Children 'left to walk aimlessly' around Yorkshire nursery as Ofsted issues scathing report
Children are left to walk around aimlessly at a Yorkshire nursery, a scathing Ofsted report has said, which also revealed young children’s faces were wiped with dirty cloths.
The damning report into Little People nursery in Bramley, Leeds, concluded it needed urgent improvement following the inspection in March.
The nursery was rated as needing urgent improvement across every aspect of the inspection, inclusing safeguarding, behaviour, achievement, welfare, teaching, inclusion and leadership.
The report, which was published on Monday (Jun 15) says children are not supported in the way they should, are often left unattended and do not make any progress.
The nursery had 81 children under its care at the time of inspection, all aged between one and four.
The report said: “Children do not learn how to manage their own personal safety and hygiene independently due to weaknesses in staff practice.
“Some children are left to walk around the setting aimlessly without any support or interactions from staff.”
The report also said children are left at risk of infection due to lack of hygiene, and also highlighted safeguarding issues.
It said: “Leaders do not take the necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection. They allow some children with infections to attend when they should not.
“In addition, staff do not follow robust hygiene procedures. For example, some staff wipe children's faces with dirty cloths that have been used to clean tables and the face s of other children who are infectious.
“This significantly compromises the health of children.”
It adds: “The provider does not take prompt action when concerns are raised about the conduct of staff.
“The provider has failed to report such concerns to the local authority designated officer in line with the setting's and local authority's allegation management procedures. This places children at risk of harm.”
The report said there were no issues with behaviour at the nursery, and highlighted some areas where children enjoy playing and making progress.
However, it also said these opportunities are not available to all children.
It said: “Although children's behaviour is not an issue in this setting, staff do not always act as positive role models through their interactions with children and each other.
“Staff do not act in ways that support and promote children's emotional wellbeing. For example, staff do not handle children with the care and respect that they need. This does not help children to feel safe and secure.”
There were also issues around ‘safe sleeping’, where the report said: “The provider does not ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of the latest government guidelines around safe sleeping. For example, staff place some babies down to sleep on their stomach and do not respond to them appropriately when they lift their head up.
“This significantly compromises children's safety.”
Issues were also highlighted with meal times.
The report said: “The provider does not ensure that staff have a clear understanding of how to keep children safe while eating.
“Children, including those who require additional support around mealtimes, are left unsupervised for extended periods of time while eating and do not remain seated.
“This has the potential to significantly compromise children's health and wellbeing if a choking incident occurred.”