Creche Inspection Reports

Aurora's Hobbits Ltd

Full Day · 0 - 6 Years · Killygordon, Donegal · Tusla ID TU2015DL052 · Registered since 1 January 2026

An inspection records what inspectors saw on one day; services respond with corrective actions — how to read this.

5published inspections
4non-compliances at latest report read
4immediate action notices
0registration conditions

Inspection of 11 March 2026 — Inspection Report

Full report (PDF, Tusla)

Immediate action notice. (1) An Immediate Action Notice (IAN) was issued to the registered provider on 11 March 2026 in relation to regulation 9 (2)(c) where evidence of Garda vetting disclosure was not available for one adult who had access to the preschool children. (2) An Immediate Action Notice (IAN) was issued to the registered provider on 11 March 2026 in relation to regulation 23 General Safety in respect of unsecured looped cable at child’s height accessible in the outdoor area. A written response was received on the 12 March 2026 to the IAN stating that the area had been secured. This was deemed adequate by the inspectors. (3) An Immediate Action Notice (IAN) was issued to the registered provider on 11 March 2026 in relation to regulation 23 General Safety in respect of two unsecured blind chords accessible to preschool children in the toddler room. A written response was received on 12 March 2026 stating that the blind chords had been secured. (4) An Immediate Action Notice (IAN) was issued to the registered provider on 11 March 2026 in relation to regulation 23 General Safety in respect of water temperatures in the children’s hand wash sinks exceeding 50°C posing a risk of scalding to the preschool child. A written response received on the 12 March 2026 stating that this safety issue had been resolved.

Immediate action notice. Non-Compliance Information (2) (c) An immediate action notice was issued to the register provider on the day of inspection for a staff member on the premises with no garda vetting and who had access to the preschool children. (2) (d) It could not be ascertained if international police vetting was required for one of the adults due to gaps in the employment record on file. This was identified as a non-compliance on previous inspections on the 30 April 2025 and 11 September 2025 and actions put in place failed to prevent a reoccurrence. (4) Evidence for one adult file reviewed did not confirm certification of a major award at level 5 or above in early childhood care and education on the national qualification framework, or qualifications deemed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) to meet the regulatory requirement. Supporting documentation submitted (2) (c) (d) No Evidence submitted due to the staff member no longer working in the service. (4) Evidence of qualifications submitted. Summary Comment The inspector has reviewed the actions and evidence submitted. The non-compliance identified under regulation 9 has been adequately addressed.

Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment

  • (2) (c) An immediate action notice was issued to the register provider on the day of inspection for a staff member on the premises with no garda vetting and who had access to the preschool children. (2) (d) It could not be ascertained if international police vetting was required for one of the adults due to gaps in the employment record on file. This was identified as a non-compliance on previous inspections on the 30 April 2025 and 11 September 2025 and actions put in place failed to prevent a reoccurrence. (4) Evidence for one adult file reviewed did not confirm certification of a major award at level 5 or above in early childhood care and education on the national qualification framework, or qualifications deemed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) to meet the regulatory requirement. Supporting documentation submitted (2) (c) (d) No Evidence submitted due to the staff member no longer working in the service. (4) Evidence of qualifications submitted. Summary Comment The inspector has reviewed the actions and evidence submitted. The non-compliance identified under regulation 9 has been adequately addressed

Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child

  • General Safety: (1) An Immediate Action Notice (IAN) was issued to the registered provider on 11 March 2026 in relation to regulation 23 General Safety in respect of unsecured looped cable at child’s height accessible in the outdoor area. A written response was received on the 12 March 2026 to the IAN stating that the area had been secured. This was deemed adequate by the inspectors. (2) An Immediate Action Notice (IAN) was issued to the registered provider on 11 March 2026 in relation to regulation 23 General Safety in respect of two unsecured blind chords accessible to preschool children in the toddler room. A written response was received on 12 March 2026 stating that the blind chords had been secured. (3) An Immediate Action Notice (IAN) was issued to the registered provider on 11 March 2026 in relation to regulation 23 General Safety in respect of water temperatures in the children’s hand wash sinks exceeding 50°C posing a risk of scalding to the preschool child. A written response received on 12 March 2026 stating that a thermostatically controlled water system had been installed and safety issue had been resolved (4) A large pane of glass was stored in the corner of the toddler outdoor play area posed a risk of injury to the preschool children. (5) Unsecure wires accessible to the preschool children from the baby monitor were observed in the sleep over room. (6) The service used shaving foam for sensory activities this was stored in an open cupboard accessible to the pre- school children in the Aragon room. Shaving foam cannot be used in preschool services as it poses a risk to the preschool child if ingested. (7) There was a number of exposed pipes in the outdoor play area which posed a trip hazard to the preschool children. (8) A cot in the baby sleep room had sharp exposed edges or points, which may cause injury to the child. Infection Control: Inspectors observed a number of practices which posed a risk of transmission of infection within the service. (9) There was no waterproof covering on four cot mattresses, therefore the cot mattress could not be cleaned efficiently after using posing a risk of contamination. (10) One mattress in the baby sleep room was heavily soiled with a black substance, posing a risk to the preschool child. (11) Nappy changing units and mats were observed to require thorough cleaning as evident from a build-up of dust and dirt in the corners. This non-compliance was identified on the services last inspection on the 11 September 2025 and actions put in place by the registered provider failed to prevent a reoccurrence. Administration of Medication: (12) Medication was stored in an unlocked fridge accessible to the preschool child in the toddler room. This practice was found to be non-compliant on previous inspections on the 30 April 2025 and the 11 September 2025. The actions submitted by the registered provider on both occasions failed to prevent a reoccurrence, posing a continued risk to the preschool child. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
  • General Safety: (1) Unsecured wire/cable in the outdoor park resolved on the day of inspection. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their outdoor checklists daily and repairs made were necessary. (2) Blind cord accessible to toddlers, resolved on the day of inspection before the inspectors left. New blinds were securely fitted to the windows. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their indoor checklists daily and repairs made were necessary. (3) Water temperature was 50 °C in the Frodo room. The children were removed from the room, and the genitor fixed the water temperature before the session commenced the following day. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their indoor checklists daily and repairs made were necessary. (4) The toddler park was decluttered. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily outdoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. (5) The wires coming from our heart monitors in the sleep room under the cots were boxed in for safety. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily indoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. (6) Shaving foam was witnessed by inspector up on a shelf unused. Shaving foam will not be used in the preschool services. (7) All pipes have been tidied up in our outdoor environment. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily outdoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. (8) All pipes have been tidied up in our outdoor environment. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily outdoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. Infection Control: (9) All waterproof covering on our four cot mattresses has been dressed appropriately. The team checks this daily upon opening our sleep room daily (10) One new mattress was purchased for our baby sleep room. (11) Nappy changing units and mats are regularly cleaned. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily indoor checklists, their daily cleaning checklist and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. Administration of Medication: (12) The toddler room’s fridge was resecured with a new fridge lock. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily indoor checklists, their daily cleaning checklist and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount

Regulation 26 — Fire safety measures

  • (1) (b) The records are available for the maintenance of the firefighting equipment was recorded as November 2024. Annual servicing of all firefighting equipment is required
Provider's corrective action:
  • (1) The servicing has taken place, and documents have previously been sent. Our annual servicing of all firefighting equipment is mandatory and will be obtained when occurs

Regulation 29 — Premises

  • (c) The service did not appear to be adequately heated and ventilated as follows: • Room temperature in the baby sleep room was measured at 12.1°c. This is not within the acceptable temperature for safe sleep. • The inspectors observed evidence of a black substance in the sleep room of the baby room which posed potential health risks to children in attendance. This was found to be non-compliant on previous inspection on 11 September 2025. The corrective actions submitted following the inspection failed to prevent recurrence of this non-compliance. • Large brown stains on the roof of the sleep- room which required cleaning. (d) The premises was not observed to be cleaned and maintained as required. The inspectors observed a number of areas that required attention as follows: • In the baby sleep room, the paint on the walls was flaking and bubbling. • The premises required cleaning, as evidenced by accumulations of dust in certain parts of the building including the toddler room bathroom, where cobwebs and accumulations of dust and dirt was observed on windowsills and the nappy changing area. • There was a strong malodour in the hall entering the toddler wobbler pre-school room. • There was a large hole in wall of the entrance hall. • The outdoor areas required cleaning. A number of items that were not suitable for preschool children were stored in the outdoor areas. This included Christmas decorations, metal piping, boxes of materials
Provider's corrective action:
  • (1) A new radiator was purchased and installed to ensure the heat in our sleep room is within the regulated temperature management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily indoor checklists, their sleep checks and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. (2) The sleep room was treated and repainted. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily indoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. (3) The sleep room was treated and repainted. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily indoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. (4) The sleep room was treated and repainted. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily indoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. (5) Cleaned the blocked trap and the washed the drains. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily indoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount (6) The hole was filled and painted. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily indoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. (7) The Toddler yard was cleaned and decluttered. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily outdoor checklists and the health and safety of the children will remain paramount. (8) The service was cleaned daily following all our room checklists. Management will ensure the team are carrying out their daily cleaning checklists

Found compliant: Regulation 11, 16, 24, 27.

