Thornbury Play & Learn Nursery rated Inadequate by Ofsted

Thornbury Play & Learn Nursery, in Thornbury Road, Bradford, was visited by Ofsted for its latest inspection on May 22 this year.

It was deemed to be 'inadequate' – a huge drop from the top mark when the nursery was last inspected by the education watchdog, in April 2019.

Inspectors found personal development and leadership and management at the setting were not up to scratch but the quality of education and behaviour and attitudes were rated as 'good'

The nursery had a temporary deputy manager in charge at the time of the inspection.

Thornbury Play & Learn Nursery, in Thornbury Road, Bradford (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

They lacked the skills and knowledge to manage the setting, including in their role as the designated safeguarding lead, according to the report.

Jo Clark, the inspector, said in the report: “As a result, children's health and safety are compromised.”

Leaders and staff did not fully understand the indicators of abuse and workers did not identify potential risks to children.

The report said staff had carried out daily safety checks on the day of the inspection but a bottle of bleach was left on the toilet floor and children had easy access to plastic bags in the changing unit.

Children were also not taught how to keep themselves safe in the sun.

The report said: “Although parents have given their consent to apply sunscreen, children play outdoors in hot weather with no hats or sunscreen.”

Staff at the nursery did not complete secure checks of all the areas of the premises children access either, and the inspector found a safety gate was broken which allowed them to have access to hazardous materials.

There was also a potential risk to children’s health and safety by children being allowed to play with and hold a stray cat from the local area.

The nursery had appropriate fire detection and control equipment, which was regularly tested, and an evacuation procedure was in place.

But children and staff did not practice this to ensure they understood what to do in the event of an emergency happening.

The inspector found that children at the nursery were “happy and settled” and “benefit from stimulating and age-appropriate activities that promote their learning experiences and support their development”.

The report said: “For example, knowledgeable staff weave mathematical learning into all children's activities.

“Children place shaped tubes onto a pole as they recall the shapes and colours and count out how many sides the shapes have.

“As children pour water into tall tubes, they say if they are 'full, empty' or 'half full'.

“As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.”

The Telegraph & Argus approached the nursery for comment but did not receive a response.