Inspection of 5 June 2026 — Inspection Report
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. The door to the stage in the main hall had no system of security posing a potential access/safety risk. 2. There were stackable chairs stored in the main hall which could pose a potential safety risk. Infection Control: 3. The children from the seomra beag room stored their full lunch bag in the refrigerator which could pose a risk of cross contamination. 4. Children’s snacks that were provided from home including perishable food items such as cheese, and yoghurts were observed to be stored in the main hall with an air temperature recorded at 16.8°C and therefore not kept below 5°C as recommended by the Department of Health and Children. Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Pre-School Service. 5. The pressure of water from the hot water taps in the children’s sanitary area was very weak with a temperature reading of 15.8°C which could prove difficult to enable effective handwashing. 6. The large digging area was not covered in the outdoor area which could pose a risk of exposure to animal excrement and infection to a preschool child. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: The person in charge submitted a written response to the office of the early years inspectorate to state; 1. A suitable locking mechanism has been purchased and installed on the stage door. The door is now secured when the stage is not in use, preventing unauthorised access by children and removing the identified safety risk. 2. Following the inspection, all stackable chairs were removed from the children's play area and stored safely underneath the stage to eliminate the potential risk straight away. Staff and all relevant community stakeholders who use the hall outside of childcare operating hours have been informed of the importance of storing chairs safely after use. Staff have been instructed to include the main hall as part of the daily operating health and safety checks, It has also been added to the services operating app so staff will check it on a daily basis and mark off its been completed daily. Any chairs left in the hall by external users will be removed and stored safely under the stage before children have access to this area. Community groups have also been reminded via the chairperson of the community centre, the importance of returning chairs to their designated storage area after use. Infection Control: 3. After the inspection, the practice of storing children’s full lunch bags in the fridge has stopped. The policy within the policies and procedures on healthy eating has been updated. The updated policy and procedures manual will be communicated to all parents and staff and will have to be signed off. Children are now asked to come in with their lunches inside labelled sealable bags before refrigeration. Staff have been informed to ensure this procedure is followed daily and to monitor compliance as part of the daily health and safety routine. This practice was implemented with immediate effect to ensure compliance with infection prevention and control requirements in the seomra beag and Fain Spéir room. 4. After the inspection a dedicated refrigerator has been purchased and installed for the Faoin Spéir outdoor room, which is kept in the main building. This is to ensure that perishable food items brought from home are stored below 5 degrees Celsius in accordance with the food and nutrition guidelines for preschool services. Children’s food is now stored in clearly labelled sealable bags, as per the updated policy for healthy eating policy. Staff have been instructed to refrigerate all lunch items when the children arrive for the day, each morning. The policies and procedures have been updated. Parents will be reminded on a regular basis via our services operating app. The routine will be monitored to ensure compliance with food safety guidelines. 5. The hot water system has been reviewed following the inspection. Significant improvement works had previously been completed, including the installation of solar panels, an EDDI machine and a water pressure booster pump, to improve both the hot water availability and water pressure throughout the service. Following the inspection, staff have been instructed that the first staff member on-site each morning will activate the hot water system to ensure adequate water temperature is reached before children arrive. This procedure was implemented with immediate effect. The revised opening procedure has been incorporated into the daily opening routine, and all staff have been informed of their responsibilities. Water temperature will be monitored as part of the daily health and safety checks to ensure warm running water is available to support effective handwashing. The registered provider will continue to review the effectiveness of the existing systems and explore any further improvements that may become available to the premises. 6. After the inspection a heavy-duty, UV resistant rot proof tarpaulin was purchased to cover the digging area when not in use. The cover is securely fastened each evening using the dedicated eyelets using hooks attached to the fence. The cover is securely fastened each evening after the children have finished playing and remains in place overnight to protect the area from contamination by animals and the weather. Staff roll back the tarpaulin each morning and secure it to the fence before the children access the digging area. The daily opening and closing procedures have been updated to include covering and uncovering the digging area. Staff have been informed to the revised procedure and are responsible for ensuring the tarpaulin is securely in place at the end of each day and removed prior to the children use each morning. The area will be monitored as part of the routine environmental safety checks to ensure it remains clean, safe and suitable for children’s play
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29.