Highland Council has been told to make improvements at one of its nurseries amid concerns children could escape.
The Care Inspectorate paid an unannounced visit to the Plockton Primary School Nursery in April.
Inspectors found that although children experienced “nurturing and supportive care” from staff, their safety was “significantly compromised”.
They also raised health concerns after discovering nappies were being changed on a mat on the floor of a staff toilet.
The setting of the facility was rated as “weak”, while both the leadership and staff team were considered to be “adequate”.
The nursery is located within Plockton Primary School with its own separate entrance and is run by Highland Council, who have confirmed improvements have since been made.
Concerns children could leave service unaccompanied
The 12-page report states there was “potential for children to leave the service unaccompanied”.
A child had previously managed to leave the service unattended – prompting the service to take action to stop it from happening again.
This included ensuring the main entrance gate was supervised at pick-up and drop-off times.
Inspectors noted the nursery manager had also identified further risks in the outdoor area and had liaised with the council to address these. However, at the time of the inspection, the council had not yet taken action.
Following discussions with the manager, further improvements were made during the inspection and assurances were given further actions would be addressed by May 2.
This included ensuring the gates in the outside space are secure at all times, children are effectively supervised and reviewing the risk presented to children by the gap at the bottom of the vehicle gate in the outdoor nursery.
Furthermore, inspectors highlighted a gap in the higher-level fencing in the outdoor area which they have asked the council to resolve by June 21.
Additionally, Highland Council has been told it must have effective systems in place to identify any safety issues and address them promptly.
Nappies changed on a mat on floor of staff toilet
While inspectors found the nursery was “clean, comfortable and welcoming” for children and families the layout and size of the indoor area had some challenges.
They found the nappy-changing facilities do not support infection prevention and control, or children’s dignity, according to the watchdog.
At the time of the inspection, nappy changing took place on a mat on the floor of a small staff toilet.
Concerns have been raised that this could potentially increase the risk of spreading infection and does not meet best practice guidance.
Inspectors found staff were “caring and nurturing” as well as “warm and friendly” in their approach which promoted a happy and inclusive environment.
Staff work together as a team and communicated well with each other.
Although they would tell each other when they were leaving the room or attending to child, it was not always consistent, meaning there were times areas were left unsupervised.
The watchdog recommends the manager should review and evaluate staff skills and deployment, as well as making sure there are sufficient numbers of staff.
Improvements ‘have been made’
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “The Highland Council is committed to providing quality ELC learning environments, experiences and interactions for our pupils in ELC.
“The school and nursery are aware of the needs of all their children and take their health, safety and welfare extremely seriously.
“We are pleased to receive a positive rating for care play and learning. Improvements to the ELC have been made and action plans are in place to ensure that these are embedded and sustained.”
Conversation