# Little Acorns Montessori Playschool, Carndonagh — inspection reports and findings > Little Acorns Montessori Playschool (Carndonagh, Co. Donegal): what Tusla inspections found — 4 published inspection(s), non-compliances and the provider's corrective actions. ## Little Acorns Montessori Playschool Sessional · 0 - 6 Years · Carndonagh, Donegal · Tusla ID **TU2015DL065** · Registered since 1 January 2026 An inspection records what inspectors saw **on one day**; services respond with corrective actions — [how to read this](/methodology.md). #### Inspection of 22 April 2026 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) ##### Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service - 16 (1) (J) A sample of accident and incident forms were reviewed since the last inspection. Fifteen incident and accident forms were not signed by parents/ guardians. Three forms were not signed by staff in the service. (k) A sample of medication administration forms were reviewed since the last inspection. One medication administration form had no parent/ guardian signature - Reg 16(1) (J) The registered provider has instructed the staff to ensure that all accident/incident forms are signed by the parents. Along with making sure that the parent is notified via text message with a photograph of the injury. The registered provider has instructed all the staff, during staff meetings, on how to complete an accident/incident form and highlighted the importance of following the services policies and procedures. Following inspection, the service has updated their policy to require that, in all cases, parents or guardians must attend in person to review and sign their child's accident/incident forms. Room leaders are responsible for ensuring that their accident/incident forms are signed. Reg 16 (K) The service has instructed the staff to ensure that all medication forms are signed by the parents. Along with making sure that the parent is notified via text message when their child receives medication. The service has instructed all the staff during staff meetings, how to complete a medication form and highlighted the importance of following policies and procedures. Room leaders are responsible for ensuring that there medication forms are signed. The service is currently reviewing staff induction checklists. Currently it includes an information video on recording accidents and incidents. However, the service intends to produce an information guidance video on how to correctly complete a medication booklet. The service will also update the current video that is used during the staff induction ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - Infection Control: 1. Water in the sinks both inside and outside of the sanitary areas did not have warm water for effective hand hygiene throughout the service. 2. Children's mattresses were being stored in a storeroom when not in use. The mattresses and sheets were observed touching the floor, which may cause cross-contamination 3. On the day of inspection, after nappy changing, the hands of the babies were observed to be not consistently washed, posing a risk of infection. Safe Sleep: 4. On the day of inspection, a child aged 12 months was observed sleeping on her tummy. Additionally, in this position, it was difficult for staff to effectively carry out checks, as they could not observe the child’s chest rising and falling or the colour of the child’s face. 5. The mattress covers appeared too small for the mattress, causing the sides to curl upwards. This may hinder the child's ability to turn if needed. Action submitted by the Registered Provider - Infection Control: 1. Following the closing meeting with the inspectors the service immediately contacted the contractors to begin addressing issues. The service got a plumber to the service to fix or replace the immersion systems in the rooms affected. 2. The children's mattresses are now stored on top of the cots without the sheets, with just mattress protectors on them. They are being dressed daily before sleep time. 3. Nappy Changing Policy clearly details the required handwashing procedures. To further reinforce compliance, all staff members have signed a memo acknowledging their understanding of and commitment to following this policy. 4. At the time of the inspection, the service contacted parents. When speaking with the parent of a child they expressed that they have no concerns with the child sleeping on her tummy as that is her normal sleeping pattern. The registered provider explained the safe sleep procedures mandated and informed parents that staff will be instructed to turn the child over on her back. The child turned one year old on the day of inspection. 5. Following the inspection management reviewed the mattress covers. It was discovered that the mattress covers were not too small for the mattresses. Instead, they were not put on clearly by staff members. The service has shown each staff member working in the nursery how to put on the mattress covers correctly. Staff have been reminded staff of safe sleep policies and procedures. All staff responsible for the dressing of mattresses have signed a form to say that they will put the mattress covers on correctly. All staff have re-read safe sleep policies and procedures. The registered provider has discussed the importance of safe sleep, lying positions, and how children cannot sleep on their tummies, and how important it is to put mattress covers on correctly ##### Regulation not named in the report text - 1. The service is registered with Tusla to operate a full day service between the hours of 7.00hrs to 19.00hrs. However, on the day of inspection, the service was operating the hours of 07.00hrs to 18.30hrs. The registered provider did not notify Tusla of the change in operating hours. 