Inspection of 29 January 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 11 — Staffing levels
- (1) On the morning of the inspection there were 24 children aged 3 – 5 years old and 2 staff between the 2 Junior pre-school rooms. The minimum number of adults required for this age group, while attending an ECCE session, was 1 for every 11 children, therefore, there was an inadequate number of staff working directly with the children in the Junior pre-school rooms at that time. It is acknowledged that staff explained the rationale for working out of ratio on the day was to accommodate the needs of two of the children, however, additional staff were required in the rooms to meet the minimum requirements. The registered provider was present on the afternoon of the inspection to provide relief to staff for their breaks, however, as the only member of staff available to provide relief on the day of inspection this is insufficient to meet the needs of the service. There should be sufficient staff to provide relief for staff breaks and to support activities that required staff to leave their rooms such as nappy changing and settling babies for sleep
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective & Preventive Action The registered provider provided the following rationale, in total in Newport they have four preschool groups. On the day preschool group one and two were over ratio by one child each and preschool group three and four were under ratio by one child each. In total as per ratio they had 44 children in preschool with 4 preschool teachers. Up to recently the two additional children between group one and two were part of group three and four, which meant every preschool group was within ratio, the y were only moved b ecause they were not settling and after review and at their parent request, the service moved them to group one and two. The service has since spoken to a number of parents to ask if they would be willing to allow them to move their child to group three and group four, which they have agreed . This would mean the service would be operating within ratio requirements . The service explained to parents that from time to time they may need to move children between preschool groups to remain in ratio, but they will try and only do this as a last measure to avoid disruption and discomfort to the children. Summary Comment All evidence submitted meets the requirements of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General safety: The following was observed on the day of inspection which may pose a risk to the health, safety and welfare of the children: 1. There were three space saver cots in use in the sleep room. On request from the inspector, the registered provider checked the manufacturer’s instructions as to the age range recommended to use these cots, which was 0 – 12 months old. As all of the children currently using the cots for sleep time were aged 12 – 18 months old, these cots were not suitable for use. It is acknowledged that the registered provider has stated that the cots have since been removed and replaced by standard cots. 2. There was a baby walker in use in the baby room on the morning of the inspection. This piece of equipment is not allowed to be used in early years settings due to the potential risk of injury they pose to children. It is acknowledged that the baby walker was removed from the service immediately after the inspector identified it as a risk. Infection Control: 3. The cots in the sleep room were positioned in a manner that meant many of the cots were directly adjacent to at least one other cot. This was at variance to infection control requirements which state that cots or sleep mats must be separated by a gap of at least 50cm. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General safety: 1. Per the inspection report the 0 to 12 month cots have been removed and replaced by standard cots. One white cot will remain in the room for a baby who is under 12 months of age. The service will monitor to ensure as children turn 12 months that they are placed in a cot for children from 12 months of age upwards and that white cots will only be used for children under 12 months of age. 2. The baby walker was removed from the baby room immediately. Infection control: 3. The existing space between the cots has been increased to 50cm
Regulation 30 — Minimum space requirements
- (1) and (2) On the afternoon of the inspection the children from the Senior preschool rooms, who attended on a part time or full day care basis, moved across to the Junior pre-school rooms to facilitate the school age children who were arriving and who used the Senior pre-school rooms in the afternoon. At 1pm there were 32 children aged between 3 and 5 years old present in the Junior pre-school rooms which measured a total of 60.68m². The space requirements for the children were 2.3m² per child, or 73.6m² in total. Therefore, there was insufficient space available to children in the Junior pre-school rooms in the afternoon
Provider's corrective action:
- The afterschool spaces consist of the use of one preschool room (room 4), enclosed outdoor play space connected to the building and our play bus dedicated to afterschool. The afterschool children should not have been using room 3 which is for full day care children alongside room 1 and 2 as well as the smaller play space connected to preschool full day care room 2. The team has now been reminded of the correct use of rooms and the importance of the space requirements associated with same. The service will ensure correct rooms are being used for their designed function to adhere with space requirements. Summary Comment All evidence submitted meets the requirements of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 16, 19, 25, 26, 28.