Worcester nursery receives 'inadequate' Ofsted rating

Inspectors said Offerton Farm Day Nursery was "inadequate" in the categories "personal development" and "leadership and management."

In the areas "quality of education" and "behaviour and attitudes", Ofsted reported that the nursery "required improvement." 

A spokesperson from the Offerton Lane nursery said: "We are very disappointed with the outcome of our Ofsted inspection and do not feel that it reflects a true picture of the fun, care, learning and development that we provide for the children.

"Last term, was an exceptionally difficult time for us as we struggled with recruitment.

"This meant that managers spent much of last term out of the office and in the activity rooms, having fun with the children and ensuring ratios were maintained.

"Unfortunately, this impacted administration. 

"We acknowledge that we are governed by Ofsted and have taken this as an opportunity to reflect on our staff deployment and practice.

"We are pleased to say that at our monitoring inspection on February 2 all paperwork and actions were complete and the inspector was satisfied.

"We would like to thank all our parents and Worcestershire Children First for being so supportive."

In their report, Ofsted recognised that: "as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nursery has been experiencing a turbulent time.

"There is high staff turnover, meaning managers and varied staff are deployed to cover between the rooms as needed.

"These staffing issues cause inconsistency in the quality of what is provided."

However, Ofsted added: "Managers and staff do not fully understand all aspects of safeguarding.

"They are not alert to all recent updates in child protection guidance.

"New staff members lack sufficient understanding of the nursery safeguarding policy and the procedures they should follow if they have any concerns.

"This does not help to ensure children are fully protected from harm."

The inspection took place in mid-December 2021.