A North West London nursery has been praised for making “significant improvements” after it was rated inadequate in all categories by Ofsted just five months ago. Concerns were raised about children’s welfare but changes made by the care provider have meant they now feel “safe and secure”.
New Dawn Nursery, located at Alperton Baptist Church in Wembley, provides day-care for up to 50 children aged between one and four. It employs four qualified staff members and offers government funded places.
The nursery underwent a follow up inspection last month (July 10) after receiving a damning report by the education watchdog in March. After previously being given the lowest possible ratings, it has taken less than half a year for the childcare provider to be graded ‘Good’ across the board.
Following its latest visit, inspectors found children arrived “happy and settled”, with staff helping to create a “welcoming environment”. The key-person system – where children are assigned a specific staff member – was described as “well established”, with staff helping to support the kids gaining “confidence and independence”.
It is a stark contrast to the previous visit where inspectors pointed to a “period of instability” at the nursery, which had a “negative impact” on the quality of education provided.
The March report noted that the newly appointed leaders “showed commitment to bring about change and improvement” but a lack of understanding of safeguarding procedures meant children’s welfare was “not fully assured”. After implementing “significant improvements” to safeguarding practices, the leadership are now said to have a “secure knowledge and understanding” of procedures.
Staff now report “high morale levels” and attend regular meetings with the leadership team which helps “ensure that the quality of support for children is consistently good”. This is reflected in the partnership with parents, who complemented the “friendly nature” of the staff and the learning programme”. Parents “feel well informed” about their children’s care and what they are learning.
Children’s development is monitored effectively in order to close any gaps in learning, and staff were praised for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to “make the best possible progress”.
However, staff also faced criticism for not always carefully planning activities to make sure older children are “constantly engaged and challenged”. As a result, activities “do not always have the maximum impact on supporting their learning”.
New Dawn Nursery were approached for comment but did not respond ahead of publication.
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