Dar-Ul Madinah: Blackburn nursery 'put children at risk'
- Published
Ofsted said staff were not vetted at Dar-Ul Madinah nursery in Blackburn
A pre-school nursery has been issued with a final warning after placing children at risk by failing to carry out background checks on staff.
An Ofsted inspection in September found Dar-Ul Madinah nursery in Blackburn, Lancashire, had failed to address concerns first raised in March.
The nursery was told it would be suspended from operating unless it improved.
Nursery owner Khalid Mirza said it had begun to address Ofsted's concerns.
The latest report, external said children were at "significant risk of harm" by a "combination of failures" at Dar-Ul Madinah, which cares for 15 children between the ages of two and three.
The key findings included:
staff being recruited without undergoing adequate checks to ensure they were suitable to work with young children
staff did not know what to do if concerns were raised about the welfare of a child
soap was not used when children washed their hands before eating
the quality of teaching was described as "poor"
Action required
"Managers who are responsible for safeguarding do not have the relevant knowledge, training and skills to keep children safe," said Ofsted inspector Linda Shore.
"Children's safety is significantly compromised."
An Ofsted inspector first reported, external several parts of the nursery's operation needed improvement, or were inadequate, after an visit in March.
Since the recent inspection, the nursery has been issued with a Welfare Requirements Notice which state it must address six areas of safety, hygiene and teaching.
If it fails to take action, it risks having its Ofsted registration suspended and would no longer be able to operate legally.
Mr Mirza said: "We had an Ofsted visit yesterday and the inspector told us they were happy with the progress we have made and would carry out another inspection in six months.
"The inspection was carried out at the start of term and we can't hide from what was in the report."
Ofsted confirmed it carried out a follow-up visit on Monday.