# St. Nicholas Montessori School, Dun Laoghaire — inspection reports and findings

> St. Nicholas Montessori School (Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin): what Tusla inspections found — 1 published inspection(s), non-compliances and the provider's corrective actions.

## St. Nicholas Montessori School

Sessional · 2 - 6 Years · Dun Laoghaire, Dublin · Tusla ID **TU2016DR010** · 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 27 November 2024 — Inspection Report

Full report (PDF, Tusla)

**Immediate action notice.** An Immediate Action Notice was issued on the day of inspection for non-compliance identified under regulation 9(2) (c) A mandatory Garda vetting disclosure was not available for one adult who directly worked with the children on day of inspection contrary to the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012.

**Immediate action notice.** The registered provider submitted a response on 28 November 2024 regarding general safety which was deemed to satisfactorily address this non-compliance. A regulatory compliance meeting was held with the registered provider and person in charge on 25 February 2025.

**Immediate action notice.** 15 (1)(a)-(i) Record of a Pre-school child, 16 (h) and (i) Record in relation to pre-school service, 23 Safeguarding, Health, Safety and Welfare of Child, 25 (1) First Aid, 29 Premises (d) however, on inspection additional non-compliance was identified under regulation 29(c) These findings are outlined within the relevant regulations within this report.

##### Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment

- (2) A number of issues were identified with how the service manages safer recruitment processes as detailed below: (a) There were no written references available for one adult. Three written references available were not validated. (b) A second reference for one adult was not accepted as there was insufficient information and it was not validated. (c) A mandatory Garda vetting disclosure was not available for one adult who was on the premises on the day of inspection contrary to the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012. An Immediate Action Notice was issued on 27 November 2024. (d) Police vetting was not available for two adults who had lived outside the state for a period longer than six months. (3) All required procedures specified in paragraph (2) were not carried out prior to staff being appointed and allowed access with children attending the pre-school service. Non compliances in relation to (2)(a), (b), (c) and (d) above were present on the last inspection on 15 November 2022. The corrective and preventive actions submitted by the registered provider did not prevent the reoccurrence of these non-compliances

- (2)(a)(b) Written references were obtained and submitted. (c) Garda vetting was obtained as required for a staff member. (d) A translation service was contacted to issue the manager with the official documents for police vetting translated. (3) The manager has implemented a system of using a cover page for each staff file with a checklist of requirements to ensure all relevant information is available to view in each file and validated by the school Principal and school secretary

##### Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service

- (h) Details of attendance for each child present in the service was not recorded as detailed below. 1. In Ms C and Ms G’s room 15 children were signed in at 10:22 and 16 children were present. The inspector asked the staff member to record the additional child present. The staff member signed the child on the attendance record from 08:55. 2. In Ms O’M room 21 children were present and 20 children were signed in. The inspector showed the staff the attendance record at 11:20 the staff identified the child who was not signed in. When the attendance record was checked at 12:40 it was noted the additional child had still not been signed in by staff. These non-compliances were present on the last inspection on 15 November 2022. The corrective and preventive actions submitted by the registered provider did not prevent the reoccurrence of these non- compliances. (i) The staff roster provided was inaccurate and did not reflect the staff who were present and working in the service on the day of inspection. Five staff who were present and working in the service were not recorded on the staff roster. A sixth adult was recorded as working from 09:00-12:30 however, the manager confirmed this adult was working from 13:00-18:00

- (h) 1&2. The manager has spoken with the relevant teachers to remind them of the importance of filling all attendance registers as the children arrive and leave in order to have an accurate record of children present at any given time. (i) The staff roster has been updated to reflect accurate hours for all staff members. The manager has set a reminder in our Google Calendar to print and review the Staff Roster each Monday morning for the week ahead to ensure the roster is accurate and reflective of that particular week

##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child

- General Safety: 1. Garda vetting disclosure available for one staff member was not dated within the previous three years in adherence with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice for Garda vetting to be renewed every three years. 2. The handle to Ms C and Ms G’s room was broken and tape was used to stick it. This was a fire door posing a potential safety risk. Infection Control: 3. The cleaning schedule in Ms M and Ms C’s room had not been completed. 4. There was no system in place to record the cleaning of soft furnishings including mats and the cover for the seats. Action submitted by the Registered Provider

