Grove Hall nursery - Ofsted 4 Inadequate Post Reply

[CHT]

I don't know this nursery at all, but there seem to be parallels with the experience of the nursery in Wimbledon where my daughter is, who have gone from a "2" to a "4" in the space of a few months.

The Ofsted report is here http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-rep ... E/EY440265 but I - and all the other parents I have spoken to - simply do not recognise the nursery from the description given. My daughter is really happy there, and I certainly wouldn't leave her there if I thought that she wasn't safe, well cared for and thriving.

[Balhammum2020]

Our daughter has been at Grove Hall for about 4 months (she is 17 months old now) and we are really baffled by this report as well. She seems to be really happy and thriving there. All other parents we have spoken to have said the same thing.

Whilst you don't know at any nursery what happens during the day, we have picked her up early unannounced a few times and have never noticed anything to cause us concern - she has just been running around playing and seemed to be having fun. When I drop her off in the mornings she puts her arms out to go the nursery staff and gives them a cuddle - and she is usually quite picky about who she will let hold her. If she was clinging to me and unhappy to leave me then I would be worried - but for me that's the best test. The staff seem really caring - the other day they gave us a book of her artwork and photographs of her which was lovely. She also knows songs and actions that we have not taught her at home.

We are going to see what they say at the parents meeting to explain themselves and then see what happens. Clearly there are some issues they need to sort out but I'm not sure the nursery deserves such a damning report. My interactions with the manager have been ok although I agree she is not that personable and quite abrupt - I think management have a lot to answer for and I really hope that things are sorted.

[MGMidget]

Wimbledon, I just wanted to say something regarding your comments about Ecole de Benjamins. I heard at the time that they were moved out of their usual premises (top floor at Alderbrook and the swimming pool I believe) supposedly on a temporary basis whilst the roof was repaired. As I understand it, they were put into other premises across the road that were owned by Wandsworth council but kept there longer than expected and able to return to the old premises. When I had a chat with the manager/owner at the time she seemed to think that the premises were a big problem for them and contributed to the damning OFSTED report. We'd been considering using them but they closed before we made the decision. I did feel for them being moved from premises they had adapted for their use into something temporary that became permanent against their wishes. I also sympathise with you for having lost your deposit!

I don't think there was any 'conspiracy' regarding the premises after they closed the nursery as they seem to have been owned by Wandsworth Council who then did a public consultation on the conversion of the premises for use by Alderbook school as well as flats above.

I don't know much about Grove Hall but what I had heard in the past was positive. I hope they can turn things around as its a shame to lose a bilingual nursery from the area when they are fairly unusual. Having read the report though, it is shocking!

[Hummi]

What? Just like other parents on here who have children at Grove Hall I do not recognise the nursery. My daughter is in the toddler room upstairs 2 days a week. She likes going there... she usually gives me a hug and is off.

We had been on holiday but they recently had a Bora Bora party with paddling pool, a teddy bears picnic etc. Also I met them in the library once when they were taking the children on an outing to the library.

When it was so hot the staff talked to me about her not eating well (which she was not doing at home either at that point) and kept me up to date. Whenever I collect her she is either running around playing or they are doing something e.g. painting. My daughter still talks about when she painted a bee.

The manager has always been nice to me even though I only speak English to her as I do not feel my French is good enough to talk to a French person.

[Emma N]

As a parent whose little one just started nursery this was just horrible to read. My son doesn't go to this nursery, but if the report from his place would come out like this I would be horrified and propably would change the nursery even though I would have thought that he would be comforable there. These reports must have something true about them, right?

Saddest part was to read about the meal times and the fact that the little ones don't have anyone to give them a cuddle or comfort because of the shortage or bad management of staff. Shocking!

[Goldhawk]

The most alarming aspect of the report is the failure to adhere to the legally required child/carer ratios

[sixfootredhead]

I would also like to add my two cents worth as I have a toddler who has been at Grove Hall for over a year now and who seems to really enjoy his time there.

Of course, the OFSTED report is very concerning and like other parents who have posted on here I will be interested to hear what they say for themselves at the parents meeting. The note about the ratio of staff to children is a worry - as parents our primary concern is that our children are properly and adequately supervised.

While I don't see what goes on at the nursery day to day I know my son is happy to be dropped off and he regularly enjoys activities which he doesn't have at home on a regular basis. The Bora Bora beach party looked like such fun for the kids - the photos on display are evidence of them having a great time. They also go on outings to the zoo, the library etc and have regular access to outside space and they are sent home with some of their artwork for parents to keep so they are certainly being stimulated on a creativity front. Whether it is as often as OFSTED requires, I cannot know.

As regards the staff, my son has had some wonderful key workers while in the baby room who have taken a real interest in him and who he outwardly loves - one in particular he adores. I have never found the management to be rude or difficult - but perhaps to English parents some of the dialogue gets a bit lost in translation. As a French speaker it is perhaps easier to have a conversation.

My only 'criticisms' of the nursery are:

(1) nappy changing could be more frequent - even though 4-5 nappy changes are logged on the daily report I have turned up a couple of times where my son has had a soiled nappy and it has not been changed - it could be a coincidence. Also, he has had severe nappy rash on a couple of occasions while in the baby room which he never had at home.
(2) There seems to be quite a high turnover of staff. There are some stalwarts who have been there a long time but beyond them there seems to be a fair bit of movement. This may be the case in many nurseries - I am sure the salaries are not particularly motivating given the responsibilities nursery assistants are charged with.
(3) Hand-washing - my son on a number of occasions has come home with filthy hands - perhaps from playing outdoors.
(4) He has also come home on a number of occasions very thirsty so I wondered if they were offering water frequently enough. This hasn't happened in a while so it could have been a few isolated incidents.

