Creche Inspection Reports

Little Oaks Preschool

Sessional · 2 - 6 Years · Kilworth, Cork · Tusla ID TU2015CC232 · Registered since 1 January 2026

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

2published inspections
4non-compliances at latest report read
0immediate action notices
0registration conditions

Inspection of 23 March 2026 — Inspection Report

Full report (PDF, Tusla)

Regulation 10 — Policies, procedures etc. of pre-school service

  • The following policies did not meet the regulatory requirements: 1. The infection control policy did not outline the following: • Respiratory hygiene practices and procedures for children. • Safe management of perishable foods. • The correct infection control measures for nappy changing. • The requirement to notify the agency of infectious diseases. 2. The healthy eating policy did not outline the following: • Inclusion of specific dietary, cultural or religious requirements. • Supporting parents and guardian’s choices. • How food is safety stored and served. • How children are supervised while eating and drinking. 3. The outdoor play policy did not outline the following: • How children are supervised during play. • The procedure for carrying out risk assessments. • The safety requirements of the outdoor play area. Therefore, the above policies and procedures may not adequately guide the staff in their care practices
Provider's corrective action:
  • The following response was received from the registered provider: Corrective and Preventive Action (1)(2)(3) The three above policies have been updated. A regular review will take place between management to ensure policies are up to date

Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child

  • 1. There was no rest area available in Little Oaks 1 room and the rest area in Little Oaks 2 room required further development as limited equipment was in place for children. Not having an adequate designated rest area does not allow the children to relax and opt out of scheduled activities, as necessary. 2. In Little Oaks 1, a child required their face to be cleaned after outdoor play. A staff member was observed changing this child’s clothes but did not clean their face. This posed a risk to the child’s wellbeing
Provider's corrective action:
  • The following response was received from the registered provider: Corrective and Preventive Action 1. Two appropriate rest areas are now in place. A rest area will be available daily for the children. 2. Staff have been informed of the need to keep children’s faces clean. Staff will be reminded to do this

Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child

  • General safety: 1. Two portable heaters were in use in the service while the children were in the care rooms. One heaters cable was accessible to the children. This posed a risk of injury. Accessible cables were found to be non-compliant on previous inspections on 10 October 2022 and 21 January 2025. The corrective actions submitted following those inspections failed to prevent recurrence of this non-compliance. 2. A staff members personal belongings were seen to be stored on a shelving unit in Little Oaks 1 room. This handbag was accessible to the children which posed a risk of a child removing unknown personal items from the staff members bag. 3. In Little Oaks 2 room, decorative ivy string was easily accessible to the children. A child was observed playing with the string and the inspector took the string out of reach. This posed a risk of strangulation to the children. 4. A plastic box and jug was observed to be cracked and had sharp edges in Little Oaks 1 room. This posed a safety risk to the children. 5. Disused plastic sheeting and astroturf grass was found in a corner of the outdoor area and was accessible to the children. This posed a safety risk. Infection control: 6. In the children’s sanitary areas, it was observed that the toilet roll was stored on top of the toilet cistern. This posed a risk of cross infection to the children. 7. While observing nappy changing, a staff member was observed to not wear a disposable apron or gloves. This posed a risk of cross infection to the children and staff. Action submitted by the Registered Provider The following response was received from the registered provider:
Provider's corrective action:
  • General safety: 1. The portable heaters are stored away from children’s reach. Leads are covered with plastic and not accessible to children. Staff will ensure heaters are not within children’s reach and no leads are exposed. 2. Staff members belongings are removed. All staff belongings are stored in the office. 3. Decorative ivy has been removed. Staff aware to keep hanging items out of children’s reach. 4. Plastic jug removed from the play kitchen. Risk assessment of toys carried out, any broken toys were removed. 5. The plastic sheeting and astroturf grass have been removed. A risk assessment was completed in the outdoor area and any broken items were removed. Infection control: 6. Toilet rolls are now stored in a holder and the service will ensure holders are maintained in the service. 7. Disposable gloves and aprons are now supplied and the service will ensure a stock of these are in place

Regulation 29 — Premises

  • (c) At 11:40 in Little Oaks 2 room, a room temperature of 16.3° was recorded. Care room temperatures should be between 18° and 22°C. (d) The following areas were observed to require cleaning, maintenance or repair: • A unit for storing art supplies in Little Oaks 2 was observed to have marks on the side. • Mats in Little Oaks 1 were observed to be soiled. • The kitchen units in Little Oaks 1 room were observed to be unclean. • A fabric pizza toy in Little Oaks 1 room was observed to be soiled. • The nappy changing unit was observed to have debris in the corners. This was found as a previous non- compliance on inspections carried out on 10 October 2022 and 21 January 2025. • There was a hole in the corner of the floor in the corridor near Little Oaks 2 room. • There was evidence of peeling paint on the ceiling in the corridor area. • There was visible evidence of mould like marks on the ceilings and walls in both care rooms. • The walls in Little Oaks 2 care room were visibly dirty. • A metal tin located in the kitchen area was observed to be rusty and sticky in Little Oaks 1 room which did not allow for effective cleaning
Provider's corrective action:
  • The following response was received from the registered provider: Corrective and Preventive Action (c) Additional heaters have been purchased and the room temperature will be monitored. The heaters and oil heating will be turned on early in the morning. (d) The items and areas listed have been cleaned and painted. Unclean toys, a mat and the metal tin have been removed. The hole has been repaired. Daily cleaning will be carried out and risk assessments to ensure damaged items are removed

Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 24, 25, 26.

