Low Ofsted rating for Oxfordshire nursery after inspection

Oxford’s British Orchard Nursery, in Old London Road in Wheatley, was inspected by Ofsted and was found to ‘need attention’.

Inspectors raised concern about children’s achievement stating in the report that ‘the youngest children often have dummies in their mouths when they are happy and content, which limits opportunities for them to develop clear speech’.

Concerns about children’s welfare and wellbeing were also brought up stating that ‘potential hazards go unnoticed, such as heavy doors that may lead to children trapping their fingers’.

The inspection also revealed that “leaders have yet to implement a sufficiently ambitious curriculum and they do not consistently recognise or minimise possible hazards”.

Despite this, the inspection recognised that staff support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and they provide a welcoming and supportive environment.

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Oxford’s British Orchard Nursery, on Old London Road, in Wheatley (Image: Google Maps)

In 2024 the nursery received complaints about childcare provision.

Ofsted received a notification in June from the provider where a child was exposed to hazards.

The nursery also notified Ofsted of an allegation made against a member of staff.

Following regulatory visits and telephone regulatory calls from Ofsted the provider was found to not be meeting some of the requirements needed.

The nursery was asked to ensure all staff had a DBS check, some staff knew paediatric CPR, and implement better checks on all staff hired to work there.

The nursery was rated ‘requires improvement’ after its first inspection in 2019.

However inspectors in 2020 and 2023 rated the nursery as ‘good’.

• An earlier version of this article stated that Ofsted found the nursery ‘requires improvement’. This was not the exact wording used by Ofsted and we have updated the article as a result.