Inspection of 15 August 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: The collection of children was inadequately supervised by staff to prevent a child leaving unnoticed when other families were departing the service. Some practices observed did not align with the service policy on drop off and collection of children. 1. Due to only one entry and exit pathway being available in the service for the collection of pre-school children, the volume of persons entering the service at a time necessitates vigilant supervision and observation. 2. On the day of inspection, the children from the senior pre-school rooms on the first floor were in the outdoor play area which is accessed through a side door on the ground floor. On four occasions, the inspector observed more than one child being collected at a time from the outdoor area .The inspector observed parents arriving to the door of the outdoor play area, taking their child, waving goodbye to the childcare staff and leaving, without making direct contact with the appropriate member of staff as is instructed by the service’s drop off and collection policy. 3. The inspector also observed that as several parents / guardians arrived together at the exit door of the outdoor play area, they stood with the door ajar, increasing the risk of a child getting out onto the inside corridor unnoticed. The service’s drop-off and collection policy states “staff and parent/guardian must ensure that the room door is closed behind them as they enter/ exit the room. Under no circumstances should a door be held open by an adult or child other than for the purpose of entering or exiting the room or building.” The inspector observed that staff did not intervene when they saw parents/ guardians standing with the door to the outdoor area ajar or did not call to parents to wait for handover as is directed in the service’s drop off and collection policy. 4. The exit switches located inside both exit doors were at a level which could be reached by children. The inspector also observed parents/guardians lifting their children to press the exit switch therefore alerting them to their presence and increasing the risk of a child exiting the service unsupervised. 5. The inspector observed on several occasions that the staff member at reception released the exit switch from another switch, inside the reception area, therefore reducing an element of control over who is exiting the building. 6. The inspector found that inadequate risk management had been implemented in the aftermath of an incident in the service. While the registered provider had established causal factors for the incident and put some measures in place in the aftermath, these were not adequate to mitigate against the risk. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- The registered provider and director of services / designated person in charge have submitted the following corrective and preventive actions. General Safety: All staff were issued with an updated Drop off and Collection Policy on 28/08/2025 and provided with time to read, understand and discuss questions. Staff meetings were conducted with educators, administration and ancillary staff, by management to address non- compliance feedback from Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Report from 26/09/2025 to 01/10/2025. Staff were reminded of the importance of maintaining policy and procedures standards of the service and to support parents in their adherence to service policies and procedures. The purpose of this is to in-still awareness and respect for the safety and welfare of all children. Reception staff were alerted to the danger of releasing the door lock for people exiting through the front door. All staff were issued with an updated Drop off and Collection Policy on 30/09/2025. Staff were provided with time to read and understand the procedures and discuss questions or concerns. Refer to attached copy of revised Drop off and Collection Policy 01/10/2025. This policy provides changes to how children will transition during drop off and collection e.g. times when to expect children to be in their rooms and when they will be outdoors, how all adults should respect the safety and wellbeing of all children at all times, highlighting the importance of parents and staff making direct contact at each drop off and collection before they leave. The updated policy was provided to parents on 29/08/2025 and another amended Drop off and Collection Policy on 01/10/2025 to inform them of changes and responsibilities during drop off and collection of all children. Parents were asked to share the information within the policy to people they may authorise to collect their children. See attached copies of policies and communication emails to parents. The timetable for use of the playground has been amended to reduce the use of playgrounds during periods of high volume of the drop off and collection of children. See Outdoor Policy attached. Our security provider was contacted to discuss necessary changes to switches and updating securing exit doors. Works were approved on 23/09/2025. The works will facilitate the movement of door release switches to a higher level out of children’s reach. The upgrade of an existing outdoor intercom system from playground (beside back door) to reception. See copies of security provider’s reports attached. The Director of Services was not onsite during week 11/08/2025 due to annual leave. Management and B.O.M. had identified a need to recruit a Childcare Manager to support the quality provision in our service for children, parents, staff and management. The position was advertised in late July 2025 and a Childcare Manager commenced employment on 22.09.2025. See copy of communication email to parents on 23.09.2025
Regulation 24 — Checking in and out and record of attendance
- (1) While staff ensured that children were checked in on arrival, there were some risks observed with the checking out of children on departure from the outdoor area. This is reported on under regulation 23
Provider's corrective action:
- The registered provider and director of services/ designated person in ch arge have submitted the following actions. Staff meetings were conducted with educators, administration and ancillary staff, by management to address non-compliance feedback from Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Report from 26/09/2025 to 01/10/2025. The changes to our outdoor playground time table will support staff to be readably available to sign children in and out, as they arrive or leave while staff continue to engage and supervise children. The requirement to maintain a minimum charge of 60% on iPads will ensure their function for staff to maintain accurate attendance records at all times, in both the indoor and outdoor environments
Regulation 27 — Supervision
- (1) While the inspector observed that staff supervised the children in their care primarily by direct supervision with staff scanning the classroom or outdoor area at intervals, taking mental note of the activities and presence of each child in their care, the inspector observed that at collection time staff were not managing the collection of children effectively in line with the service’s drop off and collection policy. This is reported on under regulation 23
Provider's corrective action:
- The registered provider and director of services/ designated person in charge have submitted the following actions. Staff meetings were conducted with educators, administration and ancillary staff, by management to address non-compliance feedback from Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Report from 26/09/2025 to 01/10/2025. Staff were reminded of the importance of maintaining policy and procedures standards of the service and to support parents in their adherence to service policies and procedures. The purpose of this is to in-still awareness and respect for the safety and welfare of children. All staff were issued with an updated Drop off and Collection Policy on 30/09/2025. Staff were provided with time to read and understand the procedures and discuss questions or concerns. See Drop Off and Collection Policy 01/10/2025. This policy provides changes to how children will transition during drop off and collection e.g. times when to expect children to be in their rooms and when they will be outdoors, how all adults should respect the safety and wellbeing of all children at all times, highlighting the importance of parents and staff making direct contact at each drop off and collection before they leave. The time table for use of the playground has been amended to reduce the use of playgrounds during periods of high volume of the drop off and collection of children. See Outdoor Policy. The appointment of a Childcare Manager on 22/09/2025 will support children, parents, staff and management in the quality supervision of children always
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 10, 11, 15, 19, 31, 32.