2. The service is currently registered with two registered providers. However, on the day of inspection, the inspectors were informed that a change in the one registered providers had occurred. The registered provider failed to notify Tusla of this change in circumstances - 1. The registered provider has stated that a change in circumstances was submitted regarding the change in operating hours. 2. The registered provider has stated that this was reviewed and that a change in circumstances has been submitted to the inspectorate which will address this matter. To prevent these non-compliances from reoccurring, the service will ensure that all correct change of circumstances forms will be completed at the same time as notification to other governing bodies Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 21, 22, 27, 28. #### Inspection of 18 June 2025 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) ##### Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment - (a)(b) One written and validated reference was not available in respect of one staff member. (d) It could not be determined if police vetting was required in respect of one staff member due to the absence of an employment record - The reference was misfiled under another staff members reference and was located. Confirmation of the gap in employment was sought from the member of staff. Regular audits of files already completed will ensure that gaps in employment are on file and that references are not misfiled. All future staff member CV’s will be checked for extended gaps in employment and a Gap in Employment form will be completed by the prospective employee ##### Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service - (j) It could not be confirmed that the parents of children who had received medication had been informed. While incidents of administration are recorded on a communication platform, there was no evidence of parental acknowledgement confirming they had noted the administration. This could lead to potential risk to a child. (k) A sample of accident and incidents records involving a pre-school child were reviewed for this regulation. The following information had been omitted from the forms. • The signature of the parent was not present on six of the forms. • The manager’s signature was omitted from two of the forms - A staff meeting was held by the person in charge following the inspection. The non-compliance was addressed in relation to the necessity of parent signatures and parent acknowledgement. Risks of risks to over/under medicating children were discussed if no signature or confirmation from parents are held on file. Our service’s liability and duty of care was highlighted. Staff induction procedures will include detailed training on the correct completion of the medication administration procedure. This will be carried out by a video produced by the person in charge and registered provider, similar to the Accident and Incident Recording Procedure currently produced. A written confirmation by each staff member will be obtained and held on each staff member’s file. Regular audits of completed and in use administration of medication records will ensure that checks are carried out by management to ensure that correct information is supplied by the administrator of the medication and that any omissions or errors will be brought to the attention of specific staff members for continued best practices and continued professional development ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - General Safety: 1. A wire in one care room was lose and hanging down within reach of the children, this could pose a risk of injury to a child. It is acknowledged the adult present attempted to secure it when requested by the inspector. 2. A wooden bench in the outdoor area was observed to be broken and posed a risk of causing injury to a child or adult. It is acknowledged it was removed when brought to the attention of the person in charge. 3. Adults were observed to use unlidded cups with hot drinks during the children’s rest period posing a risk of scalding to a child or adult. 4. There was no evidence of room temperatures being recorded in care rooms throughout the day. The air conditioning monitor did not accurately reflect the room temperature at child level. Temperatures were brought below 22°C once brought to staffs’ attention by the inspectors. 5. Locks were not present on cupboards containing cleaning items which were within reach of children. It is acknowledged that loose ties were applied to the doors to mitigate the risk to children, however this was not sufficient to ensure the doors were secured and the cleaning materials could still be accessed by children. Infection Control: 6. In one care room the following was observed and could pose a risk of infection control. a. Handwashing prior to eating and returning from the outdoor area was inconsistent and not adequately supervised. Several children were observed to eat with their hands. b. The floor was observed not to be swept or washed throughout the day. As a result, the floor was heavily soiled and unsafe. Children were observed to drop food and cutlery, pick the items up and resume eating. c. Cleaning of tables prior to eating was inconsistent at times during the inspection. 