Ofsted has rated a Burnham-On-Sea day care centre as ‘inadequate’ in a new report that has also praised some of its strengths.
Octopus Daycare, based on the site of Burnham Infants School in Winchester Road, has been given the low rating by inspectors in a report just released.
The report outlines how some practices compromised children’s safety.
Inspector, Elaine Douglas, writes: “Weaknesses in leadership and management compromise children’s safety and welfare.”
“The manager does not take all reasonable steps to safeguard children. She has not responded appropriately to signs that children may be at risk of harm.”
“Information about potential safeguarding issues is not shared with staff working with the children to ensure that they are alert to any further concerns. There are inconsistencies in how staff support children’s learning in some areas.”
However, despite the points, the report also highlights several of the daycare’s strengths.
Inspector Douglas adds: “Staff use all opportunities to help children of all ages to become independent. For example, young children help to clean the tables and learn to pour their drinks. Older children prepare their snack, wash up afterwards and sweep the floor.”
“All children make good progress in their learning. Staff seek good information from parents and other providers on children’s starting points.
“They make good, regular observations of their achievements to plan challenging experiences that motivate children to learn.”
“The management team monitors children’s development successfully and takes effective action to narrow any gaps in learning.”
Staff at the centre say they are disappointed with the rating, but expect to see a vast improvement soon. The manager says: “We were very disappointed with the result. It was over a file that was not recorded correctly. We’ve been back over it with Ofsted and the inspector is happy with the progress we are making. We have spoken closely with the early-years advisors, and we have updated our training.”
