A nursery in Bromley Cross has received a damning report from the education watchdog.

Regulator Ofsted has labelled Beechwood Nursery on Shady Lane was rated "inadequate" in all areas it was scored on - the worst possible ranking. 

Resulting from the inspection that was carried out in November, inspectors Rachael Flesher and Anita Dunn described the setting as “poor” and highlighted a number of safety concerns.

They said: “Leaders and staff do not demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe.

"Risks are not minimised appropriately for children.

“Safety precautions to prevent children from trapping their fingers in a doorway have been broken for some time.

"Despite the manager bringing this to the provider's attention, they have not been swiftly repaired.

READ: Ofsted rates Tiny Tots Nursery in Great Lever 'inadequate'

“Outdoors, younger children are allowed to wander off with a plastic nappy sack out of sight of staff, posing a risk of suffocation. Indoors, soiled nappies in nappy sacks are left on the floor where children could access them.”

Concerns over cleanliness and hygiene were also raised. Mats where children nap are damaged so cannot be cleaned properly, and there was no hand soap in the kitchen or staff toilet.

“Leaders report that staff do not have time to clean as they are needed to be directly deployed with the children,” the inspectors added.

The quality of care and education for the youngest children was deemed to be poor as staff do not provide children with enough focussed activities designed to support their all-round learning and development.

However, provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities was found to be "good".

READ: Daisy Chains Bolton nursery an Ofsted 'good' setting

They added: “Pre-school children are being well-prepared for school. They are confident, articulate, inquisitive and keen to learn.

“All children have regular access to the outdoor area, which provides the majority of them with opportunities to explore and be physically active.”

Manager at Beechwood Kelly Hart says that following the inspection, Ofsted gave them six actions in order to improve.

“The actions need to be done before they come back in four to six months, and they were done the day after,” she said.

“All the parents are aware, and they have been told that they have been completed.

“The majority of the parents have been extremely supportive. I’d like to thank those parents for their support.”

The rating is a downgrade on its previous inspection.

In 2017 the provision was deemed to be "good".

READ: Bolton nursery receives 'outstanding' Ofsted report

Between then and now, though, Ofsted has received two separate complaints about the nursery.

In March 2019 it was suggested that Beechwood was not meeting legal requirement which upon visitation by Ofsted were upheld.

It was told to “ensure that people looking after children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their roles”.

It added: “Providers must have effective systems in place to ensure that practitioners, and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children - including those living or working on the premises - are suitable.”

There was a further complaint in November of that year regarding a safeguarding issue.

Ofsted discussed it with the provider, and it was satisfied that “the provider had taken appropriate action to prevent the situation occurring in the future”.

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