7. In one care room at nappy changing time, the following was observed a. Children’s hands were not washed after nappy changes. b. Adults did not wash their hands between nappy changes. c. The disposable paper roll on which the children were changed was not disposed of between changes, nor was the changing mat cleaned after each nappy change. This posed a risk of cross contamination. 8. A large pink support cushion in the junior nursery room was heavily soiled and required cleaning. Fire Safety: 9. Records pertaining to a staff roster was held for adults working directly with children, within the service. However, the roster did not record auxiliary staff who were also present on the day of inspection. Action submitted by the Registered Provider - General Safety: 1. Staff were made aware of this observation and reminded about the purpose of our service’s daily opening checklist, which is to control for this risk. Regular ad hoc inspections by management in rooms will enable all staff to bring to their attention the need for continuous checks to ensure that wires that may fall within reach of children are controlled throughout the day. 2. This was addressed immediately and communicated to staff. The weekly maintenance checklist was updated to control for this non-compliance in future. 3. This brought to staff member’s attention. The person in charge purchased lidded insulated cups for staff and removed all staff cups from rooms. Staff were informed of this new measure and invited to bring in their own lidded cup if they preferred a different style. By removing all open cups in all rooms our service has controlled for this non-compliance. 4. A similar thermometer used by the inspector was purchased and staff were instructed on how to use this. Staff will be notified of the discrepancy between the air temperature controller reading and the actual temperature reading of the room using the new apparatus. 5. A plan was made by the person in charge and the registered provider following the inspection to address this moving forward and staff were informed. Our service fixed all low-lying cupboard door locks. It was decided that a high wall cupboard would be installed in each room to control for the risk of this non- compliance in future. Storing all cleaning materials in high shallow wall cabinets will control for the above non-compliance in future. Infection Control: 6. Post-Inspection discussion was shared with staff immediately following the meeting. It was also discussed that for best practice a photo of a completely clean room should be displayed to ensure that relief cover staff know how to clean and tidy a room during the day. Posters were purchased and displayed which will remind staff of all times that children and staff would wash their hands. Regular ad hoc inspections daily by management will ensure that correct attention is brought to staff about these practices in rooms. 7. Post-Inspection discussion was shared with staff. Our service’s nappy changing and hand washing procedure was revisited to highlight the importance of best practice. Nappy Changing visual posters were purchased and displayed. When to Wash Hands, poster was generated and displayed which clearly shows the steps required to ensure best practice. Ad hoc daily inspections by management ensure that staff failing to adhere to these practices will be quickly identified and supported in best practice performance. 8. This was removed immediately and during the subsequent staff meeting solutions were gathered. The weekly maintenance checklist was updated to ensure that covers were regularly checked. The person in charge also purchased a large number of replacements covers to allow soiled covers to be washed and dried before being reused. Fire Safety: 9. This was brought to the attention of staff following the meeting. Solutions were sought from the staff team, and it was decided that ancillary staff would input their names on the daily register showing their time in and out. This would be employed by ancillary staff moving between rooms throughout their relief cover day. Any new relief cover staff will be instructed of this procedure during their staff induction Found compliant: Regulation 11, 19, 28. #### Inspection of 28 June 2024 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) ##### Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment - (2) (a) (b) The two references on file for one staff member could not be accepted as they were not dated or signed and did not contain the address, phone number, logo or headed paper of the referee to validate their source. It also could not be determined from the information provided, in what capacity one of the referees knew the staff member. (d) International police vetting was not available for one adult which was outstanding from the previous inspection on 26 and 27 September 2023. (4) Evidence of completion of a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at level 5 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications was not available for one staff member employed to work directly with the preschool children - (2)(a)(b) Both of the referees did not provide letter headed references. One was a current employer and another was a character reference. The person is no longer with our service. Before a new placement