Babies at a Birmingham nursery are sometimes left to watch programmes on a computer tablet while staff feed other children, and children with special educational needs lie on the floor alone drinking from bottles of milk, according to inspectors.
The findings are part of a damning Ofsted report into Teeny Haven on Pershore Road, which has been rated 'urgent improvement' in all six inspection areas — the lowest possible rating. Inspectors concluded that safeguarding standards were not being met.
Mealtime supervision failures
During a recent visit, Ofsted identified serious concerns about how children were cared for at mealtimes. The report said: "During mealtimes, staff do not always supervise children appropriately. For example, they leave babies unattended at tables to complete other tasks. Children with SEND lie on the floor alone drinking from bottles of milk."
The inspectors warned that this increased the risk of choking and put children's health and wellbeing at risk. They also criticised the use of screens, stating: "Additionally, staff do not promote healthy habits in respect of children having screen time. Babies are sometimes left to watch programmes on a computer tablet, while staff feed other children. All of these negatively impact on children's welfare and wellbeing."
Failures in staff recruitment checks
Ofsted also found that nursery leaders did not carry out rigorous checks to ensure that staff were suitable to work with children. The report highlighted gaps in employment histories that had not been investigated or recorded.
"Recruitment processes are not robust. Leaders do not complete rigorous checks for staff to ensure the suitability of those who have regular contact with children," it said. "Aspects of staff's employment information are incomplete. For example, where there are gaps in staff's employment history, explanations for these are not gathered or recorded."
Weak safeguarding culture
The report went on to criticise the nursery's overall safeguarding culture. "Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that adequately protects children from harm," it stated.
While staff had completed safeguarding training, their knowledge of procedures was described as poor. They had some understanding of the signs that might indicate a child was at risk of harm, but were not confident about who to report concerns to beyond the nursery's leaders. "This leaves children at risk of harm," the report added.
Complaint triggered inspection
The inspection was sparked by a complaint made to Ofsted in December last year. Concerns were raised that the provider "was not meeting requirements relating to staff: child ratios, special educational needs, risk assessment and training and skills".
Following the recent inspection, Ofsted issued the worst-possible rating of 'urgent improvement' across all six areas, meaning the nursery must take immediate and significant action to address the failings identified.