Inspection of 21 January 2025 — Inspection Report

Full report (PDF, Tusla)

Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment

  • 1. Police vetting was not available for one adult who resided outside of the jurisdiction for a period longer than six months
  • 2. There was no evidence available to demonstrate that the qualification held by one of the adults met the minimum requirement of a level 5 award in Early Childhood Care and Education as listed on the National Framework of Qualifications
Provider's corrective action:
  • 1.The County Childcare Committee was contacted to assist with the police vetting process. An application was submitted, and police vetting was received. 2. A provisional transcript of results was received in the office of the inspectorate

Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child

  • General safety: 1. The cleaning agent used for the nappy changing unit was stored on the window ledge of the bathroom which was accessible to the children. This posed a risk to the children. 2. Garda vetting was available for all the adults; however, three vetting disclosures were not dated within the previous three years in adherence with the Early Years Inspector Regulatory Notice ‘EUI-RN12.3 Renewal of Garda Vetting’. 3. The cable from a wall mounted television and a portable heater were accessible to the children, which posed a risk of injury. The issue was also non-compliant on the last inspection dated 23 April 2023. Infection control: 4. Warm running water, required for handwashing was unavailable at the wash hand basins in the children’s sanitary facilities. The water temperatures were recorded between 11.5°C and 11.8°C which was not of the required temperature. Ineffective hygienic handwashing poses a risk of infection to children. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
  • General safety: 1. The cleaning agents have now been removed and are labelled and stored in the staff room. 2. The service has linked with Early Childhood Ireland and contacted the Bureau to obtain GNVB number to apply for re-vetting. The service plans to adhered to the re-vetting time frame for three of the adults as outlined in the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice. 3. All cables and the heater have been moved out of reach of the children and a shelf has been put in place to securely hold the heater. Infection control: 4. The temperature of the hot water boilers in the bathrooms has been increased to provide warm water. The service will ensure that temperatures are at the right setting

Regulation 24 — Checking in and out and record of attendance

  • (b) A daily record in writing of visitors to the premises was not available. It is acknowledged that the registered provider stated she was unable to locate the records on that day. Records not being maintained of visitors to the service could pose a safety risk to both staff and children
Provider's corrective action:
  • A visitor’s record is now kept securely at the entrance of the setting. All staff members are aware of this

Regulation 25 — First aid

  • There was no staff member with up to date First Aid Responder (FAR) training on duty on the day of inspection during the hours the service was operational. It was acknowledged that staff had paediatric first aid training. This posed a health risk to both staff and children
Provider's corrective action:
  • The FAR certificate for one staff member was sent to the inspector. The service plans to ensure that a FAR trained staff member is available to the children at all times

Regulation 26 — Fire safety measures

  • (a) Fire drills were not practiced and recorded on a monthly basis. Records showed that the last fire drills were completed in September and November 2024. This posed a safety risk to both staff and children in the event of an emergency
Provider's corrective action:
  • Fire drills are now carried out at the end of each month in the service since inspection and all staff members are aware of this

Regulation 29 — Premises

  • (c) 1. The service room temperatures were not maintained between the recommended levels of 18-22°C. • Playroom 1 temperature was recorded at 15°C at 10.05am and 16.7°C at 12.08pm. • Playroom 2 was recorded at 13.3°C at 10.20am and 15.6°C at 12.17pm. • The child’s sanitary facilities were recorded between 10.6°C. and 12.2°C. It is noted that the heating was in operation but was not effective at maintaining adequate room temperatures. There were also wall mounted heaters in the sanitary areas and available in the care rooms, these were not seen to be in operation. 2. Mould was observed on the ceiling of playroom 1 and the cloakroom. This can pose a health hazard. Mould was observed also on the inspection dated the 23 April 2023. (d) 3. Evidence that effective cleaning had taken place in the service was not available. It is acknowledged that cleaning records were available and signed. The lack of cleaning posed a risk of infection to both staff and children. The following was observed in the care rooms, communal areas, and sanitary areas; • The floor and wall behind the toilets in one of the lower children’s sanitary facilities was not maintained in a clean condition, with a build up of dirt and grime. • The nappy changing mat was stained, and the unit had a build-up of dust and dirt. This issue was also noted was noted on last inspection dated 23 April 2023. • The floor in both care rooms and the hallway required cleaning as they were noted to be stained and there was a build-up of debris in the edges and corners. • The mats in the hallway were noted to stained and had a build-up of debris
Provider's corrective action:
  • 1.Each classroom has been equipped with additional heaters to ensure the temperature is maintained at 18°C to 22°C and staff will ensure heaters are on for longer periods of time. 2. All mould has been removed from the classroom and cloakroom. A new improved cleaning schedule has been put in place which includes monitoring and cleaning any patches of mould in the pre-school. 3. A new cleaning schedule has been put on place to include the hallway mat and carpets to be cleaned twice daily. All staff members are involved in the cleaning schedule

Found compliant: Regulation 11, 15, 16, 19, 22, 28.

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