The Willows Day Nursery in Fleet Hargate rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted
A village nursery has been rated ‘inadequate’.
An Ofsted inspection at The Willows Day Nursery in Fleet Hargate also found the centre to be inadequate in delivering personal development as well as with its leadership and management.
However, the quality of education and behaviour and attitudes were both rated as good.
The Willows - which employs 14 members of childcare staff - was rated outstanding at its previous inspection in 2017.
“Children are cared for in an environment that is not fully risk assessed,” the report by inspector Hayley Ruane, which was published on Wednesday, stated.
“Children in the toddler and pre-school rooms have access to cleaning products in their bathroom area.
“Furthermore, risk assessments carried out for some adult-led activities are not effective. For example, some staff do not show children how to hold scissors safely when they walk around with them.”
The report added that arrangements for safeguarding and risk assessments are ‘not effective’.
However, it also praised the ‘positive relationships’ between children and staff.
It continued: “Children enjoy being physically active.
“In the toddler room, children dance and move their bodies to music. Pre-school children run and play chasing games with their friends in the garden.
“Children learn how to share and take turns when they play alongside their peers. Children are asked questions to encourage their thinking skills, such as talking about what ingredients they have added to their pretend cookies.”
Moving forward, the report states that The Willows must ‘carry out robust risk assessments and take necessary steps to ensure that children are safe and are not exposed to potential hazards’.
It adds that the provider should also support staff to develop their understanding of how to help language development and a sense of belonging for children who speak English as an additional language and also help staff to build on the support children receive to encourage them to solve problems in their play.