Concerns over children's safety during a 'chaotic and noisy' lunchtime have been raised by care inspectors at East Lothian's biggest school nursery.
Dunbar Primary School nursery, which has capacity for up to 144 pre-school children, also came under fire for broken and rusty outdoor equipment, lack of cleanliness in some areas and some staff's lack of 'self awareness' over the way they spoke to youngsters.
A report into their findings following an unannounced visit, said inspectors were concerned after witnessing the entire nursery sit down for lunch at the same time in the school dining hall with staff unable to provide support to all of them while they ate.
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Raising the issues with lunchtimes, inspectors said: "Children were seated together at long lunch tables. Staff tried their best to support all children within the space. However, due to the number of children and length of the tables, some children did not have any positive interactions with staff throughout their full lunchtime experience.
"It was very apparent that some children felt overwhelmed with the noise level and busy environment. Some children were expected to wait for long periods of time before receiving their food and once they had finished eating.
"This meant children became bored and frustrated which added to the overall chaotic, noisy atmosphere. We raised concerns relating to children's safety during the lunchtime routine. "
East Lothian Council said it was working with the staffing team at the school and nursery to tackle issues raised.
The inspectors graded the nursery 'weak' on three of four markers during their visit with only the environment rising to an 'adequate' grading.
They pointed to 'broken and rusty' equipment in the outdoor gardens which presented a 'potential hazard' to youngsters and raised further concerns about cleanliness in the sensory room.
And they said the practice of using staff toilets as a nappy changing area should be stopped until the nursery had carried out a 'robust risk assessment' .
Inspectors said that while 'most staff' were kind and caring towards youngsters there were inconsistencies in approach.
They said: "Staff should be self aware of their tone of voice, body language and use of language and how this impacts on children's experiences.
"For example, staff described a child's behaviour to inspectors using negative language, while the child was present.
"We found that children who required one to one support within the service were not being supported by staff that recognised their individual needs, rights and wishes.
"We asked the service to address this and action was taken during the course of the inspection."
The report gave the nursery a 'weak' grading for its care, play and learning; leadership and staff team. An adequate rating was given for its setting.
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “While the report found many strengths, it also identified a number of practices that require action which we are addressing as a priority to ensure that all children feel safe, supported and nurtured.
"Already we have worked closely with our colleagues in Facilities Management to develop a better and more appropriate lunchtime experience for our nursery children. Support is also being provided to further develop positive practice within the setting.
“The school leadership team and nursery are working closely with the council’s Early Years team to make sure ongoing training continues to be available to make the necessary improvements.
"This work will ensure improved early learning and childcare that meets the high standards that we set of ourselves, and which our children and families deserve.
“We are grateful to families for their support as we make these improvements. We will continue to work with the Care Inspectorate to build on the strengths identified within the report and to ensure that all of the requirements and recommendations are actioned.”
