Shrewsbury nursery school deemed as inadequate by Ofsted

On a previous visit in 2010, Shrewsbury Cathedral Catholic Nursery, which is based on New Park Road in Castlefields, was rated as 'outstanding'.

But following a visit in January, government inspectors found that the nursery, which has 28 children on roll, failed in its effectiveness of leadership and management and was 'inadequate' in the personal development, behaviour and welfare of the children.

It has now been given a month to make changes before an interim visit is conducted.

The nursery is in the grounds of Shrewsbury Cathedral Roman Catholic Primary School, which also received a rating of 'inadequate' in July 2014 but turned itself around to get a 'good' rating by November 2015.

Inspector Lesley Bott, who lead the team, found that the nursery, which opened in 1997, failed to verify checks carried out on its members of staff.

She also found that parents were not encouraged to share information about their child's development and staff did not have a complete picture of a given child's abilities. This meant that planned activities did not match their learning needs.

The child's safety and well-being was compromised due to the suitability of the staff and committee members not being verified and recorded accurately.

But the nursery was found to be good in its quality of teaching and in the way the children were eager and motivated learners who engage in a range of activities.

Ms Bott's report said: "The arrangements for safeguarding are inadequate. The provider has failed to notify Ofsted about recent changes to committee members. Consequently, the required suitability checks have not been carried out.

Mrs Bott also noted: "Staff undertake spontaneous observations of the children and use this information to organise meaningful activities and experiences. Staff provide a rich and well-resourced environment both indoors and outdoors to complement their teaching.

"Children enjoy lots of independent choice and opportunities to initiate their own play. All children make good progress from their starting points."

But the inspector said that the nursery must improve its verifying procedure for all staff and committee members and recommended that it should work more closely with parents.

Margaret Andrews, manager of the nursery, declined to comment on the report.