Nursery goes from Ofsted outstanding to requires improvement in 13 months after 'significant event'

A nursery was downgraded from ‘outstanding’ to ‘requires improvement’ in 13 months following a ‘significant event’.

Ofsted awarded Kids Allowed South, in Wythenshawe, its highest rating in November 2022, finding that ‘children thrive in this excellent nursery’ in its first inspection of the Southmoor Road site, which opened in 2020. However, inspectors were back at the nursery in December 2023 following a ‘significant event’.

The nature of the ‘event’ remains unknown, with it not being disclosed in the Ofsted report or by Kids Allowed. The list of 'significant events' is varied.

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It prompted a ‘a regulatory visit’ the following month, where concerns — including the ‘staff [to] child ratio requirements being maintained at all times’ and ‘deploying staff effectively to ensure children's needs are met at all times’ were raised. Although those issues were addressed by the given deadline, Ofsted carried out a follow-up inspection in December.

During its visit inspectors found that ‘there have been a number of changes of manager and a decline in the quality of education and care that children receive’ and that ‘leaders have not identified all the important information that they want children to learn’, its report said.

It concluded: “As a result, there are some weaknesses in the curriculum." It meant Kids Allowed needed to ‘ensure that an effective key-person system is in place to help each child have a settled relationship with a familiar adult’ and ‘ensure children receive an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that gives them a challenging and enjoyable experience across all areas of learning’ by January 12.

It was also advised that,