student or staff member commences at our service a checklist is completed. Correct QRF Governance protocols will be met prior to induction. (d) Management instructed this facilitator that all classes with his company would be suspended until the certificate was provided. All visiting facilitators will have to produce ICPC certificates along with all governance documents to ensure compliance in future. (4) The certificate is attached. Management will control this by carrying out monthly audits of staff files. An electronic record of each staff member’s qualifications will also be kept after validation is confirmed prior to a staff member commencing employment ##### Regulation 11 — Staffing levels - (1) (2) The registered provider did not ensure that the minimum ratio of adults to children was maintained at all times on both days of inspection as evidenced by the following: Day 1: Time Room Number of children present Age range Required ratio Number of staff present Number of staff required 12.48pm Room 17 18 3-4 years 1:8 2 3 12.50pm Room 16 17 3-4 years 1:8 2 3 12.55pm Room 14a 17 3-5 years 1:8 2 3 12.57pm Room 13 8 1-2 years 1:5 1 2 12.57pm Room 12 8 2 x 0-1 year 6 x 1-2 year 1:3 1:5 1 2 - (1) (2) Following the inspection, management met with all Room Leaders in Rooms 10 to 17 to inform them of their responsibility to ensure that correct ratios were in place during staff breaks. Room Leaders were provided with a clear management instruction on how to determine compliance at the beginning of each day. Clarification was sought in relation to staffing ratios for children who are transitioning to national school. The service now understands that EY children who have not yet started National School come under EY regulations rather than SAC regulations. Management will ensure that regular reference to updated QRF documents are clearly understood. Any clarification needed will be directed to the EY Inspectorate should questions be raised ##### Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. There was a laptop playing music and showing characters dancing in room 12 while children were eating their meal. The volume of the music was very loud and distracting. The volume of the music paired with the visual images, did not provide an appropriate atmosphere for mealtimes. There was also a television in the rest area of room 10. Screen time does not support the learning, development and wellbeing of children. 2. Staff did not maintain the dignity and privacy of children while nappy changing in room 10. Staff were observed leaving the door between the nappy area and the care room open while children’s nappies were being changed exposing the child to the other children and staff in the room. 3. Children in rooms 10 and 13 were not given free access to drinking water throughout the day. Children’s cups were observed out of reach and passed to them at staff discretion. Drinking water should be readily accessible to children at all times. 4. The range of play items in the outdoor area did not provide meaningful play opportunities for children. The equipment available to children was not adequately resourced to allow children to actively engage, for example, mud kitchens did not have play items such as pots, pans, bowls or similar to allow children the opportunity to use them. 5. Children on the morning of inspection did not have access to each area of room 10. The doors were closed and should remain open to allow children to move freely between each area of this room - 1. Laptops and computers have been removed from all care rooms following the inspection. Routine play area reflective observations will be carried out by Room Leaders, together with close management support and supervision, will ensure that mealtimes are collaborative and relaxing. Each year staff will take part in the voice of the child training to reflect on practice to ensure that music is not used in excess. Regular daily supervision by management will ensure that staff understand the importance of the voice of the child. 2. Following the inspection, discussion with staff highlighted the observation that children were able to open the nappy changing door as the door handle was within reach of children. By increasing the height of the handle this prevented children opening the door either from inside the nappy changing room or outside the nappy changing room. Although the nappy changing room does not have to be locked when in use, we have observed that this ensures that staff engaging in nappy changing are aware of the need to keep the door closed. The lock is easily opened from both sides if needed by staff inside and outside of the nappy changing room. The installation of a high handle on this door has prevented children from being able to open the door. 3. Water bottles are now provided at all times throughout the day for all children in all care rooms. These are washed after use and refilled. Daily inspections by designated care room supervisors will ensure best practices are observed 4. All play areas have been restocked and childcare staff monitor garden stocks. Photographic evidence supplied. Our service has engaged in Better Start support to enable staff to implement the Aistear/Siolta practice more robustly across care rooms. This will ensure child centred play areas are developed more holistically. 