A nursery in Dundee has been told to make urgent improvements after inspectors raised concerns over children’s health and safety.
Rainbow Bright Childcare on Camperdown Road has been issued an improvement notice after an inspection on April 26 where several issues were identified.
Care Inspectorate officials raised concerns over the “welfare, health, and safety of children”.
The nursery’s setting and quality of care, play and learning received the lowest available mark from inspectors, while the leadership and staff team were branded as “weak” – the second lowest rating.
A report by the Care Inspectorate said staff “did not have the skills to meet children’s needs” and needed support to improve.
Inspectors raise concerns over ‘chaotic’ meal times at Dundee nursery
Inspectors observed that snack and lunchtimes in some playrooms were “calm and relaxed experiences”.
However, meal times in the three to five-year-olds’ playrooms were “very chaotic and noisy” on one day.
The report said: “Snack time was not supervised all the time and a child was observed taking a handful of cereal, putting it in their mouth and running outside.
“This was a potential choking hazard as well as an infection control risk.”
At lunchtime, one child did not receive food while others ate and another child repeatedly hit a classmate with only verbal intervention from a staff member.
Children also moved around the table as others ate which “not only
disturbed those eating but could have resulted in a child being bumped into and choking”.
Other concerns raised by the Care Inspectorate included:
- Children wandering between indoors and outside with “little purpose” due to a lack of quality resources and staff engagement
- Children “toddling around the room” babies were sleeping in while the door was wedged ajar
- Some staff failing to supervise children during “risky play” such as climbing outside, and building and balancing with loose parts
- Felt pens with lids on being left unsupervised in the baby room
- Staff having to be reminded to wash children’s hands before snack
- One staff member not washing their hands before starting a nappy
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During the visit, two parents told inspectors that they “had not been called before they collected their children to be informed that they had bumped their heads”.
Inspectors noted most workers were new to the service and there were “some warm interactions between staff and children”.
Improvement notice issued to Dundee nursery after inspection
The improvement notice states the service could face having its care registration cancelled if “significant improvement” is not made.
By June 17, the nursery – which can care for up to 60 children aged up to 12 years – must ensure the care and support needs of children are being effectively met.
It must also ensure workers receive appropriate training, particularly in being able to recognise and report child protection concerns.
Other requirements include clearing obstructions from fire exits, storing cleaning products safely and improving infection control.
Rainbow Bright ‘determined to correct’ issues after staffing troubles
A spokesperson for Rainbow Bright Childcare said: “We are of course disappointed with the inspection’s findings, but we are determined to correct these for the benefit of the children that we care for and support and their families.
“We have had some staffing troubles in the lead-up to this inspection, but we are confident that our new management and staff team are working hard to correct the problems we have previously faced.”
Conversation