A nursery has said it will appeal its new Ofsted rating after it was downgraded in every category.
An inspector said that kids at Boys & Girls Nursery Watford “do not consistently benefit from high-quality teaching”, in a report published yesterday (April 25).
Despite being found ‘good’ in all categories in 2017, all four categories had dropped to 'requires improvement' after the most recent inspection on March 7.
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In 2018 Ofsted had also visited the pre-school in Loates Lane, Central Watford, in 2018 following a complaint. It issued a notice to improve over the information it gives parents about care routines and the nursery’s policies.
In the latest report, the inspector said: “At times, some staff in the toddler and pre-school rooms do not regularly engage children in meaningful conversations to support their learning and development.
"For example, staff sit with pre-school children at lunchtime, but make little attempt to engage with children to support their understanding of healthy eating and behaviour expectations.”
They added that staff are not consistently supported to establish clear expectations prior to starting, and appraisals are not effective in “consistently raising the quality of their practise”.
“Children behave well in the nursery,” the report continued.
“They follow instructions and take turns in activities. When children are seen behaving in a way which could harm them or others, staff are quick to intervene to keep them safe.
“However, staff do not consistently support children's understanding of why their behaviours may be hazardous.
“Rather than explaining the impact their actions may have on themselves and others, staff simply remove them from the situation.”
Elsewhere in the report there was a lot of praise. As well as good behaviour, kids’ love of books, positive parent responses, support with independence and curiosity, and planning were all highlighted as positives in the report.
Boys & Girls Nursery was also found to have effective safeguarding arrangements.
The nursery, which has 94 children up to four-years-old, was told to increase staff understanding of effective behaviour management strategies and improve staff monitoring to develop their knowledge and understanding of how children learn.
The Watford Observer understands that Boys & Girls Nursery Watford intends to appeal the decision.
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