nursery last month after concerns that the provider was not meeting some legal requirements in the statutory framework.

“We found the provider was not meeting some of the requirements and had taken action to put this right,” said an Ofsted report.

“They now have rigorous procedures in place to check the content of information uploaded to their online app system.”

Ofsted said that on inspectors' December visit to the nursery they also checked whether safeguarding and welfare concerns raised during their inspection a month earlier had been addressed.

This included ‘significant weaknesses’ in safeguarding knowledge and practices at the nursery.

“We found that the provider has made sure that all staff, including the practitioner designated to take lead responsibility for safeguarding, understands how to identify and respond to child protection issues,” the compliance action report added.

“There is now an appropriate safeguarding policy and procedure being implemented to ensure that any safeguarding concerns are reported to the appropriate agencies in a timely manner.

“The provider has improved record keeping, with particular regard to safeguarding records, to promote the safe and efficient management of the setting. The provider has reviewed staffing arrangements to ensure that staff are deployed effectively at all times.

“We are satisfied the provider has met the safeguarding and welfare actions raised.”

During the November inspection further recommendations were made for the early foundations stage of the setting.

This came after inspectors found ‘leaders do not ensure that the curriculum is carefully sequenced and ambitious’.

“Children in the baby room access interesting activities, which staff tailor to meet their individual needs. However, staff working with older children do not have a good enough understanding about what children need to learn next,” the inspection report said.

“Although staff provide a range of resources and opportunities for children, they do not focus their planning and teaching precisely enough on extending children’s skills and knowledge further.”

To meet legal requirements the nursery was told it needed to plan and implement a ‘well-sequenced and ambitious’ curriculum that builds securely on what children already know and can do.

Another action required is to ensure that staff implement ‘stimulating learning experiences that focus more precisely on helping children to achieve their next steps in learning’.

At the time of the inspection the nursery had 80 children on its roll aged between zero and four years old. The nursery employs 17 members of childcare staff.

Club 0-5 nursery was approached for a comment about the Ofsted findings.