Colchester pre-school where safety and welfare 'compromised' is rated inadequate

A PRE-SCHOOL in Colchester where safety and welfare are "compromised" and children "frequently demonstrate poor self-control" has been rated inadequate in every category following a damning report from watchdogs.

Bosses at Rowhedge Under Five's Pre-School have been left "deeply disappointed" after its latest Ofsted report.

All four categories, the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, were rated inadequate by inspector Shelly McDougall.

The report reads: "The provider has not ensured that the manager and staff have a good understanding of child protection procedures.

"Staff fail to respond and share information accordingly which compromises the safety and welfare of children."

It continued: "Overall, the quality of teaching is too variable.

"As a result, some staff do not know how to implement many aspects of the intended curriculum.

"This means that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are not making the progress that they are capable of."

The inspector also noted how staff "do not manage children's behaviour consistently", leading to some children's behaviour becoming "disruptive".

It said: "Children do not receive enough support to recognise how to interact positively with others.

"Staff do not consistently help children to understand the pre-school's rules and boundaries or help children to understand how their behaviour has an impact on others.

"Staff struggle to manage a range of different emotions children show and children frequently demonstrate poor self-control."

Safeguarding at the site was deemed "not effective", with the report saying: "There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first."

Village - The nursery is inside Rowhedge Village Hall (Image: Rowhedge Village Hall)

Despite the heavy criticism, the report said children have "some positive learning experiences".

It said the manager has created a "book-lending library programme" to support children to enjoy reading at home, children are learning to be independent and how staff feel "well supported" by the manager.

Following the report, the pre-school's committee said: "We are deeply disappointed with the recent Ofsted rating and take their findings very seriously.

"We have already taken significant steps to address the issues identified and are fully committed to improving our preschool.

"Our priority is to provide a safe, nurturing, and high-quality learning environment for all our children.

"We appreciate the support of our parents and community as we work diligently to implement these changes and enhance our preschool."