Ofsted says Bunnies Daycare in Stowmarket showed ‘weaknesses in safeguarding that compromise children's safety’

An inspector has rated a nursery ‘inadequate’ after finding there to be failures that ‘compromise the safety and wellbeing’ of the children.

Ofsted said safeguarding at Bunnies Daycare in Edgar Avenue, Combs Ford, Stowmarket, was not effective, with not all staff understanding the procedures to follow in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff.

The education watchdog also said the nursery’s procedures were not robust for ensuring staff's suitability to work with children.

Following the inspection on March 23, Ofsted rated the setting as inadequate overall – a drop from the ‘good’ grading at the previous inspection – and inadequate in the areas of personal development and leadership and management.

Quality of education and behaviour and attitudes were judged to require improvement.

Ofsted said the setting must action a number of improvements, including around safeguarding, by April 24, which the manager said had been achieved.

The inspection report said: “There are weaknesses in safeguarding that compromise children's safety. The designated safeguarding lead does not have secure knowledge of safeguarding matters and the action to take to ensure children's safety.”

It continued: “There are significant breaches of the requirements of the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'.

“These include gaps in safer recruitment procedures and delays in vetting new staff. Leaders have also failed to maintain adequate records of these processes. They have failed to follow their recruitment policy.

“Such failures compromise the safety and well-being of children in the nursery.”

The inspector said while staff do know the main signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm and what to do with these concerns, not all staff understand the procedures for referring allegations and the role of the local authority designated officer. “This does not assure children's welfare in the event of a concern about a member of staff,” the report said.

The inspector also said the quality of teaching at the nursery was ‘variable’, with not all staff fully understanding what to teach children and when. They said staff lack knowledge in specific areas they are trying to teach, for example, when teaching the children about Ramadan, staff do not understand who practises Ramadan or why.

Staff redeployment has a negative impact on children's learning experiences, the report added, and the inspector also felt staff were not consistent in their approach to behaviour management.

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider had to achieve a number of targets by April 24, which the manager said had been done. They did not want to comment on the Ofsted result.

In positives, the report says staff feel well-supported by leaders and are confident to share ideas and feel valued in the team.

It added: “Parents speak highly of the setting. They describe it as their extended family. They feel staff respect and support their religious beliefs.

“However, some parents do not receive information about what their child is learning. This can limit their ability to further their child's learning at home. Despite this, parents feel well supported by the staff. In particular, they speak about the positive relationships they have with the staff.”

The inspector said the setting should improve partnerships with parents so that all parents are fully aware of what their children are learning and how they can continue with their child's learning at home.