Wigan nursery which had been subject of concerns gets 'good' rating from Ofsted

The report came just weeks after a welfare requirements notice was served on Little Foxes Wigan due to concerns being raised.

Issues were highlighted during 2024 which led to inspectors paying two visits to the site on Billinge Road, Highfield.

After receiving concerns the nursery was not meeting legal requirements in January, a regulatory visit in March found the provider had “appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place and supports staff to understand them.

However, the nursery had not notified Ofsted of a “significant event” within the required timescale.

Concerns were raised to Ofsted in September that the nursery was not meeting various requirements and another visit was made in October.

Inspectors did find some standards were not being met and served a welfare requirements notice telling the nursery to take action by November 12 on a series of matters.

These included ensuring children and babies were not exposed to risks there, fully investigating written complaints, informing the local authority’s designated officer of all allegations against staff members in a timely manner and having safeguarding policies and procedures in line with the local safeguarding partnership.

Ofsted returned to Little Foxes on November 19 to carry out a full inspection, when it was judged to be “good” in all areas.

Inspector Andrea Vaughan wrote: “The provider has taken prompt and effective action to address the previous weaknesses. For example, it has tightened risk assessments, reviewed and updated the nursery's safeguarding policy and complaints procedures. The provider ensures that highly qualified staff are deployed to meet the needs of babies.

"These updates have been shared with staff to inform and improve their practice to ensure the safety and well-being of children.”

The report said children felt “safe and welcome” at the nursery, “settle well” with attention from staff, and become “calm, happy and able to manage their emotions”.

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), made a “positive start to their learning”, benefited from activities provided by staff and enjoyed “many interesting toys and resources”.

They gained essential knowledge, learned how to make friends and developed communication skills to share their ideas with people.

The curriculum was described as “ambitious” and children became “confident early mathematicians” with support from staff, Ofsted said.

Babies’ emotional development was supported “well” and they built “secure relationships” with key people and other staff members.

The report said: “Partnership with parents and carers is a strength of the nursery. The provider places high value on listening to the views of parents and supporting their needs. It provides stay-and-play sessions for parents alongside the well-considered settling-in sessions for children. This sets the scene for children to thrive when they start at the nursery.”

Safeguarding arrangements were “effective” and there were “many training opportunities and thorough induction” for staff.

Members of staff read stories and non-fictions books to children, but Ofsted found staff chose books at random and the nursery should strengthen its curriculum for literacy.

It also suggested improving the organisation of routines in the pre-school room so that children are consistently engaged and benefit from the intended learning.