Leeds nursery closes suddenly after receiving Inadequate rating

The nursery in Swarcliffe was inspected on December 13 and told urgent improvements were necessary across a number of key areas.

These are the best schools in Leeds according to OfstedParents of children at the nursery found a notice from the management on the building's door which said the business had shut to due staffing issues which prevented it meeting the 'standards required'.

The nursery changed hands in August - when it had a Good rating dating from 2016 - and had been under new management, although most of the staff had remained.

Staff are believed to have been notified of the closure by text message.

The Ofsted report stated:-

- The provider's monitoring is not robust to identify all weaknesses. Assessments of children's progress are not kept up to date. The educational programmes do not meet children's learning and development needs. Overall, the quality of teaching is poor and outcomes for children are not improving.

- The provider does not ensure all records are held securely and are available to view to those who have a right to see them, such as Ofsted. The key-person system is ineffective. Staff do not use the information they gather from parents to tailor planning to children's individual learning and development needs from the start. They do not share information about children's stage of development with other staff. As a result, when key staff are absent from the setting, other staff do not have the information they need to support children's learning.

- Staff do not carefully observe children, or use the information they gather from parents to ensure their knowledge of children's progress is up to date. Their assessments do not provide an accurate picture of children's current skills and abilities. Staff do not plan challenging experiences that help children to make good progress and motivate them to learn more.

- Not all staff respond to each child's emerging needs and interests, or guide their learning and development through positive interactions. Staff do not support children effectively to build relationships with each other and play cooperatively. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities who need extra support during their play.

- Staff do not support children well enough to develop their communication and language skills. They do not know what languages children speak at home. Staff do not provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home languages in play and learning.

Leeds City Council said it was not involved in the closure of the nursery. A spokesperson said:-

“We offer advice and support to childcare providers across the city on what they need to do to meet legal statutory levels as required by Ofsted.

“However we are not the regulator of these services and therefore don’t have the power to close or shut down services.”