A Fraserburgh nursery has received a severely poor rating following an investigation by an industry watchdog.
Peek-a-Boo nursery on Buchan Road was visited by the Care Inspectorate at the start of this year for an unannounced inspection, which concluded on February 2.
Now a report detailing the findings and key recommendations has been released.
Inspectors graded the nursery with the lowest score of one – unsatisfactory – in the areas of care and support, staffing, management and leadership.
But Care Inspectorate officers gave the service a score of three – adequate – in the area of quality of environment.
Although it was established that children at the nursery appeared to be happy and confident and got on well with staff, the industry watchdog’s investigators highlighted a number of concerns.
They found that children’s safety was at risk because “effective systems were not in place to safeguard and protect” them, and that staff had failed to follow national guidance where child protection concerns had been identified.
The inspectors also found that staff had “poor knowledge” in a number of key areas including the management of medication and whistle-blowing procedures.
The report also raised concerns that the manager “did not demonstrate she had the skills, knowledge and experience to effectively manage and lead the service.”
Staff at Peek-a-Boo are given six months from starting an employment to obtain registration with a professional body.
However, inspectors discovered that one member of staff was employed beyond the six-month limit without registration.
The report said: “The provider was committing an offence by employing someone in a role for which they need to be registered.”
A spokeswoman for Peek-a-Boo nursery said: “We are encouraged that the Care Inspectorate report acknowledges our children are happy, confident and had formed good relationships with staff who created a warm and caring environment for children and parents.
“However, we fully accept responsibility than in areas such as child protection procedures, staff training, development and quality assurance, that we can improve our standards and that is already well in progress.
“We are fully committed to working with the Care Inspectorate and parents to ensure those matters are urgently addressed, and that the expected standards are met and surpassed.
“We are grateful for the continued loyalty of staff, parents and the wider community, including other local nurseries, many of whom have offered support and good wishes during what has been a challenging time.”
