'Behaviour space rocket' propels Ashfield nursery to heady heights of 'Good' rating
A ‘behaviour space rocket’ has helped to propel a children’s nursery in Kirkby to the heady heights of a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted.
Ashfield Plaza Day Nursery, which has 71 youngsters up to the age of eight on its books, was showered with praise by the education watchdog after an inspection last month. And one of the reasons listed by inspector Susan Hyatt was the way children behaved.
"Staff are positive role models and have high expectations of children’s behaviour,” the Ofsted report said.
"When children receive praise from staff for being kind and helpful, they excitedly move their picture up a level on the ‘behaviour space rocket’.
"Children proudly show staff and their friends they have reached the top of the rocket. This provides a visual reminder and promotes positive behaviour.”
The nursery, which is run by The Two Counties Trust, opened in 2007 and is located at the back of Ashfield School on Sutton Road. It employs 14 members of childcare staff, including manager Laura Peachey and deputy manager Natasha Slaney.
It is open from 7.30 am to 6 pm every Monday to Friday, apart from Bank Holidays and the holiday period between Christmas and the New Year.
The Ofsted inspector found that “staff create an environment which supports children’s interest in the world around them” and “provide activities to help children develop their independence”.
As a result, “children are helped to do as much as possible for themselves” and “have a positive attitude to learning”.
The report went on: “Staff understand the importance of promoting children’s good health and ensure they all have access to daily fresh air and exercise. They provide healthy snacks, balanced meals and fresh drinking water.”
Staff told the inspector they “enjoy working at the nursery and that leaders are supportive”, providing “professional development opportunities to enhance their knowledge”.
In turn, parents described staff as “supportive, empathetic and caring”. The report said: “They say staff have supported their children to have good table-manners and language skills. Parents appreciate the range of opportunities that staff provide.”
One area pinpointed by Ofsted for improvement at the nursery was its quality of outdoor play and learning.
However, it stressed: “Staff do create a well-considered learning environment within the nursery. Children benefit from a balance of adult-led activities and child-initiated play indoors.”