Chesterfield nursery ‘devastated’ after inadequate Ofsted rating is working hard to improve

Daisy Chain Nursery at Cobden Road, Chesterfield has been rated as ‘inadequate’ across all categories in an Ofsted report published on September 15. The nursery has been previously rated as ‘requires improvement’ in November 2022.

Ofsted inspectors are concerned that children's safety is potentially compromised at the nursery, as not all staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and teaching.

In the report, inspectors said: “Leaders and managers have some systems in place to support and coach staff. However, these are not effective in accurately identifying gaps in staff's knowledge or weaknesses in teaching practice. This leads to inconsistency in the quality of the learning experiences children receive.

"During a planned activity in the baby room, some children become upset and unsettled as the activity is not appropriate to their age and stage of development. They communicate this to staff by pushing resources away, throwing things on the floor and crying.

"Some staff do not respond appropriately to children's early attempts to communicate or adapt activities to ensure that all children are engaged and enjoy their experiences. This means that not all children make good progress in their learning and development.”

Following the inspection, the nursery has immediately put new measures in place.

Angela Cancellara, Managing Director at Daisy Chain Nursery in Chesterfield, said: “To say we are devastated at the grading that the Ofsted gave us is an understatement.

“The report shows that we were unable to verbally explain our safeguarding policy and procedures in the nursery on the day of inspection. The staff’s safeguarding knowledge is the key criterion by which Ofsted inspects all settings. Once this area is questioned, there is no alternative but to result in a negative report and grading, despite any other positive findings.

“Whilst much of what Ofsted concluded relates to weaknesses in communication and individual circumstances, we fully accepted the report and believe that some significant changes need to be made to improve how we are training our staff. That said, we believe that the day-to-day quality of care and education that the children experience is strong, and remains the foundation of what really matters.

“Whilst this grading has been a devastating blow, both professionally and personally, we are working hard to prepare for Ofsted’s returning visit. We are determined to prove what we have at Daisy Chain is a loving and caring environment for all children in our care. We are eternally grateful to the families who have supported us over the years and continue to support us through this.”

The nursery plans to manage staff performance and development through regular checks of staff knowledge. The school is increasing its use of displays and multimedia across the nursery to raise awareness of what the nursery does and, as an Early Years provider, needs to do.

The nursery has also put an experienced Head of Room in every session, every week and is investing in additional professional training.