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Youngsters not always ‘adequately supervised’ at Redcar nursery, inspectors find
Youngsters at a Teesside nursery are not always ‘adequately supervised’, Ofsted inspectors have found.
In the latest report following a visit to Forest Friends Childcare in Redcar, inspectors said children are not provided with healthy choices at mealtimes and staff need a greater understanding of good hygiene when using food as sensory play.
Despite these issues inspectors praised the nursery saying the children are ‘happy and settle in quickly’ and that education and behaviour at the Cleveland Street setting are good.
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The report said: “Staff are not always deployed effectively throughout the nursery. On several occasions throughout the day, some rooms do not have enough staff to maintain adequate levels of supervision.”
However, they added: “Staff provide a warm, friendly environment and know children well. Babies benefit from staff who meet their care needs swiftly and are soothed through cuddles from their key person. Toddlers show high levels of confidence as they explore their surroundings.
“Older children develop good social skills and benefit from specific praise given by staff.”
Inspectors said the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s development has been considered and the curriculum focuses on developing children’s language skills and preparing them for the next stages in their learning.
They added: “Children are consistently engaged in experiences and have fun in the nursery. Although children have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills and enjoy the fresh air outdoors, staff do not consistently promote their good health.
“Children are not provided with healthy, balanced and nutritious meals each day. For example, at the inspection, children ate processed burgers and potato wedges. The menu contains a high number of processed meals which are high in salt, particularly for children aged between one and three years. In addition, staff do not talk to children about making healthy food choices to build up their awareness. This does not promote children’s good health.”
The inspectors said staff work hard to provide children with a range of experiences to broaden their knowledge, including caring for pets.
But, they said: “Staff do not consider how they will maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene during sensory experiences for younger children. For instance, they encourage children to use forks in a floor tray filled with spaghetti to develop their self-help skills. However, children use the same forks and eat spaghetti from around the tray. In addition, young children attempt to drink from other children’s empty bottles. This does not promote their good health or prevent cross contamination.”
The report said the leadership team provides effective support. It says there is a positive culture, where staff and children feel valued and feedback from parents is very positive. They say the staff help their children to become ‘kind little people’ and are very happy with the experiences provided.
To improve the nursery needs to improve staffing arrangements to ensure children are always adequately supervised, specifically during school pick up and drop off times, develop a healthy, balanced menu and improve staff’s understanding of how to maintain high standards of hygiene and cleanliness.
The nursery declined to comment when contacted by Teesside Live.
