A Corsham nursery has been slammed by Ofsted over its safeguarding ability and poor interaction with children attending the provision.
A damning report, undertaken at Little Willows Day Nursery after a youngster managed to escape onto a busy road, rated the setting inadequate.
The inspection in July followed an incident in June, whereby a child – said to be a toddler – was able to leave unnoticed and were returned by a member of the public.
In a letter to parents at the time, the nursery said it had introduced several immediate changes to improve site security and child safety. Ofsted said the risk continued.
They report reads: “While leaders have taken some action to prevent a similar incident from occurring, they have not recognised the risks presented by staff continuing to use an entry gate to access an outdoor tap and hose pipe for water activities.
“This is because not enough care is taken to ensure that children are not able to leave the premises unsupervised while the entry gate is open.”
The report also raises serious concerns about worker’s conduct at the provision – stating that “interactions between most staff and children are poor” due to a lack of training and support given to them by the leadership team.
It adds: “While some staff engage children in conversation, others routinely engage with each other in lengthy personal conversations and fail to engage with the children.”
Issues around safeguarding appear to be the biggest concern. The report concluded that the nursery’s safeguarding procedures were not consistently followed, placing children at risk.
“The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.
“Leaders do not ensure that staff consistently follow safeguarding procedures.
“Staff do not always recognise when concerns may indicate a risk of harm to a child. Although they sometimes record concerns or share them with other professionals, this is not done in a timely way.
“Staff do not routinely review or follow up concerns, which makes it difficult to identify patterns that may suggest ongoing risk.
“Leaders do not provide support to help staff respond swiftly and with confidence. These weaknesses compromise children’s safety and welfare.”
The provision has been told to improve, otherwise it could face further action by Ofsted.
Little Willows Day Nursery, in Stokes Road, Corsham, employs 14 members of childcare staff – of which six hold relevant early years qualifications.
A spokesperson for the nursery said: “Little Willows wants to reassure our families and the wider community that the safety, wellbeing, and development of the children in our care remain our absolute priority. Following the recent incident, we took immediate and robust action, including reviewing and strengthening our procedures, retraining staff, and implementing additional safety measures.
“Whilst we acknowledge the outcome of the Ofsted inspection, we were disappointed that the report did not reflect the many strengths and positive aspects of our nursery that parents value every day. Importantly, the family directly involved have expressed their confidence in our care, and their child continues to attend happily.
“We have been working closely with parents, staff, and the local authority on our focussed improvement plan, and we are fully committed to making swift improvements to ensure that our nurseries continue to provide the high-quality care and education that every child deserves.
“We value the trust that families place in us and remain dedicated to creating a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment for all children.”
