Ofsted have rated a Peckham nursery ‘inadequate’ in a withering report, but its owner says its findings are “designed to enflame” and that they are putting in a complaint against the findings.
The report said “children’s safety and welfare are compromised” and “babies and children were left alone, out of sight and hearing”.
Published on Thursday May 5, it outlined the findings of a January inspection at Rising Stars School, 143 – 145 Peckham Hill Street. It said: “Children’s safety and welfare are compromised, because leaders do not ensure that the requirements for registration are consistently met.
“Babies and children are frequently supervised by only one member of staff, while other staff complete domestic chores, such as cooking and cleaning.
“Therefore, although staff-to-child ratios meet requirements, children do not receive the individualised care and learning they need to thrive.”
But owner Luke Anyaorah, aged 62, who founded the nursery in 2012, said: “The inspector declared war on us. When she came, right from the start we felt that she was biased.
“That report she wrote extrapolated beyond reason and then used that extrapolation as evidence.”
For example, Luke said that babies, plural, could not have been left unsupervised because there was only one baby in the nursery when she visited.
Luke, who says he has run nurseries since 1992, now plans to quit because the stress of the Ofsted report is affecting his health.
The report said nappy creams with hazard warnings were left in reach of unaccompanied children.
It added that the nursery, which cares for children aged up to four, had fitted fire extinguishers incorrectly and had not serviced them to check they were working.
Luke concedes that the fire extinguishers were not properly inspected, attributing that fact to the nursery’s “no-stranger” policy which meant technicians couldn’t come in.
He added they did have fire blankets and buckets of sand.
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The nursery was found to be inadequate in all four assessed areas; quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
The Ofsted inspector said activities were “unimaginative and mundane” which meant children were left to “wander around seeking something purposeful to do.”
As a result, they said children made inadequate progress and their language development had been hindered.
Luke Anyaorah says he has submitted an official complaint to Ofsted that challenges the report’s findings.
The report recognised that children demonstrated “caring bonds with staff” and that employees knew how to recognise signs of abuse and neglect.
It also said that children liked their daily outings to libraries, parks, and shops and that parents, who found staff friendly, said their children enjoyed attending.
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However, the report said: “Leaders and staff do not plan and implement an ambitious curriculum, to help children build on their skills and abilities.
“Staff focus too much on tasks and information that children already know well, such as pouring water or naming colours.
“They do not extend children’s learning, to help them make the progress they could.”
Ofsted have now issued the nursery with a six-point plan which demands improvements ranging from children’s safety to an improved curriculum.
The nursery was rated ‘good’ when it was last inspected in May 2017.
The News have contact Ofsted for comment.