# St. Nicholas Montessori School Blackrock, Blackrock — inspection reports and findings > St. Nicholas Montessori School Blackrock (Blackrock, Co. Dublin): what Tusla inspections found — 2 published inspection(s), non-compliances and the provider's corrective actions. ## St. Nicholas Montessori School Blackrock Sessional · 3 - 6 Years · Blackrock, Dublin · Tusla ID **TU2023DR004** · Registered since 31 August 2026 An inspection records what inspectors saw **on one day**; services respond with corrective actions — [how to read this](/methodology.md). #### Inspection of 5 May 2026 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) ##### Regulation 8 — Notification of change in circumstances - (a) The service did not have a named person to deputise as required - (a)(b) One required written and verified reference was not available for one adult. (d) See Statutory Immediate Action Notice 0161 - See Statutory Immediate Action Notice 0161 - (1)(a) The registered provider stated that a roster is in place for staff that are currently substituting for a current vacancy, and it will be made clear each day that whoever is substituting is the deputy person in charge. Management will ensure that each staff member is clear what their role is within the service and that this is reflected in the roster. (2)(a)(b) The registered provider stated that a written and verified reference for one adult was obtained and the manger will follow up on references and use the checklist in each staff member’s file to ensure all the required references are included and verified. Once a reference is received management will ensure that after it is validated that both the reference and the validation form are stored on the staff’s file ##### Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Materials were not always easily accessible to children during the inspection. The shelving units had hinges and were folded inwards so that access to the items on the shelving was blocked. One shelf holding materials for children's use remained folded closed for the duration of the inspection and three shelves were folded closed at 11:00. At 12:30 two tables were stacked on top of each other and remained out of use and children had a limited choice of materials and access to tables and chairs for the remainder of the day. Staff reported that the shelves were closed because of the requirement to clear the space by the end of the day - 1. The registered provider stated that materials on the shelves will be available to the children at all times so children can freely choose what they would like to do at any time during the school day. Extra storage for teacher supplies and other items will be in place in the new school year; this will free up additional low shelving for materials for children’s use. Staff will review how the environment, which is a shared space, can work most effectively for the children on an ongoing basis and improvements will be made as necessary ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - The service did not ensure that the following adequate measures were taken to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of children and to provide a safe environment; General Safety: 1. The inspector identified a risk of unauthorised access or a potential for a child to exit the service unsupervised, evidenced as follows: • On arrival, the inspector directly accessed the children’s room by opening the pre-school room door from the hallway of the pastoral centre. It is acknowledged that the person in charge secured the door after the inspector’s arrival. • The gate from the play area to the front of the pastoral centre was unsecured. It is acknowledged that the school principal stated that this risk was already identified and communication is ongoing with the pastoral centre to install fencing so that children would not access the openable gate. However, there was insufficient interim risk mitigation in place. 2. A flex trailed from the TV unit on the wall to the floor of the children’s room, posing a potential strangulation hazard. Infection Control: 3. The foot pedal bin in the children's room was not working properly, and children and adults were observed using their hands to open the lid posing a risk of cross contamination. 4. A trolley holding materials for children's use was stored in the sanitary area posing a risk of cross contamination. 5. A toilet seat insert was not maintained in a clean and hygienic condition. There was no procedure available or record of cleaning the insert in the cleaning records. This poses a risk of contamination. Administration of Medication: 6. Medication was stored in a child’s bag in a box on the floor of the children’s room which was within children’s reach and poses a risk of poisoning. 7. Emergency medication held by the service for a child expired in February 2025. Action submitted by the Registered Provider - The registered provider stated that: 1. The door from the preschool room to the pastoral centre will be locked at all times while the school is operating. Staff training was completed in relation to children’s safety in the environment and that children are supervised at all times and in line of sight while playing in the outside area. There is a plan in place by the Pastoral centre to install an interior fence so that children will not have access to the exterior gate. 2. The flex was secured so that it no longer poses any risk. Staff will carry out daily risk assessments to ensure that all areas of the environment are safe and secure. 3. The broken foot pedal bin was replaced with a new pedal bin, and any broken items will be replaced immediately. 4. The trolley was removed from the sanitary area and is now stored in another location in the classroom. The sanitary area will be checked as part of the daily safety/risk assessment check. 5. The toilet seat insert was added to the cleaning schedule of the cleaning team. Teachers will check that it is cleaned regularly and will liaise with the cleaning team to ensure a high standard of cleaning is maintained. 6. Medication will be stored on a hook on a hook out of reach of children and accessible to adults only. Emergency medication, if needed, will be stored on a hook in a labelled bag out of reach of children. 7. The parents were contacted to inform them that the medication was out of date, and they provided up- to-date medication the following day. A list of all medication held on the school premises will be kept with expiry dates included. On a designated day each month a check will be completed that all medication stored in the school is in date. Parents will be given notice of upcoming expiry dates to allow for medication to be replaced in a timely manner ##### Regulation 26 — Fire safety measures - (a) Fire drills were not completed monthly, as evidenced through a review of written records and through discussion with staff and the person in charge. The last fire drill was recorded to have taken place on 23 September 2025 - (1)(a) The registered provider stated that the pastoral centre carries out fire drills a number of times a year and the preschool take part in these drills. Going forward we will carry out and record our own fire drills on a monthly basis, in addition to joining the drills organised by the pastoral centre ##### Regulation not named in the report text - 1. Notification in writing was not submitted to the inspectorate as required, of a change in relation to the registered provider. 2. Notification in writing was not submitted to the inspectorate as required, of the appointment of a new person in charge in the service - A submission was made by the service which stated that a change in circumstance form was submitted to the inspectorate on 2 June 2026 for a nominated person in charge Found compliant: Regulation 11, 25. #### Inspection of 5 December 2023 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) No non-compliance recorded in this report. Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 19. ### Other services in Dublin - [St. Nicholas Montessori School](/creche/st-nicholas-montessori-school-dun-laoghaire.md) Dun Laoghaire - [St. Peter's Montessori School](/creche/st-peter-s-montessori-school-dublin-7.md) Dublin 7 - [St. Vincents ECDS Daughters of Charity](/creche/st-vincents-ecds-daughters-of-charity-dublin-10.md) Dublin 10 - [StartBright Brookview](/creche/startbright-brookview-dublin-24.md) Dublin 24 - [Sticky Fingers Montessori](/creche/sticky-fingers-montessori-skerries.md) Skerries - [The Bandroom Montessori](/creche/the-bandroom-montessori-malahide.md) Malahide - [The Park Academy Childcare Thornwood](/creche/the-park-academy-childcare-thornwood-dublin.md) Dublin - [Young Explorers' Preschool and Afterschool](/creche/young-explorers-preschool-and-afterschool-dublin-24.md) Dublin 24 - [Cocoon Childcare Citywest](/creche/cocoon-childcare-citywest-dublin-24.md) Dublin 24 - [Little Penguins](/creche/little-penguins-dublin-16.md) Dublin 16 [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/st-nicholas-montessori-school-blackrock-blackrock/ Fonte: Tusla Early Years Inspectorate Recolha: 2026-09-11