'Unknown individuals' able to gain access to Kirkby nursery

The Penguin Palace Nursery, one of a number of tenants in the Diamond Centre in Kirkby, was inspected by Ofsted on October 24.

The inspectors found the nursery to be inadequate overall, which is the lowest rating Ofsted can give.

Judith Rayner, the inspector, said there were concerns about security at the nursery, and that staff do not take the necessary steps to make sure the premises are secure at all times.

Ms Rayner stated in her report: "The door in the baby room is not locked and unknown individuals who also use the centre are able to gain entry to where children play.

"The manager's supervision of staff is not rigorous enough.

"She does not quickly identify and address the weaknesses in under-performing staff, to help them to improve their skills, knowledge and the quality of their teaching.

The nursery, which has 42 children between one and 11 on roll, was judged to require improvement in January.

However, Ms Rayner's report also stated that parents are happy with the nursery, and praised staff for being "well trained in child protection".

She said: "Staff are kind and caring with the children.

"Children settle quickly into their chosen play when they first arrive.

"Parents spoken to on the day of inspection comment how pleased they are with the nursery.

"They state they are regularly kept updated about their child's care and learning needs by the friendly and approachable staff."

Ms Rayner also praised the nursery for encouraging children to be healthy.

She stated: "Weaknesses in safeguarding have a significant impact on children's overall safety and welfare.

"However, staff generally support children's understanding of healthy living.

"Children benefit from fresh air and exercise on a regular basis and particularly enjoy outdoor play to support their physical skills."

The nursery was contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.

A spokesman for the Diamond Centre said: "No unnamed individual could ever have reached the nursery on the day of the OFSTED inspection.

"This is because they would have to have gone past two members of the Diamond Centre staff in the canteen and then gone through a training rooms company closed door staffed room to get through to the unbolted door referenced in the OFSTED report.

"Everybody using that training room has names and addresses known, so therefore is in no way an unknown individual.

"The OFSTED report about unknown individuals gaining access to the nursery, is simply that a person from the training company could have walked into the main hall which the nursery use on a daytime as the baby room because one bolt had not been set after the setup at the start of the day."