A nursery in Luton has been told it needs attention after being inspected by Ofsted, under the regulator’s new grading system.

Greenside Nursery, in Culverhouse Road, was handed the rating after an inspector visited in January.

The report gave the setting a “needs attention” rating, the second-lowest on its new inspection framework, across all six categories.

A spokesperson for the nursery said: “Having prepared and adhered to the old grading criteria, Greenside had to adapt to this new framework in a matter of months.”

A young boy plays with toys at a playgroup for pre-school aged children. Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images

placeholder image — A young boy plays with toys at a playgroup for pre-school aged children. Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images

The report into the nursery found the children were confident communicators who form “cooperative and harmonious relationships with their peers and are respectful of boundaries in play”.

But inspector Antonia Campbell, found children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) were not performing as well as they should.

She said: “The support children receive from the curriculum does not always focus on their specific needs, including the need to prioritise their language development.”

Some children did not get the consistent support they needed from their key person.

In its response to the report, the nursery’s spokesperson explained that it is not a specialist provision for children with SEND.

They said: “The rate of children in Luton with severe learning disabilities is 2.5 times higher than the national average. It is nurseries like Greenside that are asked to identify these children at an early age and nurture them to be ready for their first foray into full-time education.

“Greenside is not a specialist SEND setting, and with only £579,000 allocated to assist the entirety of Luton, Luton Borough Council simply does not have anywhere near the required resources to give these students the specialist level of attention that they truly deserve.

“This is where nurseries like Greenside intervene and try to help the families and children who hit a brick wall.”

Elsewhere in the report, Ofsted looked at the behaviour and attitudes of the children.

Ms Campbell stated: “Leaders and staff use age-appropriate strategies to help create a generally harmonious environment. “Young children are learning to take turns and share in a kitchen role-play activity with staff on hand to role model these expected behaviours.”

Children have their individual dietary requirements met during “safe and sociable mealtimes”.

The report read: “Staff encourage them to explore the healthy choices of fruits and vegetables they eat and why drinking water is good for their bodies and teeth.”

However, it was found that leaders did not “consistently consider the specific needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities when considering the effective deployment of staff across the setting”.

The nursery cited an increase in EHCPs in Luton and more children needing specialised support as a challenge.

But the spokesperson said: “Despite these challenges, Greenside strives to provide all children, regardless of ability, a vibrant and engaging space to learn the skills they will need as they approach school.”

Staff were in close contact with parents of children with SEND to have updated knowledge of the children's changing experiences to be able to adapt the support they give.

But SEND failings were mirrored again in another area of assessment, where the report stated: “...leaders do not ensure that all children with special educational needs and /or disabilities have consistent support from staff who they respond well to and have a deep understanding of their needs.”

The curriculum was praised for supporting the youngest children to develop a strong foundation for their future learning.

The nursery was told to make sure the curriculum was adapted to support the needs of all children, and key workers responsible for children, specifically those with SEND, can support their learning through “consistent modelling and support”.

Management was also told to support the well-being of its staff.

The spokesperson for the setting added: “Greenside have taken onboard the points raised during our inspection, mainly focusing on our practice with children who they categorise under SEND, and have put structured measures in place to satisfy OFSTED.

“In spite of this report, we are pleased that our stakeholders continue to support us, as they have the foresight to actually see the work we do with all of our children on the ground level.

“We also look forward to a re-inspection within the next 12 months, during which we will aim to better convey our qualities and strengths, and hopefully alleviate any concerns OFSTED may have over our practice regarding SEND.”