Previous bad ofsted

[MumApril1990]

I’m supposed to be going back to work in August and putting my son in nursery, he will be 10 months. I found a local nursery established in 2021 with a ‘good’ ofsted rating. We went to view it and it looked okay, the manager sold it to us and we reserved a place. Being a FTM I didn’t have anything to compare it to though, the reason we only viewed this one is it’s the only local nursery they takes babies under 1.

I told a couple of local Mums he was going there, they pulled a face and told me there had been some issues with that nursery and I should look into it. I’ve found that there was a previous nursery in the building with a slightly different name, it was shut down in 2019 after a horrendous ofsted and complaints from parents. I’ve read it and it described poor care, hygiene issues, lack of development, issues with the building and equipment.

I’m torn. As it is a different business with a different manager, so the old report shouldn’t be considered right? However it’s in the same building, I don’t know if any of the staff are the same. And it’s obviously got this reputation hanging over it.

Now I’m thinking the building did look a bit run down, the outdoor play area wasn’t very nice. It looked a bit messy but I thought at the time that was probably normal for so many children. I didn’t like that the baby room was only separated by a safety gate (allot of noise for babies if there are 20 older children playing)?

Also I can see they are advertising constantly for staff which makes me think they have by been able to recruit food experienced staff and won’t have decent staffing in place by August. I can’t leave my baby with untrained apprentices (what they are advertising for).

I’m worried as I’ve very little time to find him a place elsewhere. And as I said earlier, the other local nurseries are from 12 months up. So I could try and stay off work an extra two months which isn’t really affordable, or I would have to drive out of my way.

I’ve been kept up worrying about this and just don’t know what to do. I can’t bear the thought of leaving my baby somewhere he won’t be looked after properly or won’t feel comfortable. What do people think??

Look for alternative childcare whether that is another nursery or a childminder.

As your son is 10 months old he needs a regular carer.

@Reugny I’ve contacted all local childminders, even some white out the way, and none have room for him

The OFSTED is for a different nursery, not this one. You could look up both the previous one and this one and see if any of the owners are the same?

It's also common for nurseries to employ some apprentices - the one we used had one per room. They're well supervised and it's a good way of training people up (it also keeps the nursery's costs down). It means they can make use of talented people
and develop their skills. The apprentice in the baby room when DD started was a room leader by the time we left the preschool room and was an amazing woman! The nursery still has to adhere to ratios and numbers of qualified people.

A bit rundown and messy isn't the end of the world. What you want to know is that it's safe, has rigorous safeguarding procedures, happy staff, good procedures in place (eg is making up baby bottles correctly) and what the food is like.

Almost all nurseries are advertising for staff too - the govt funded hours don't cover their costs so they can't afford to pay staff more and they leave for easier jobs that pay more.

The one run by our wraparound care is brilliant but also often advertising.

Thanks @RidingMyBike that’s reassuring!

Its not the same owner no, and all the nurseries this new owner runs have good ratings.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry then. It sounds like your initial reaction that it was ok is right, and you've only been put off by out of date gossip from some other mums.

We looked round two nurseries, one had really weird vibes and seemed chaotic, the other much better (both rated good) albeit more expensive. We chose the one that seemed better. The other one had failed OFSTED within 18 months and suddenly closed so I'm glad I trusted my instincts!

Ratios they have to follow and at what qualification level:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualifications-and-ratios/early-years-qualifications-and-ratios

There is nothing to stop a setting transferring ownership and renaming it's been done to wipe the slate clean before.
It's worth ringing around again as things change with child minders....pregnancy, house moves etc mean full one minute spaces the next.

This is a whole building ratio I'm afraid.

If it has a good ofsted now then the issues in the previous report will have been rectified but maybe ask the current manager about any concerns you may have.

Being a little messy and run down is ok so long as it is safe. Low funding means there isn't always money to keep things smart and adults will be with children not cleaning.

Advertising for staff is normal at the moment. Ratios have to be kept and if more children start more staff need to be added.

Find out from current parents attending what they like and dislike about the nursery.

Recruitment is a issue across all nurseries at the moment so wouldn't be surprised at that. Unfortunately the pay doesn't effect the workload etc. We have a few apprentices and tbh they are better and work harder then some of our qualified staff. Obviously everyone is different but don't let that put you off.
If ownership has changed then the latest ofsted report would reflect that as they come out within a time frame after a take over so I'd focus more on that one but obviously go with what you feel is rignt