Wigan borough nursery where child was left outside alone slammed by inspectors over child safeguarding and unclean equipment

Squirrels Children’s Day Nursery in Leigh was slammed by the regulators in a recent visit. They highlighted failures in leadership, equipment hygiene, safeguarding assessments as well as an insufficient understanding of child protection issues.

The inspection report shows that they have not learnt their lessons from previous warnings which had marked them as an inadequate child care provider.

In February 2021, the Cook Street site notified Ofsted “that a child was left alone, unsupervised, in the nursery garden, out of sight and hearing of staff for approximately six minutes”.

This concern, which required actions to be taken by Ofsted, was followed by an inspection in August 2022 which marked them as “inadequate” in all categories. Following the most recent report, the nursery has temporarily closed down due to staffing issues which means they don’t employ a manager.

According to the report, the lack of management “hinders their ability to demonstrate a capacity to improve”. The inspection, which took place on March 7, highlighted a number of failures to meet requirements set at the previous inspection.

“The outside area has not been risk-assessed or maintained in a way which ensures that it continues to be suitable for play and learning,” the Ofsted report stated. “Some equipment is weathered, unclean or in disrepair.

“There are a number of water-gathering containers, which would be accessible to children and pose a risk of harm. Additionally, there is still no safe area for babies to play, as previously required.

“The provider’s representative fails to demonstrate an ability to implement an effective safeguarding policy and procedure. They are unclear about how they would respond to an allegation made against the manager or a staff member.

“This hinders the provider’s ability to protect children from harm. The provider’s representative does not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of child protection issues. They lack understanding of the training required of the lead safeguarding practitioner.

“Furthermore, the representative is unable to recognise potential indicators of abuse and ways they would expect the manager and staff to respond to these, to help keep children safe.”

The report, written by Angela Rowley, goes on to say that staff understand their responsibility to provide a challenging curriculum that promotes their progress and that they demonstrate strong commitment to promote inclusive provision for all children.

However, the inspector said that the provider has failed to meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register. In order to do so, they must fulfil requirements set out by Ofsted by June 7:

Recruit a suitable manager who holds an approved qualification at level 3 or above with skills and experience

Demonstrate an ability to implement a policy and procedure for safeguarding

Demonstrate an ability to implement a procedure to follow in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff

Demonstrate how the lead safeguarding practitioner will attend a suitable training course that enables them to identify and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns

Demonstrate how all staff will be trained to implement a robust procedure for responding to safeguarding concerns

Ensure the premises are clean and suitably organised to meet the needs of the children

Demonstrate understanding of and the ability to ensure staff implement safe sleeping guidance

Conduct a risk assessment of the outside play area, toys and equipment, and take steps to ensure children are not exposed to hazards

Ensure the outside play area is safe for the children and offers suitable provision for the play and learning of babies

Demonstrate how staff will carry out the required progress check on all children aged between two and three years

Squirrels Children’s Day Nursery has been contacted for comment.