Children were reportedly seen acting “lost and frightened” by inspectors who visited the Cummings Park Nursery in Aberdeen.
The Care Inspectorate made an unannounced visit in July this year after the facility had only been open five months.
The nursery provides care for around 40 children aged two to five and is operated by Flexible Childcare Services Scotland (FCSS).
The firm says it has already made improvements, including employing an experienced new manager and assistant manager, since the inspection.
Inspectors found that Cummings Park severely lacking in four key areas, with two areas, leadership and care and play and learning, given the lowest grading – “unsatisfactory”. Meanwhile, staff and setting were rated as “weak”.
It has led to inspectors to issue several requirements to fix the concerns at the nursery.
Inspectors were “very concerned” about some aspects of the care and that “children did not experience nurturing care” from staff.
The report noted: “Children were not supported by staff to be included and to make friends and, at times, looked lost and frightened.
“Brief cuddles were provided when children were upset, but these were not sustained or used well to ease children’s anxiety.”
Steps have been taken to address concerns
Requirements made by inspectors included developing personal plans for pupils, outlining their individual needs, and that staff “ensure children are provided with warmth, comfort, and compassion”.
The report also noted that children were not given the chance to think independently and staff failed to pick up when children looked anxious or uncertain.
Inspectors wrote: “Tired and sleepy children did not receive soothing and nurturing care to aid restful and safe sleep.
“Mats designed for sleeping were not used to ensure children’s comfort and blankets and cushions were shared between children, increasing the risk of the spread of infection.”
This was brought to the attention of senior management, and immediate action was taken.
Inspectors also found leadership to be a “significant weakness which compromised, the safety, care, and wellbeing of children”.
According to the report, the manager of the nursery did not involve staff or parents in improving the service and “did not promote a culture of shared responsibility”.
The Inspectorate required that by September an effective management team, quality assurance, self-evaluation, and improvement plans are put in place.
The report highlighted the new building was clean, spacious, and well designed, however, was not welcoming to parents and families.
‘Children did not experience nurturing care’
Children were not provided with enough toys to enjoy and play with, but according to the FCSS, this has now been resolved with new play and learning resources.
Inspectors said there was an uneven distribution of knowledge between parents and staff, with some feeling included in their child’s progress at the nursery while others felt uninformed.
However, the report noted that “children were cared for by kind staff who enjoyed working at the service”.
In response to the report, FCSS has taken swift action to address several areas highlighted for improvement by the Care Inspectorate.
They noted that while the report was “disappointing”, steps had been taken to rectify the problems at Cummings Park.
A spokesman for FCSS said: “We are working hard to ensure that the children in our Cummings Park Service are receiving the best possible care in this custom-built centre and we are keeping Aberdeen City Council closely informed about the changes being made.
“Since the inspection, our leadership team has implemented a performance improvement framework, and members of the leadership team have been on site daily to ensure that this is effective and that genuine improvement is taking place.
“We have employed a new manager and assistant manager, who are both extremely experienced, and will support the team through appropriate management, evaluation, and role modelling of good practice to make sure that the children in Cummings Park receive the best possible experience while in our care.”
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