Leafield House: Leeds nursery rated inadequate for second time in four months as Ofsted reissue welfare notice
A Leeds nursery has been re-rated as inadequate by Ofsted inspectors for the second time in four months.
Leafield House Nursery, on King Lane, Moortown, was shut down suddenly in an extreme measure enforced by Ofsted inspectors in February and March this year.
Now the education watchdog has rated it as inadequate for a second time.
The nursery was re-rated the lowest possible rating in all four inspected categories - quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management after a follow up inspection on June 11. It has also been issued with a fresh welfare requirements notice (WRN).
A WRN is a legal notice setting out specific actions the provider must take by a certain deadline to address the non-compliance. Failure to comply is an offense that can lead to prosecution.
A spokesperson for Leafield House said it was now “operating under new management” and “continues to work closely with Leeds City Council for training and monitoring.”
Ofsted inspectors said: “Staff do not have warm and positive interactions with all children. They do not provide older children with clear and consistent boundaries and expectations of their behaviour. Staff have a poor understanding of how to support older children to listen and follow instructions.
“Children do not receive an acceptable quality of education, overall. The provider has not addressed previous weaknesses identified at the last inspection. Staff do not consistently engage in quality interactions with children.”
The report said that the nursery has “failed to take appropriate steps” to address previous weaknesses found during the last inspection and they do not monitor staff performance to “identify and address any areas of poor practice.”
Children are not “provided with good-quality learning experiences” and the “provider does not ensure” all staff know the children in their care well enough, the report found.
Despite this, the education watchdog noted that “children develop a love of reading” and that staff share books with children individually and in small groups.
Inspectors added: “The provider has worked effectively with outside agencies and parents to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the targeted support that they need. They have put effective individual learning plans in place and staff implement these plans effectively in practice.
“The provider ensures sufficiently detailed information and records are kept and maintained for all children. This helps to ensure the safe and effective management of the setting.”
The report also noted that the provider has ensured all staff have a clear understanding of “how to identify and respond to concerns about a child's welfare.” This includes how to respond in the event an allegation is made against a member of staff to safeguard children and “protect them from the risk of harm.”
A due date of August 13 has been set for the nursery to meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage.
A spokesperson for Leafield House said: “Following the initial inspection in June, Ofsted carried out a regulatory visit to assess progress on the required actions, all have now been successfully addressed and closed. The team at Leafield House continues to work closely with Leeds City Council for training and monitoring.
“Leafield House is now operating under new management, and we are committed to implementing further improvements and positive changes for our children and families. We would like to thank all our families for their continued support.”