A nursery which was slammed by Ofsted for operating a 'chaotic' and hazardous environment which put children at risk has made some steps forward though it still requires improvement.

Shooting Stars Pre-School Nursery, situated in Aadam House on Lees Road, looks after infants and children aged zero to 11.

But the education watchdog rated the setting as 'inadequate' after an inspector deemed the educational standards to slip below standards while staff failed to safeguard the children from harm.

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Visiting the premises in April this year, inspector Lois Hulley revealed a litany of failures at the nursery.

Ms Hully described the nursery as "chaotic" as it lacked "a "capable person" while the curriculum was starved of "ambition" and children were left "at risk of accident and injury".

She said there were "several" safeguarding, welfare, learning and development breaches, including babies sleeping on the carpet and children being offered 'harmful' and unhealthy food.

Meanwhile, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) were found to be at a disadvantage. 

Ofsted then instructed the setting to urgently improve in nine key areas and in a follow-up inspection carried out this September, it appears leaders have addressed some of the major concerns.

Inspector Rebecca Weston found leaders have "responded to most" of the actions raised, which include providing nutritious snacks, fresh drinking water and promoting healthy eating and active play.

However, she continued, the quality of education "remains variable".

The inspector revealed group activities for the children "are not targeted well enough" to help them progress.

In one instance, she said children struggling to cut with scissors were provided with materials that were difficult to cut which "results in children losing interest".

There is "high importance" on promoting the children's independence skills, but some staff fail to follow through with this by helping the children with their aprons and coats while babies have little opportunity to feed themselves.

The youngsters also become disengaged when they "sit and wait their turn for extended periods of time".

While staff do provide "some" opportunities to support children's communication and language development, teaching the children songs and engaging them in singing throughout the day, they do not allow the children enough time to respond before asking further questions.

The report continued: "There are weaknesses in the implementation of leaders' intended curriculum for communication and language."

Ms Weston also found one potential safeguarding issue in that staff fail to follow procedures around mobile phones and electronic devices, which she said "poses an element of risk to children".

She continued: "That said, leaders do have other safety measures in place to minimise the risk."

Among the positives in the report, the inspector praised the nursery for its "nurturing" and "caring" staff who have completed additional training to support the children's emotional well-being.

The children are "welcomed with reassurance and a cuddle" and the staff sing to them as they change nappies and put them to sleep.

The inspector added: "These loving relationships help children to feel safe and secure."

As a result, the youngsters behave well, follow instructions and "arrive eagerly" for their day ahead.

In addition, staff plug any learning gaps "swiftly", even going so far as to recruit bilingual staff to support the children further, and ensure SEND children are "supported well".

Parents were also complimentary to the inspector about Shooting Stars, describing the staff as "calm" and "supportive".

The watchdog said it is clear leaders are "passionate" about raising the standards from the last inspection and are "aware of the weaknesses that need addressing".

When it came to safeguarding, Ms Weston said there are daily checks in place to minimise hazards to children's safety - and there has been a notable improvement in how the children sleep.

But there is still significant room for improvement, which includes one area of a safeguarding concern involving mobile phones.

The inspector said leaders at the nursery were not aware that staff use electronic devices to share nursery rhymes with the children, which poses an "element of risk".

Ofsted also advised the nursery to improve in a further two areas to boost the nursery's grade.

This includes focusing on training to ensure staff implement the intended curriculum to raise the quality of education to a "consistently good level" as well as strengthen the planning of activities to keep all children engaged in activities.

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.