Nurseries all smiles after good gradings from Ofsted inspectors

The team at Ashfield Plaza, on Sutton Road, said they were ‘delighted’ with the report, which rated the nursery good in the categories of education quality, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, giving an overall effectiveness rating of good.

The report highlighted the way the nursery has created a ‘communication-friendly space in each room’ which allows the children to happily talk with each other without adult interaction.

Inspectors also praised the way the staff develop the children’s confidence and skills in preparation for school and everyday life, adding that ‘children demonstrate secure attachments with staff’ amd ‘demonstrate positive attitudes to learning’.

The report said: "Staff teach children what is expected of them during daily routines and activities. They are good role models who provide consistent guidance to children.”

To further improve the nursery was encouraged to ‘ensure changes to daily routines do not disrupt children's learning’ and ‘ensure staff always give children enough time to process their thoughts and express their ideas when responding to questions’.

Laura Peachey, nursery manager, said: “I am extremely proud of my teams’ hard work and Ofsted’s recognition of this.

“The past two years have presented us all with a number of challenges, but we have never let this stop us from providing continuously high standards of care and support to our children and families.’

Newton Nursery, based at Newton Primary School, on Hall Lane, Newton, was also rated good in all categories following its latest inspection.

In Ofsted’s newly published report of the visit, inspectors said staff ‘support older children to ensure they are well prepared for the move on to school and their future learning’, ‘have strong partnerships with parents’, ‘provide opportunities to extend children's experiences from home’ and ‘promote children's behaviour well’.

The report said: “Parents’ testimonials show they hold the nursery in high regard and value the staff.”

To further improve, the nursery was urged to ‘strengthen staff's understanding of the curriculum’ and to ‘give children more time to think about and respond to questions to help build their speaking and thinking skills further’.