Children ‘very distressed’ as nursery closed after devastating Ofsted report

Channings Childcare is set to close one of its Rochdale nurseries after Ofsted inspectors found a number of problems including that the bathroom door was often locked, meaning older children going to the toilet are prone to accidents

A nursery has been closed after a ‘devastating’ Ofsted inspection, although owners have pushed back much of the criticism.

The owners of Channings Childcare in Rochdale are planning to sell the premises after the damning report.

Inspectors found that some children in the daycare center were “extremely distressed” and that staff failed to identify “serious concerns about the children”. The Manchester Evening News reported.

The bathroom door was often locked, which means that older children going to the toilet often have accidents.

Channings Childcare has said it does not have the resources to move forward, although it has “fixed” the issues raised.

The nursery leaders denied there had been any safety incidents at the facility, claiming the report used “pernicious language” to describe minor irregularities and reporting errors.

It is now closing its doors in part due to “recruitment and absenteeism,” a company spokesman said.

Previously rated as ‘good’, the nursery has now been rated ‘inadequate’ by the Education Inspectorate following an inspection by officials last month.

Part of the report said: “The safeguards are not effective. Managers and leaders have failed to identify and report serious concerns about children. These children were not effectively protected.

“Most staff have not received up-to-date safety training and are unable to explain general signs and symptoms of abuse or the reporting process outside of the nursery.”

It adds that some staff do not know how to treat children appropriately and the manager’s failure to act promptly puts them “at risk of harm or injury”.

While the report acknowledges that children enjoy their time in kindergarten, it notes that the curriculum is “very general” and does not take into account the individual needs of all young people.

It continues: “Some children are extremely distressed and angry, and this impacts the learning experience of other children.

“The attention of the staff is withdrawn from the groups of children for a long time. This means that their learning is interrupted and opportunities to develop concentration are lost.”

The inspectors described the routines at the nursery as “messy at times”, resulting in “the children being confused as to what happened next”.

“Older children cannot enter the bathroom if they have to because the door remains closed,” the report adds.

“This means that children who are trained to be clean are more likely to have accidents and are not adequately supported in their self-care.”

Channings Childcare – which also runs five other nurseries in Rochdale and Oldham – has confirmed its Whitehall Street facility is now closed.

A statement said: “Following a challenging Ofsted inspection and a devastating report, we have made the decision to close our Rochdale nursery from 22 April 2022. This is a permanent closure and the building is being sold.

“There was no safety incident at this nursery, but the report uses the same cutthroat language to describe minor irregularities and reporting errors.

“We have not and have never closed the toilet door to prevent children from entering. The door was pushed shut due to a misunderstanding, and toilet school children would never go to the bathroom alone.

“With the help of the local authority, all the issues we needed to fix were resolved, but given the issues we are currently facing in terms of hiring and absenteeism, we did not have the resources to move forward.

“Many thanks to our parents, who gave us enormous support in their concern for our employees.”

A spokesman for Ofsted said: “Channings Childcare Ltd was inspected on 17 March 2022 and received an unsatisfactory judgment for the reasons set out in the inspection report. On April 12, the provider informed Ofsted of the decision to close the facility permanently.”