But overall we have been really pleased with Grove Hall and feel that this report does not accurately reflect the level of service and care provided.

Improvements will hopefully be made and retained in order to bring it back to it's former rating - obviously we will all benefit from this but it would be sad if all the positive effort that is put in was not acknowledged.

Over and out.

[MDS]

My son has been going to Grove Hall for over 2 years now, we have had our ups and downs with the nursery. He has definitely learnt a lot of vocabulary and made some really good little friends there. He enjoys playing in the garden, colouring, the dancing and story time. He has also loved the zoo trips and beach parties they organise for the toddlers.
He has gone through phases of wanting and not wanting to go to nursery, which is normal I think.
Unfortunately, when he moved to the toddler room he was being scratched and bitten fairly frequently and I did have meetings with the manager and complained that the kids were not being supervised appropriately.
Before potty training, on just one occasion he came home without having had any nappy changes. I raised this to the manager, who agreed that that was unacceptable and checked personally that my son was getting regular nappy changes going forward. This did not last long because I potty trained him soon after, so the problem fixed himself.
I agree with the Ofsted report that staff has been thin on the ground, in fact they gave us a letter saying that they have recently employed 5 more members of staff. I was sad to hear that meal times are chaotic especially cause we pay for meals on top of the monthly rate. Also disappointed to read that snacks are given to kids on the floor, this is not very hygienic.
I have mixed feeling about he nursery, but my son seems happy there at the moment and not having any first hand experience of other nurseries does not help. I have heard great things about Balham Nursery School, The Montessori School and Nightingale Montessori. If anyone has used any of these please share your feedback!

[MDS]

Sixfootredhead- I thought it was just my child - always coming home with sticky dirty hands and always thirsty, but not alone there.

Key workers? We have never had one for more than a couple of consecutive months, so the key workers system can be improved!

[Sleep deprived]

Am a current parent there.

Although my daughter has always been very happy there, I have had concerns about staff ratios and the fact I am always told my daughter had had 'a good day', slept exactly the same times as every other day, always eaten ALL her food etc when I know there must be more variation than that. I feel the sheets they provde you with are made up. The staff are very caring especially the ones who have been there a while and I value that about the nursery but recent turnover seems very high with little or no comms from the manager (who is not at all approachable and has often been dismissive and rude). This makes me have less trust in the nursery. Also shocked at the biscuits bit as this is never written as a snack on my daughter's report sheet.

Other bug bears include the obsession with changing your child's nappy as you arrive to collect them. I feel this is distressing for my daughter who is always excited to see me to then be whisked off for a change-it makes me wonder why they are so worried you might see the state of the nappy they've been in until your arrival.

I'll be interested to know what they say at the staff meeting. It is very odd that the report was done in June and they haven't informed parents about it til now. In fact I know some parents haven't been told at all and learnt just via this thread. Is it not obligatory to send a copy of the report to parents?

Anyway a mixed experience at Grove hall and I am thinking about alternative arrangements now. I can't help feel that the staff are being over stretched by poor ratios which is compromising the care they can give. I think the manageress is very poor and should be replaced by someone with people skills who cares about her staff.

Bit of a rambling post but thought it would be useful to share as a current parent.

[Goldhawk]

changing your child's nappy as you arrive to collect them sounds very odd

[sixfootredhead]

@sleepdeprived - yes, it's true what you say about nap times etc. I was always surprised my son slept at 12:30/12:45 there and for 1.5-2 hours ... although he sleeps well at home it's usually never until after 1pm even if we put him down at 12:30. I doubt the kids sleep that well given the presence of other kids, noise, the door ringing and banging etc etc but to be fair, he never comes home exhausted,

[Balham_mum_79]

Hi all - first time posting, but also a parent of this nursery and wanted to make other mum's aware that a number of us are writing a combined letter to the nursery to set out our expectations ahead of the meeting on the 20th. If you want to be involved in this please drop me a note. Thanks!

[haggis68]

OMG! Thanks so much for posting this - I was just about to register my daughter for this nursery having researched a few months ago and read the previous OFSTED report and on various recommendations - I probably would not have looked again had I not seen this!!

I was actually put off slightly as when I popped in a couple of months ago to check they had space and get the forms there did seem to be a number of babies in high chairs crying and not being attended to - having not been to a nursery before I thought maybe I had caught them at a bad time (around 4pm so picking up time for some). I was also told by one of the assistants that the manager would come and see me and give me the forms etc. - having waited about 20 minutes the manager walked straight past me and left the building. Again, having not booked an appointment or anything this did not completely put me off but I was a bit surprised given how much money you spend at these places!!

It is a shame as I live so close to Grove Hall but I am now going to look elsewhere and at nanny/childminders. If anyone has any recommendations for other nurseries in the area, that would be great?

Thanks again!

[MCB]

My daughter goes to grove hall.

The problem is the management of it, the staff are actually very sweet but clearly the place has been run badly, they've become complacent and greedy!

So angry about the staff ratios and hungry kids at meal times!

They blatantly lie on the daily reports as she apparently sleeps the same amount every day and eats everything (she's such a fussy eater).

Quite annoyed that we have to wait until 20th to get answers.