Mansfield nursery is beaming after getting a 'Good' Ofsted report
A Mansfield nursery has seen 2025 get off to a great start after being rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted following its latest inspection.
Aunty Sue’s Day Care, which is based at St John’s Centre on St John Street was rated ‘Good’ for quality of education , behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and overall effectiveness, leading to the overall ‘Good’ rating.
Verity Coope, nursery manager, said: “We’re over the moon, the whole experience was amazing, the Ofsted inspector was lovely, it really showcased our setting to the very best it could.
"We were a little concerned about how we could showcase everything in one day but she saw the natural experiences for the children and parents and overall, we were just so happy with it all.
"The inspector said she could tell that we worked amazingly together as a team, she could see that throought the whole experience, the staff work well together but also a good relationship with parents and children.
“We also have new children coming to us regularly and she saw how our settling-in process works as well.”
In her report, the inspector said: "Children are supported to understand their feelings and emotions and staff encourage children to have a positive attitude to learning.
“Staff help children to show positive behaviours, reminding children to share when they use cardboard tubes and paint to make firework patterns.
"Older children listen to and follow staff's instructions when they ask them to put toys away and wash their hands in preparation for lunchtime.
"Parents and carers appreciate the support that they receive from staff for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
"They appreciate the referrals that staff make to other professionals to support their child's individual needs.
"Children have opportunities to learn how to care for animals, helping staff to clean, feed and pet the nursery guinea pigs.
“Staff have a good knowledge of their key children's learning, including those with SEND. They observe children and identify what they need to learn next.
"However, this information is not always shared fully across the staff team.
"At times, when staff are absent, other staff do not recognise how best to help some children with their learning.
"Children are invited to attend settling-in sessions before they start attending.
"This helps children to become familiar with staff and the environment.
"Staff support children well during this time. For instance, they give them comfort, get down on their level to share books and provide children with reassurance.
"This results in children settling quickly and showing that they feel safe and secure in staff's care.”
On what the nursery needs to do to improve, the inspector said need ‘help to support younger children to understand the choices they make during group times’ and that it should ‘strengthen the sharing of information between children's key person and other staff so that children's learning is promoted more consistently’.