5. Management provided supervision and support in Room 10 following the inspection. Observations of care practices were found to be contrary to our service’s established practices which would have maintained compliance in this regard. Management are providing daily leadership and supervision of this room to ensure quality of care. Following the inspection management has decided to temporarily close Room 8 and have reduced registered children in Room 10 to carefully manage the care practices of Room 10. Regular performance reviews will be carried out to enable practitioners to develop the care skills and provide them the opportunity to reflect on areas of their practice that need to be improved ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - Fire Safety: 1. The emergency exit route from room 10 was blocked by staff when children were placed to sleep. The room was also overcrowded with floor beds and cots making it impossible to safely evacuate children in the event of an emergency. Staff members were instructed by inspectors to take immediate action to reduce the number of children in the room and unblock the exit route which staff did immediately. Infection Control: 2. In conflict with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s Guidance Note no. 22 which states that powdered infant formula be prepared at home and transported to the service, staff in rooms 12 and 13 were preparing infant formula in the care room. Staff also placed the made-up formula in the cots in preparation for sleep time. Bottles should be refrigerated immediately prior to being consumed by children. These practices did not ensure that harmful bacteria which can be present in reconstituted powdered infant formula were destroyed. 3. Children’s hands were not routinely washed at appropriate intervals throughout the day including on return from outdoor play and prior to eating. 4. A child in room 10 dropped a spoon during meal time and staff member picked it up from floor and gave it back to the child. In preparation for sleep time a number of soothers which were kept in children’s bags along with their blankets for sleep fell on the floor and staff picked them up and did not wash them or have them stored correctly. 5. The nappy changing procedures observed in the service did not support effective infection control practices and increased the risk of spreading harmful germs in the setting as follows: a. Protective aprons were worn by staff into the care room to collect and return children. b. Staff did not routinely wash their hands after changing a child’s nappy. c. Children’s hands were not routinely washed after having their nappies changed. d. One child in room 10 brought food with them into the nappy-changing area which they ate during the changing procedure. 6. The mechanical ventilation system was not functioning in the sanitary accommodation in room 10. All care rooms and sanitary accommodation are required to be adequately ventilated to prevent the spread of infection. Safe Sleep: 7. Bottles of infant formula were placed in cots in advance of children’s sleep time. Infants are required to be held while bottle-feeding. Toys were also added to cots and beds in some cases. Unnecessary items in children’s sleeping areas increase the risk of an accident in sleeping children. 8. Each of the 20 cots provided in the service’s sleep rooms were fitted with mattresses which were unsuitable as they were missing the required safety label and 15 of them were not adequately covered with waterproof material. 9. The layout of the sleeping equipment in room 10 provided insufficient spacing between the cots/beds. Cots and beds are required to be spaced at least 50cm apart for infection control purposes. Some of the cots or beds in room 10 were touching. 10. An appropriate sleep log was not maintained recording all of the required details of physical observations made every 10 minutes for each child who slept in the service. When recording the physical check carried out, staff record the colour breathing and position of the child on one occasion. Each check after that, only the time of the check was recorded. There was also no record of staff checking the air temperature in the room. General Safety: 11. Children were not signed in and out when moving between rooms to reflect accurate arrival and departure times. Children were visiting room 8 from another room and when requested by inspectors, staff provided a list of names with no arrival time. Similarly, children from room 8 moved to room 10 for sleep and were not signed in as attending this room with an accurate arrival time. This poses a risk that children may be unaccounted for or overlooked in the event of an emergency evacuation. 12. There were a number of hazards in the outdoor play area to the rear of the football pitch posing a risk to children including rusted nails protruding from a wooden pallet and debris in and behind the wooden play structure. Administration of Medication: 13. The written record used by the service to record the administration of medication to a child in the service was incomplete. The records reviewed indicated that a parental signature had not been routinely obtained following the administration of medication, to document that a parent or guardian had been informed and were aware of what medication was given to their child during the course of the day. Action submitted by the Registered Provider - Fire Safety: 1. As care practices in Room 10 have become closely monitored and supervised by management, sleep routines are carried out in both play areas allowing for adequate space and relaxation for our children. The glass of the windows on exit doors are covered by a light extruder which is fixed to the window at nap time and taken off afterwards. Quarterly audits of fire safety procedures will be carried out by management. Observations and assessments will be communicated to all staff during staff training days. Infection Control: 2. Following the inspection, close supervision of the room has ensured that children drink their bottles in the dining room before going to sleep. Bottles are provided now by parents/guardians and are placed directly in the dining room fridge at drop off. Bottles are not prepared by staff. Parents will be informed prior to enrolment of our services policy with regards to powdered infant formula. 