Wolfson College Day Nursery has been rated “inadequate” by an Ofsted report published on Friday.
The nursery, which is run by Wolfson College’s governing body and located on the college’s grounds, was rated “inadequate” in all four areas of assessment – the lowest possible standard.
The regulator raised concerns about children’s dignity and safety, saying that staff “focus too much on ticking assessment boxes.”
The report added: “Breaches in safeguarding requirements have a negative impact on children’s safety and wellbeing.
“Staff do not receive sufficient support to protect children who may be at risk of harm from extreme views and behaviours.
“They do not follow up children’s unexplained absences appropriately, and not all staff ensure children’s privacy and dignity during nappy changing.”
The report also emphasised that outcomes for children at nursery are inadequate, saying that children who enter the nursery with lower levels of development “progress too slowly and do not develop some of the key skills they need for school.”
It continued: “The older and most-able children have few opportunities to engage in challenging, high-quality learning experiences.”
The regulator, Ofsted, did however note that some parents were happy with the nursery’s support.
The report also said: “The college body shows capacity to improve and implement change. Staff supervise children closely and follow suitable risk assessments to help prevent accidents.”
A spokesperson for Wolfson College told Cherwell: “The Nursery is an essential part of the service that the College offers our students, fellows, and community members. We are proud that it has been part of Wolfson since 1974 and we are acting on all of Ofsted’s comments urgently.
“We welcome Ofsted’s feedback and take it extremely seriously.
“Immediately following the inspection, we started implementing a comprehensive plan of action to raise the standards in the Nursery.”
The college’s plan of action proposes the development of an improvement plan, the appointment of a new Deputy Nursery Manager, and the implementation of a mentoring scheme for nursery staff.
The spokesperson added: “We are proud of our Nursery and are determined that Ofsted’s helpful report will allow it to prosper and thrive in the decades ahead.”
The nursery received a “good” rating when it was last assessed in 2014.
On its website, the Nursery says that “few can offer such excellent care” providing “a relaxed, safe and stimulating atmosphere.” The nursery says it fosters an “encouraging, consistent and positive attitude towards all children.”
