Ofsted report reveals Ickwell Pre-school 'failed to meet all its legal roles and responsibilities'

Ickwell Pre-school has "failed to meet all its legal roles and responsibilities" according to a damning new Ofsted report.

Published on January 25, the findings rank the pre-school as Inadequate overall, as although the ‘Quality of education' and 'Behaviour and attitudes' were found to be Good, 'Personal development' and 'Leadership and management' were judged as Inadequate. The pre-school says it is already taking action to address these issues as safety is "paramount".

The report states: "The provider has failed to ensure that they meet all their legal roles and responsibilities. The safe storage of confidential information cannot be verified. Not all committee members have had their suitability checked. This indicates a lack of efficiency in the leadership and management of the setting, which means children's welfare cannot be assured."

Pre-school manager Rachel and chairperson, Steph Lawrence, said: "Following the publication of Ickwell Pre-school’s Ofsted report; we are incredibly proud of how hard our staff team worked on the floor to ensure that the provision judged by Ofsted in the ‘Behaviours and attitudes’ and ‘The quality of education’ sections was rated as good.

"We acknowledge Ofsted’s judgement of Inadequate in the other two areas. Ensuring the highest levels of education, safety and wellbeing for our children is absolutely paramount to us. We are already working hard to rectify these action points, and have a clear action plan in place. We are grateful for the support of our families while we look forward to our next inspection."

The report also noted positives about the pre-school, stating that children were "warmly welcomed" by staff on arrival and "inspired to explore the inviting environment and activities". Group time was described as a "positive experience" where children learnt about the days of the week and practised counting skills.

It added: "Staff introduce children to new words and skilfully adapt their speech to meet children's individual stage of development. This motivates children to have a go at pronouncing new words."

The inspection took place in December and Ofsted instructed the pre-school to: provide it with the details of individuals associated with the setting; verify that individuals who had access to confidential information remained suitable; promote the continuous improvement of staff skills and knowledge; and ensure accurate daily records were kept.