20 January 2023 , 12:30
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A watchdog has slammed "catastrophic failings" at a nursery where children were seen eating each other's poo.
Kidspiration nursery - which has since been closed - was described as "inadequate" across the board following an Ofsted inspection which found kids were put "in significant danger".
It highlighted "incredibly poor" care practices at the nursery in Manchester, and the Ofsted inspector who carried out the assessment even had to intervene at one point "to maintain children's health and safety".
The Ofsted report said: "When some staff change children's nappies, they fail to notice that faeces have leaked onto surfaces that children have access to.
Young children were seen eating and touching each other's poo at a nursery branded 'inadequate' (MEN Media)"This results in younger children putting faeces into their mouths."
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The inspector also had to physically alert staff at the nursery when he saw children putting pebbles and sharp, broken pieces of ice into their mouths, reports Manchester Evening News.
They were also forced to stand at the top of a flight of stairs "to stop children from falling over the banister".
Babies, meanwhile, were "'left alone for prolonged periods with no interaction from staff".
The report said: "They sit quietly, look on into the distance and are not given the quality learning experiences that they should.
"Catastrophic failings from leaders mean that children are not provided with adequate care and learning. Staff do not supervise children well.
Although children are content to leave their parents and happily greet staff, many of them wander around the rooms, bored and seeking stimulation.
The Osted report after an inspection of now-closed Kidspiration nursery was criticised over the 'catastrophic failings' of its management (MEN Media)"Risk assessments are poor. The inspector had to intervene to maintain children's safety on many occasions. This poor practice puts children at unnecessary risk."
The inspection was held on December 9 and the children were aged up to three.
There were 63 places but only 14 children on the roll, and in all five categories assessed, the nursery was rated as inadequate.
Activities for children at the nursery, which employed six members of staff and was first registered in 2021, were rated as "mundane".
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The report added: "Pre-school children show poor attitudes towards their learning. Staff teach children about winter animals with no clear intent as to why they are doing this.
"They do not address misconceptions in learning, and on the rare occasion when children do find something interesting, staff stop this and inform children that they are being 'silly'."
It said the nursery's leaders "fail in their duties to be legally compliant with the requirements of their registration'".
"Low expectations and an incredibly poorly designed curriculum leave children without the quality education that they rightly deserve", it added.
The inspection was held on December 9 and the children at the nursery were aged up to three (MEN Media)"Gaps in learning do not close and children do not make the progress that they are capable of.
"Activities are tedious and, too often, children wander around without clear direction or purpose. Staff deployment and child supervision are very poor, but especially at the beginning of the day.
"Due to poor staff deployment and poor arrangements for child supervision, staff do not notice when there are other children's faeces on the floor and within a low-level chair.
"Younger children touch the faeces and put it into their mouths. This places children at a significant risk and highlights the serious weaknesses in the leadership of the setting."
Safeguarding arrangements, meanwhile, were said to be "not effective".
The report added: "Staff do not supervise children well, which compromises children's safety. Staff are not aware of when older children climb and hang over a stair banister.
"Some staff leave children unattended in a room by themselves."
The Mirror has contacted the nursery, which is now closed, for comment.