- General Safety: 1. Garda vetting has been renewed as required. have implemented a system of using a cover page for each staff file with a checklist of requirements to ensure all relevant information is available to view in each file and validated by the school Principal and school secretary. The manager has implemented a system of using a cover page for each staff file with a checklist of requirements to ensure all relevant information is available to view in each file and validated by the school Principal and school secretary. The service now has a file dedicated to Garda vetting which tracks any vetting which will need to be renewed. 2. The broken door handle has been repaired. Infection Control: 3. The cleaning schedules in all classrooms are now up to date and the teachers are continuing to use the schedules to record cleaning of classrooms. 4. A system of cleaning soft furnishings has been implemented, this will be recorded on our cleaning schedules and they will be brought to a laundry service monthly

##### Regulation 29 — Premises

- (c) The registered provider did not ensure that the premises was adequately heated and ventilated. 1. The room temperature in Ms M and Ms C’s room was 16 degrees Celsius at 10:35 and one of the staff members was observed wearing a coat. The heating was not turned on in the care room at this time and staff when questioned confirmed one of the heater’s was broken and they were not familiar how the other heater worked. 2. In Ms M and Ms C’s room black marks were observed on the wall just beneath the ceiling. (d) The registered provider did not ensure the service was cleaned and maintained as required as evidenced by the following. Many of these non-compliances were identified on the last inspection on the 15 November 2022. The corrective and preventive actions submitted by the registered provider did not prevent the reoccurrence of these non-compliances: In Ms C and Ms G’s room: 1. Paint was peeling off the skirting boards onto the floor. The mat at the door was heavily worn and coming away at places. 2. Pieces of the lacquer on a cupboard beside the rest area were peeling off and exposed the porous wood beneath. 3. Areas of the flooring were heavily chipped and the concrete flooring underneath exposed. 4. The wood around the sink units in the care room were stained and damp and could not be cleaned effectively. In Ms M and Ms C’s room: 5. The wooden cover on the radiator was broken and parts of the broken cover were on the floor. 6. One of the doors on the cupboard beneath the sink unit was broken off its hinge. 7. The skirting boards were covered in dust. 8. Cobwebs were visible around the windows, ceiling and light fittings. 9. The tile flooring was worn with cracks and some holes present. In Ms O’M room: 10. Dust was visible on the skirting boards and the paint was heavily stained. 11. The floor covering was ripped with visible holes and the concrete flooring underneath was exposed. This non- compliance was found on the last inspection 15 November 2022. The Corrective Action submitted at the time stated a new floor would be laid. Inspectors confirmed on this inspection that this action had not be completed by the registered provider. In the sanitary area: 12. Two holes were present in the flooring of the children’s sanitary area where a rectangular cover was missing
- (c) 1. Ms. C and Ms. M’s room has a storage heater on one wall and another heater at ceiling height which was installed to address previous issues with the room temperature. The thermostat was reset to raise the temperature. There is also a radiator in this room which we have been having issues with and was not working on the day of the inspection. The heating has since been repaired. 2. Mould has been treated and the area has been repainted. (d) In Ms C and Ms G’s room: 1. Skirting boards have been painted. The doormat has been replaced. 2. The damaged shelving has been removed. 3. New floor covering to be installed over Easter. 4. A new sink area has been installed. 5. Radiator cover replacement has been completed. 6.The damaged shelving has been removed. 7., 8. The manager has arranged for all teachers to conduct a deep cleaning of their classrooms including all skirting boards. 9. New floor covering. Ms. O’M’s, Ms. C & G, and the bathroom floors will be replaced over Easter 2025. In Ms O’M room: 11. The manager has arranged for all teachers to conduct a deep cleaning of their classrooms including all skirting boards. 12. New floor covering. Ms. O’M’s to be replaced over Easter 2025. In the sanitary area: 13. Two holes were present in the flooring of the children’s sanitary area have been filled. Supporting documentation submitted Written evidence

- The corrective actions as stated by the registered provider once completed will address the non-compliance

Found compliant: Regulation 11, 15, 25.

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Página: https://creche-inspection-reports.pages.dev/creche/st-nicholas-montessori-school-dun-laoghaire/
Fonte: Tusla Early Years Inspectorate
Recolha: 2026-09-11