Children at a South Bristol nursery are "being let down", according to a damning Ofsted report. Hartcliffe Nursery School and Children’s Centre, on Hareclive Road, has been rated inadequate by Ofsted following an inspection in June.
The South Bristol nursery - which was previously rated outstanding after an inspection in 2014 - is one of 13 nursery schools maintained by Bristol City Council. Hartcliffe Nursery School and Children's Centre said it was determined to secure the rapid improvements needed and that, following the inspection, it immediately implemented several changes to address the issues raised.
Bristol City Council said that its early years team is working closely with the governors and the school’s senior leadership team to implement rapid improvements. The council said it recognises the early years sector is currently facing an unpreceded amount of pressure due to staffing concerns and increasing costs and that it is working hard to support individual nurseries and the sector as a whole.
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The report - published at the end of September - stated: "Children are being let down by this school. It is not helping them to get off to a good start in their education.
"They are not taught how to settle into school life. They are not learning the things they need to be ready to start primary school in the Reception Year."
The inspectors found that the nursery - which has 249 pupils, aged between two and five - is not helping the children to learn how to manage their feelings and that staff do not teach children how to behave properly. For example, the report states that children are not learning to share, take turns, listen to others or concentrate on an activity.
Ofsted also found that, while staff spend lots of time talking to children and joining in their games, they do not use this time to teach them the things they need to help them make friendships and be successful at school.
"Staff want to keep children safe. However, they do not always do everything they could to be sure this happens. Staff do not supervise children well enough," it continues. "Some do not always act in the way that they should when there are concerns about a child’s welfare."
According to the report, adults lack a coherent view of what children need to learn and, as a result, children do not learn what they need to. Ofsted goes as far as saying that children are learning some unhelpful habits, such as not cooperating or not responding to instructions.
It also says that children do not learn some things that are essential to their personal, social and emotional development. Staff do not teach them to understand the basics, such as the meaning of ‘no’, it adds, and consequently, children are not learning how to behave well.
"For much of their day, children choose what to do. Many wander aimlessly," it continues. "Others flit between activities. Fighting over toys is commonplace.
"Staff intervene too late to prevent the problems. The lack of adult leadership means that children are not learning to concentrate or to manage their feelings. There is little care for the feelings of others."
Ofsted found that many children in the nursery have special educational needs and/or disabilities(SEND) and require extra help. In a few cases, they are getting it, it adds, but most are not.
The report found the support is not meeting their needs because the needs have not been properly identified. "Parents are very positive about the nursery," it continued. "Leaders have worked hard to gain their trust and get them to see the nursery as a positive force for their children.
"Leaders have the best intentions to provide high-quality care and education. Unfortunately ,the weaknesses in practice mean that children are not getting the experience they deserve."
Ofsted found the arrangements for safeguarding are not effective as there is vagueness about whether checks on staff and governors are made. It said that, when aware of concerns, leaders act appropriately but that some staff choose not to follow the system for recording concerns as directed.
Consequently, information about some children who are potentially at risk is patchy and, in some instances, it is non-existent. Ofsted also criticised the risk assessments and staff supervision of the outside "forest" area, describing these as not sufficient to prevent children from getting hurt, and said some children have had accidents.
What the nursery and the local authority say
In a statement, the nursery said: "We are disappointed with the outcome of June’s Ofsted inspection. We are determined to secure the rapid improvements needed in relation to all the actions identified in the report.
"Following the inspection we immediately implemented several changes to address the issues raised. We have reviewed our outside areas and adapted the way children move around the site.
"All staff have received further in depth training on safeguarding reporting and how to support challenging behaviour. We are working with the local authority to develop an aspirational sequenced curriculum to support all our children’s learning and development.
"We are keeping in contact with all parents and carers whose children currently attend Hartcliffe nursery school to answer any questions they may have. We will be working closely with parents, school governors and the community to ensure that all children receive an outstanding early education at Hartcliffe Nursery School."
A Bristol City Council’s spokesperson said: “We recognise that the recent Ofsted inspection rating of Hartcliffe Nursery School is concerning for the parents and carers of the children attending the nursery school.
"Our Early Years team is working closely with the governors and the school’s Senior Leadership Team to implement rapid improvements, addressing the requirements outlined by Ofsted. The nursery school, with our support, has put together a detailed action plan focused on driving change across all areas of concern, and robust monitoring of actions is in place.
“While improvements are clearly needed in this particular school, we also acknowledge that the early years sector is currently facing an unpreceded amount of pressure due to staffing concerns and increasing costs. We are working hard to support individual nurseries and the sector as a whole by providing additional capacity to help nursery schools manage their finances during these challenging times, securing funding grants for early years improvement projects, and working in partnership with settings to address the recruitment and retention crisis currently facing the sector.”
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