A NURSERY has been rated ‘inadequate’ and is placing young children at risk, a damning Ofted report concludes.
The Wendy House Day nursery, Wythall, which has 216 children on roll, was inspected by Ofsted after the national watchdog received information about the childcare provider.
On August 1, inspectors noted on occasions staff were not aware of children’s whereabouts, what they were doing and potential hazards.
The report noted “on occasions children play in unhygienic surroundings, such as in toilets, where they use a booster step as a desk and a selection of pens and paper to make marks”.
It was also stated when outside the “children excitedly push around a large wheeled wagon, oblivious to the fact a child is standing in front of it”.
The report continued: “Leaders introduced a staff deployment document to ensure children are appropriately supervised when playing in the garden.
“It was introduced because children have received injuries that staff could not explain as they did not witness the accident.
“Although staff complete the document, their supervision is poor and it remains a weakness at the nursery.”
Teaching was described as ineffective and although staff sit alongside children they do not interact effectively with them to enhance their learning.
The report stated: “Staff do not focus their teaching on what individual children need to learn next or support them to extend their learning through play.”
Young children do not having opportunities to explore their ideas, the inspector found.
Another part of the report states: “They [the children] are not sufficiently prepared in readiness for school.
“Staff do not provide them with appropriate activities to meet their individual needs.”
A parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “This report has created considerable distress to my wife and I, as well as many of the near 200 children’s parents who attend the nursery.
“Personally we feel cheated, misled, angry and upset as to the way the staff and in particular the proprietor has treated the parents and children which she has taken into her ‘care’.
“The concerns identified by Ofsted are exactly the same as those we and other parents raised a number of years ago which we were assured had been addressed. ”
Victoria Vann, managing director at the nursery, said: “The recent report from Ofsted is extremely disappointing, and we will be appealing certain aspects of the inspector’s findings.
“That said, we recognise that there is room for improvement, therefore we have put in place a rigorous plan to address the areas highlighted in the report.
“As a nursery, we have always set exceptionally high standards, which is borne out in recent accreditations and awards, and we have received many messages of support from parents who continue to be satisfied with our provision.
“We have requested that Ofsted return at their earliest convenience to re-inspect the nursery, when I hope our commitment to delivering high quality child care will be evident.
“I would like to reassure all parents and prospective parents that The Wendy House remains true to its ethos of creating a foundation for a secure future.”
