Ofsted rates pre-school inadequate in every category

A pre-school in Surrey has been given the lowest possible rating by Ofsted in all of its categories.

Blackdown Pre-school, in Deepcut, was rated as inadequate for its quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management - as well as its overall effectiveness.

The inspection in June found that children's safety and welfare were not assured, the report states.

In its response, the school said it did not think the inspection "accurately or fairly" represented it, and that it was in talks with Ofsted.

Some of the actions the school has been asked to take include implementing a safeguarding policy and ensuring a key person is assigned to every child.

A school spokesperson said: "While we do not fully agree with the findings, we view this as an opportunity to make positive changes.

"We are collaborating closely with the early years team to ensure our next inspection better reflects the true quality of our setting and the dedication of our wonderful staff, who work tirelessly to provide a happy and safe environment for the children."

The spokesperson said the pre-school sector was facing "significant" challenges in retaining and recruiting staff due to "widespread issues related to pay and pressure" and it was committed to addressing these challenges.

Ofsted said not everyone who had responsibility for the "setting" had been vetted to assure their suitability, there was a lack of oversight for the pre-school, and the "lines of accountability" were unclear - which led to several breaches of statutory requirements.

The inspection also found recent staff changes were not managed well, which meant some children did not have a "key person" to enable their care and learning needs were met effectively.

Despite this, it found staff to be caring and children are able to chose from resources that interest them.

The report says: "The manager recognises that children's language and social development have been impacted as a result of the pandemic.

"She has a secure understanding about the curriculum intent.

"However, this is not shared or understood effectively by staff."

The inspection said although most staff were qualified, teaching was "variable and at times poor".

The report said: "Too often staff provide activities which are not tailored for children's individual needs.

"Although staff supervise children as they play, too often interaction is limited and staff fail to direct children to any meaningful learning."

The arrangements for safeguarding were also not effective and there was not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that put children's interests first, the inspector said.

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