North Shropshire nursery criticised by Ofsted inspectors

Ofsted has judged that Welcome Nurseries at The Stables in Wem “requires improvement” across the board, after concluding that “children do not make good progress”.

Inspectors said managers and staff at the nursery, in Wemsbrook Road, do not receive enough support and supervision from the provider, resulting in “inconsistencies” in the quality of teaching.

The report has been published following an inspection in February, the setting’s first since it was taken over by national chain Welcome Nurseries last year.

Its last inspection before this was carried out in 2017 and resulted in a ‘good’ rating.

The inspectors’ report says staff “do not maintain these records effectively” and planned changes to the curriculum “are not yet ambitious for all children, specifically in the context of Covid-19”.

Progress checks for two-year-olds are said to be “inconsistent” in quality because staff “have not received effective professional development, coaching and mentoring”.

The report says: “Children do not receive sufficient challenge to help them to make the best possible progress.

“This is because of weaknesses in staff supervision and professional development.

“For example, in the baby room, when the room leader is called away from activities, other staff do not understand their role in leading activities to teach children effectively.”

It goes on to say: “While some staff are working hard to deliver good-quality teaching through the learning environments, this is not consistent in all the rooms. This results in some children only making satisfactory progress.”

However the report acknowledges that “staff promote children’s personal development” and “children do gain some knowledge and skills from their starting points”.

It adds: “Staff have strong relationships with children. Parents comment on the warm relationships they have with staff.”

Safeguarding arrangements are also said to be “effective”.

The report lists four improvements the nursery must make. These are to provide staff with appropriate professional development, implement effective supervision, complete progress checks for all two-year-olds and ensure records are accurate and up-to-date.

A spokesperson for Welcome Nurseries said: “We are of course disappointed with the outcome of the inspection, however plans are already in place to improve on the key points which were raised.

“Our staff at the setting work extremely hard in improving outcomes for children and our parents have been extremely supportive which we thank them for.

“All children do progress in the setting, the setting focusses on children feeling safe and secure and developing positive relationships with their peers and key person."