The standards of a Wigan nursery have plummeted from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ in just two months, a recent report has shown.
Little Foxes, a privately owned day nursery on Billinge Road, Wigan, was condemned in an Ofsted report released on December 25 based on an inspection on November 11.
The nursery scored ‘4’overall for the inspection, showing that it dropped dramatically from the ‘2’ it received after an inspection on September 16.
Inspector Angela Rowley said in her report: “Medicines are not always safely administered and written parental consent and records of administration are not always kept.
“This is a breach of legal requirements.”
An Ofsted spokeswoman explained why the second inspection went ahead so soon after the September inspection: “In line with Ofsted’s protocol for scheduling inspections, where we receive concerns about a provider, Ofsted can decide to bring forward an inspection – which is the case for this nursery.”
The inspection included observation of care routines and activities in the baby room, toddler room and pre-school room, and two outside areas.
The inspector also held meetings with the manager, checked suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children, and took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.
One particular problem was that Little Foxes’ comprehensive medication policy is not consistently implemented.
The report also stated that occasionally, staff give children too much information in one go and do not make best possible use of quieter areas to support listening and attention skills, particularly for children under three years.
However, Ms Rowley praised the nursery for its wide range of activities, the staff’s support for the children, and their well-planned, flexible programme.
She said: “The ambitious management team use their training and expertise to continually plan and drive improvements to the provision for the children.”
Manager of Little Foxes, Laura Murray, was not available for comment.
Image courtesy of Simone Ramella, with thanks
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