3. Close supervision of this room has ensured that children have now developed the routine of washing hands after nappy changing, before meals times or upon returning from the garden. Children also engage in washing their faces after they eat. Regular mock inspections of care room routines by management will ensure that practices are maintained. 4. Soothers are now kept in the class and are sterilised after use and stored in the children’s bags at the end of each session. Staff have been given a clear management instruction to ensure that items dropped on the floor have to be rewashed or a clean replacement provided. Staff will engage in annual infection control practices. This will ensure best practice. 5. Nappy changing practices that were not supervised correctly have now been incorporated in the daily practices of the room. Children are not permitted to bring toys or food into the nappy changing room and staff ensure that they wash their hands and the children’s hands after each nappy change. Staff will engage in annual nappy changing training to ensure best practice. 6. This vent has been fixed. Care practitioners engaged in nappy changing procedures will carry out training on ensuring that nappy changing rooms are fully functioning. Safe Sleep: 7. This practice has been strictly forbidden. Management ensure that this observed daily through supervision and signs posted outside sleep room. Staff supervising sleep routines will take part in a review of safe sleep practices of the service. 8. New mattresses were purchased. Mattress protectors have also been replaced with encasement mattress protectors. Staff Supervising sleep routines will take part in a review of safe sleep practices of the service. 9. The daily programme of care shows that our children sleeping in cots are transitioned to the first sleep room. This is followed by the toddlers sleeping in toddler beds in the second sleep room. The number of children sleeping in this care room has reduced. Close monitoring and supervision by management will ensure that the highest of standards are practised by all childcare practitioners engaged in sleep supervision. 10. New sleep check templates are being used by staff in sleep rooms to ensure best practice and recording of room temperature. Weekly audits by care room leaders will ensure that staff recording sleep do so correctly General Safety: 11. Care room 8 has now temporarily closed to ensure that all children napping in this room are dropped off to Room 10 each morning. Management will regularly review movement of children between care rooms to ensure best practice and compliance. 12. Access to the back of the outdoor classroom has now been fenced off. Pallets have been removed. Debris have been also removed. Outdoor play risk assessments will be carried out on a weekly basis. Care Room staff will also review garden safety on a daily basis and email concerns or notify management of hazards as they appear. This will ensure that best practices are followed to ensure safety and security in gardens. Administration of Medication: 13. All care room Leaders have received a clear management instruction on the administration of medication procedure. Management will record a video of our service’s administration of medication practice. All staff working directly with children will take part in yearly training to ensure best practice Found compliant: Regulation 25, 26. ### Earlier inspections - 27 September 2023 — Inspection Report · PDF ### Other services in Donegal - [Little Acorns Nursery](/creche/little-acorns-nursery-buncrana.md) Buncrana - [Little Acorns Playgroup (Raphoe)](/creche/little-acorns-playgroup-raphoe-donegal.md) Donegal - [Little Dreamers](/creche/little-dreamers-letterkenny.md) Letterkenny - [Little Stars Pre-school (Moville)](/creche/little-stars-pre-school-moville-moville.md) Moville - [Naíonra Ailt a'Chorráin](/creche/naionra-ailt-a-chorrain-leitir-ceanainn.md) Leitir Ceanainn - [Newtowncunningham Community Playgroup Ltd](/creche/newtowncunningham-community-playgroup-ltd-lifford.md) Lifford - [Bee Kool Kidz Creche](/creche/bee-kool-kidz-creche-letterkenny.md) Letterkenny - [Naíonra Ghort a Choirce](/creche/naionra-ghort-a-choirce-leitir-ceanainn.md) Leitir Ceanainn - [Smallworld Childcare LTD](/creche/smallworld-childcare-ltd-donegal-town.md) Donegal Town - [Kiddlywinks The Rock Afterschool](/creche/kiddlywinks-the-rock-afterschool-ballyshannon.md) Ballyshannon [Alert me when a new report is published](/help.md) · [Dated report on this service — €19](/report.md) --- Página: https://creche-inspection-reports.pages.dev/creche/little-acorns-montessori-playschool-carndonagh/ Fonte: Tusla Early Years Inspectorate Recolha: 2026-09-11