Salford nursery still requires improvement after being deemed ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted

A small nursery school in Greater Manchester deemed ‘inadequate’ at its last inspection still ‘requires improvement’, Ofsted has said.

Following a visit by officials from the watchdog on 28 September Ateres Elisheva Daycare in Salford was said to need to improve in all areas of assessment – quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

In her report, inspector Tricia Graham said the facility in Park Lane, which has a capacity of 23 but had 13 children aged up to the age of two at the time of the visit, said leaders and managers had ‘made some positive changes’ since the previous inspection.

But Ms Graham said that although improving, aspects of the environment and curriculum were ‘not fully effective’.

What did Ofsted say about children’s experiences at Ateres Elisheva Daycare?

Ms Graham said that children at Ateres Elisheva Daycare were now cared for in a separate area within the school premises. “The area is welcome and the children feel safe and secure,” she said.

“Staff have started to organise the learning environments to provide children with high-quality play experiences. As a result, children are beginning to develop a positive attitude to learning.”

However, she said there were still areas which needed improvement. “For example,” she said, “young babies lie on mats in comfy areas, but there is no stimulus above. As a result, they are less inclined to reach out with their arms and legs. This does not help them develop their early physical skills as well as they could.”

However, she said children have ‘trusting relationships’ with staff. “They enjoy lots of cuddles, and babies babble tunefully as staff respond to their vocalisation,” she continued. “This positively supports their early communication and language development.”

Children now sleep on cots or on sleep mats, Ms Graham said. For the most part, staff follow safer sleeping guidance well. But they do not do enough to teach children how to ‘self-soothe’, she said.

“Despite supervision, very occasionally, they allow older babies a bottle of milk to help them settle to sleep,” she said.

Ms Graham also mentioned some ‘inconsistencies’ in promoting children’s personal development.

“They enjoy healthy packed lunches, which helps them to learn about good food choices, but some children do not have access to fresh drinking water and as a result are unable to quench their thirst,” she said.

What did Ofsted say about the nursery’s staff?

Ms Graham said that managers and staff know that the quality of education is ‘not yet good’.

“They have embraced support from the local authority advisers and are working hard to make improvements,” she said. “To date, they have made improvements to the learning environment, undertaken additional training and they are focusing on the curriculum. There is more work to do, but they are moving in the right direction.”

She said that leaders and managers had made some ‘considerable changes’.

“Most notable is the security of the premises,” she said. “Visitors are unable to enter the grounds of the setting without their identity being verified and checked. As a result, children are protected from unvetted visitors.”

Meanwhile, a new approach to managing children’s behaviour is working well, she said. “Staff work in partnership with parents by sharing ideas on behaviour management strategies. This approach also provides continuity as children learn to regulate their behaviour.”

Ms Graham added: “Despite gaps in practice, staff work well as a team and share the same vision as managers. They are eager to give children the best opportunities to help them reach their full potential.

“Staff speak highly of their managers and state they feel supported in this close-knit and supportive team. They demonstrate a strong capacity to make the required improvements.”

What has the nursery said?

Responding to the findings of Ofsted, a spokesperson from Ateres Elisheva said: “We are pleased that the inspectors recognised the improvement that is underway and found evidence that the changes we have introduced are already resulting in better outcomes for our children.

“We are hugely encouraged by the inspectors’ supportive comments which show we are on the right path for driving improvement further.

“We know there are still areas for improvement and we will address these as a matter of urgency. We are grateful to the support of our partners in Salford City Council and look forward to continuing to work with them as we raise standards across the nursery.”