Nursery at threat of closure for putting children's safety at risk
Vesela Gladicheva
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Little People nursery in Colne is facing closure if it does not improve significantly following a damning Ofsted inspection.
The Lancashire nursery was issued with a notice after inspectors found it was not complying with a number of legal requirements and therefore putting children’s safety and well-being at risk. Ofsted rated 16 out of 17 criteria as ‘inadequate’.
The shortfalls include stretched staff resources, poor food hygiene, poorly equipped rooms, stained carpets, as well as a dirty changing station and play equipment.
Nursery inspector Vickie Haliwell said in her report, ‘Tables are not always cleaned before lunch and when children tip their food onto the table it is returned to their dish so they can continue eating'.
The inspection also found that staff made no effort to control or address children behaving aggressively – ‘snatching play materials, pushing others and screaming’. This lack of rigorous teaching restricts children’s learning and development, the report added.
Little People, which currently cares for 47 early years children, now needs to take seven major steps recommended by Ofsted in order to avoid closure.
These include the adoption of effective safeguarding and behaviour management policies, ensuring that children receive ‘an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience, as well as meeting children’s individual needs'.
At its last Ofsted inspection in 2010, Little People was rated ‘good’. Run by Littlecraft Nurseries, the setting opened doors in a converted building in Colne six years ago.
The nursery, whose owner is undisclosed, is one of eight settings operated by the group, they include: Chatterbox Nursery in Stalybridge, Highgate House in Preston, Little People in Crewe, Playmates Nursery in Kendal, The Children’s Nursery in Barnoldswick, Victoria Nursery in Accrington and Woodlands Nursery in Preston.
No one at Littlecraft Nurseries’ head office in Preston was available to comment on the inspection.
When Nursery World tried contacting Little People Colne, a staff member said the nursery was closed this week for cleaning and that the nursery manager and the children would be back next week.
The shortfalls include stretched staff resources, poor food hygiene, poorly equipped rooms, stained carpets, as well as a dirty changing station and play equipment.
Nursery inspector Vickie Haliwell said in her report, ‘Tables are not always cleaned before lunch and when children tip their food onto the table it is returned to their dish so they can continue eating'.
The inspection also found that staff made no effort to control or address children behaving aggressively – ‘snatching play materials, pushing others and screaming’. This lack of rigorous teaching restricts children’s learning and development, the report added.
Little People, which currently cares for 47 early years children, now needs to take seven major steps recommended by Ofsted in order to avoid closure.
These include the adoption of effective safeguarding and behaviour management policies, ensuring that children receive ‘an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience, as well as meeting children’s individual needs'.
At its last Ofsted inspection in 2010, Little People was rated ‘good’. Run by Littlecraft Nurseries, the setting opened doors in a converted building in Colne six years ago.
The nursery, whose owner is undisclosed, is one of eight settings operated by the group, they include: Chatterbox Nursery in Stalybridge, Highgate House in Preston, Little People in Crewe, Playmates Nursery in Kendal, The Children’s Nursery in Barnoldswick, Victoria Nursery in Accrington and Woodlands Nursery in Preston.
No one at Littlecraft Nurseries’ head office in Preston was available to comment on the inspection.
When Nursery World tried contacting Little People Colne, a staff member said the nursery was closed this week for cleaning and that the nursery manager and the children would be back next week.
