A nursery in Oldham which was forced to close for two days after a 'significant event' has been stripped of its 'good' grade by Ofsted.

Cornerhouse Day Nursery on Cross Street in Lees looks after more than 40 children between the ages of one and four and had been rated 'good' by the education watchdog since 2015.

However, in a routine Ofsted inspection in November this year, the nursery has lost its 'good' grade and has been ordered to improve across all four key areas, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

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Inspector Suzanne Fenwick, rating the nursery as 'requires improvement' identified the curriculum as one area of weakness in the nursery.

She said leaders "have not ensured that the curriculum intent is ambitious for all children" while the manager has not ensured staff can implement the curriculum effectively which is jeopardising the children's progress.

Staff do plan activities and select resources for the children based on their interests but do not consider the next steps.

In particular, the inspector said language and communication must improve as, while staff read stories and encourage the children to sing songs, they "do not always plan learning experiences for children that support their emerging vocabulary and the correct pronunciation of sounds".

This presents gaps in some of the children's development.

The nursery has established a "key-person system" which Ofsted said is falling short as children's individual learning needs are not fully being met.

The personal development of staff and their knowledge and understanding of how to implement the lessons was another weakness.

However, the report highlights the staff's "caring" and "nurturing" attitudes towards the youngsters as a major positive for Cornerstone Day Nursery.

Ms Fenwick found teachers work closely with children, getting down to the children's level and facilitating their play.

The children settle quickly and feel confident to go to staff "for a cuddle or assurance", she added, and that they are "content" and "behave well" as a result.

The physical health and well-being of the children were also celebrated in the report as the nursery provides healthy, home-cooked meals and nutritious snacks throughout the day and the children enjoy walks and the outdoors.

As for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, Ofsted found the youngsters are generally supported well as any gaps in their learning are identified, but that "this is not always consistent across the nursery".

Ms Fenwick said some staff fail to identify the next steps in SEND children's learning.

In addition, the inspector found that there are "some conflicts" between the children over resources and while these instances are resolved by staff, the report reveals the manager uses additional funding for resources which is "not always done promptly".

The report continued: "Due to the weaknesses in the curriculum intent and implementation, funding is now always used effectively to improve the quality of learning experiences available to children."

While the nursery does have secure relationships with parents with a two-way flow of communication, Ms Fenwick said the staff's "lack of knowledge of the curriculum" means they are not always sharing information with parents about their children's next steps.

The report further revealed the nursery failed to notify Ofsted of a "significant incident".

The nursery closed for two days following an incident affecting the suitability of the premises, including its cleanliness, though the nursery has since carried out a deep clean.

As a result, Ofsted has told the nursery it must improve to get back its 'good' grade and has given it three key areas to focus on.

This includes introducing an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum, strengthening the key-person system to ensure staff are meeting the children's learning needs and ensuring the training and personal development of staff focuses on building knowledge on the curriculum and how to implement it.

When contacted by The Oldham Times, Cornerhouse Day Nursery declined the opportunity to comment.

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