Inspection of 11 September 2025 — Inspection Report

Full report (PDF, Tusla)

Immediate action notice. 1. This inspection was unannounced and was triggered by information received by the inspectorate. 2. An Immediate Action Notice was issued under Regulation 23: General Safety, due to an unsecured window in the outdoor play area that posed a potential risk of injury to children. A response was received and accepted on the 12th of September please see body of the report. • Discussion with relevant staff

Immediate action notice. The inspection focused on an examination of compliance under regulations 9, 10,11,16K,23,24,25,27,31, and 32 however, on inspection additional non-compliance which posed a risk was identified under Regulation 29. These findings are outlined within the relevant regulations within this report.

Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment

  • (2) (d) It could not be ascertained if international police vetting was required for one of the adults as no history of employment was available for review. This was identified as a non-compliance on previous inspections and actions put in place failed to prevent a reoccurrence
  • A review of documentation evidenced that the requirements of Regulation 9(2) had not been completed prior to one staff member being appointed, assigned, or allowed access to or contact with a child attending the preschool service as outlined above under point 2(d)
Provider's corrective action:
  • In a written response the registered provider stated: (2) (d) The Registered Provider has received the staff member’s CV, which had been missing from the file. Going forward, staff CVs will be maintained in all files, and staff documentation will be reviewed annually to confirm all required documents are present
  • For any new employees, CVs will be checked and validated prior to commencement of employment to ensure they are the most recent version, up to date, and contain no unexplained gaps

Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service

  • Attendance records were not accurately recorded in all three rooms in the service as evidence on the week of the 1st of September and week of the 8th of September, including the day of inspection. (k) The service had two methods of recording accidents and incidents. This included a logbook in each room and an accident and incident form. On a sample review of the log inconsistencies arose, where on separate dates within four-week period children had been recorded as injuring their head in the logbook, however no accident and incident form was completed. This is at variance with the service policy. This non-compliance was identified on the services last inspection and actions put in place by the registered provider failed to prevent a reoccurrence
Provider's corrective action:
  • In a written response the registered provider stated: (1) (h) Attendance records were checked by management and corrected that day. The manager will ensure leaders are filling out the attendance sheets in a timely manner. All staff received staff training on attendance sheets at our staff meeting on the 30.09.2025. (K) We accept that there were discrepancies between the log and reports. All staff received staff training on accidents and incidents at our staff meeting on the 30.09.2025

Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child

  • General Safety: The registered provider did not ensure that reasonable measures were taken to safeguard the , safety of children in attendance as follows: 1. The natural play area, had a number of hazards posing a risk to the safety of the preschool child including: • unsecure railings on ladder leading to a slide. • Unsecure base of a wooden climbing frame leading to a drop. • A small table had evidence of wear and tear with exposed splinters. • Shock absorbent mats located under the swings were torn and damaged reducing their effectiveness. • Electrical extension cables with plugs were in easy reach of the preschool child in the climbing area. This was identified as a non-compliance on the service last inspection. 2. A wooden castle in an outdoor area was damaged with broken steps and base. The service had made attempts to secure this area with tyres that was ineffective to prevent preschool children accessing this area. 3. An immediate action notice was given on the day of the inspection in relation to an unsecure window in the outdoor play area posing an immediate risk to the safety of the child if it fell. It is acknowledged that the Registered provider rectified this issue on the 12th of September 2025. 4. An accessible window did not have the required restrictor in operation leading to a drop which posed a safety risk to the preschool child. Infection Control: Inspectors observed a number of practices which posed a risk of transmission of infection within the service 5. Nappy changing units and mats were observed to require thorough cleaning as evident from a build-up of dust and dirt in the corners. This non-compliance was identified on the services last inspection. 6. Infant formula was observed to be prepared on site in the care room. This is in contradiction to the food safety guidance where it states if a service chooses to prepare formula on site there must be a dedicated, clean and suitable area (kitchen, milk kitchen or separate dedicated area) for preparing and handling Prepared infant formula. 7. The outdoor play area was not maintained in a safe manner litter and used tissues were observed in one outdoor play area. Administration of Medication: 8. Practices surrounding the storage of medications were at variance with the policy in place in the service. This posed a risk of harm or overdose to the children receiving the medication as follows: • Medications were not in the original packaging, clearly labelled with the name of the child, storage instructions dosage and name of the health care provider. • Medication was stored in an unlocked fridge accessible to the preschool child. • Creams were stored in the first aid box. Non-compliance in relation to the storage of medication was identified on the service last inspection in April 2025 and the actions taken by the registered provider failed to prevent a reoccurrence. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
  • General Safety: 1. The park area was cleaned. Unsecure railings on ladder leading to a slide fixed. The unsecure base of a wooden climbing frame leading to a drop fixed. A small table had evidence of wear and tear with exposed splinters was removed. Shock absorbent mats located under the swings were torn and damaged reducing their effectiveness was removed. Electrical extension cables with plugs were in easy reach of the preschool child in the climbing area were removed. 2. The wooden castle in an outdoor area that was damaged with broken steps and base and were fixed 3. The window was removed on 12th September 2025 after immediate action notice was given. 4. All windows were checked after inspection and secured. The leaders will ensure the area is cleaned and maintained following our outdoor checklists. Infection Control: 5. Nappy changing units and mats where thoroughly cleaned. The leaders will ensure that the areas are cleaned thoroughly daily and signed off on their cleaning sheets. 6. We no longer make up infant formula. We accept that the policy wasn’t followed on the day of the inspection, staff has received training on our policy with bottles. The staff have handed out a copy of our policy to parents to ensure the parents are following our policy on bottles in the service. 7. The area was cleaned. The leaders will ensure the area is cleaned and maintained following our outdoor checklists. Administration of Medication: 8. We requested a label for the medication. The fridge lock was fixed. The arnica cream was removed from our first aid box as requested. The leaders will ensure the fridges lock are checked and working, this was communicated to the staff members at our monthly meeting on the 30.09.2025

Regulation 24 — Checking in and out and record of attendance

  • Documentation reviewed during the inspection evidenced that all preschool children were not checked in and out of the service as required. Attendance records in the wobbler room were reviewed by the inspector and there was no record available for the 4th and 5th of September of any child checked in or out of the service. Similarly attendance records reviewed in the ECCE room evidenced no children being checked in or out for the week of the 1st of September 2025. Inaccurate records of attendance may hinder the safe evacuation of children in the event of an emergency
Provider's corrective action:
  • In a written response the registered provider stated: The attendance records were checked by management and corrected that day of inspection. The manager will ensure the leaders are filling out the attendance sheets in a timely manner. All staff received staff training on attendance sheets at our staff meeting on the 30.09. 2025

Regulation 27 — Supervision

  • Contrary to the service policy on outdoor play ‘staff members should ensure their presence and position in the outdoor play area allows that all areas in the outdoor area are under constant supervision and that all children are in sight of at least one member of staff’. In a review of documentation and on discussion with adults present at the time of an incident notified to the inspectorate, the adults supervising were unable to determine whether a child had fallen of a bike, fallen in the play area or picked at a scab resulting in an injury to a child
Provider's corrective action:
  • In a written response the registered provider stated: The staff supervise the children by sight positioning themselves to ensure all children are in view in the outdoor area. This was communicated to the staff members at our monthly meeting on the 30.09.2025

Regulation 29 — Premises

  • (c) The inspectors observed evidence of a black substance in the sleep room of the baby room which posed potential health risks to children in attendance. (d) Areas of the premises were found not to be cleaned, maintained and repaired as required during the inspection as detailed below: • The ECCE sanitary facilities had large accumulations of a build-up of dirt and dust around wash basins and floors. • Evidence of peeling paint in the sanitary accommodation in the ECCE room. • The first aid box in the ECCE room had layers of dust accumulations. • There was a hole in the sanitary accommodation of the dining room leading to exposed pipes and insulation material which required to be secured. Non-compliance in relation to the service cleanliness and maintenance were identified on the services last inspection and actions submitted by the registered provider failed to prevent a reoccurrence
Provider's corrective action:
  • In a written response the registered provider stated: (c) The black substance in the sleep room of the baby room was cleaned and painted. The leaders will ensure the sleep room facilities is clean and checked following their cleaning sheets. (d) The ECCE sanitary facilities were cleaned. The first aid box in the ECCE room was cleaned. The sanitary accommodation of the dining room was fixed. The leaders will ensure the ECCE sanitary facilities is clean and checked following their cleaning sheets

Found compliant: Regulation 10, 11, 25, 31, 32.

Earlier inspections

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