Mansfield nursery bosses thrilled at Ofsted hat-trick

Nursery bosses in Mansfield are celebrating a hat-trick of inspection successes.
Staff and children at Mansfield Shaping Futures Nursery are celebrating being rated Good by Ofsted. Picture: Rachel Atkins.Staff and children at Mansfield Shaping Futures Nursery are celebrating being rated Good by Ofsted. Picture: Rachel Atkins.
Staff and children at Mansfield Shaping Futures Nursery are celebrating being rated Good by Ofsted. Picture: Rachel Atkins.

Shaping Futures in Mansfield has just been rated good by education watchdog Ofsted – joining its two sister nurseries in Warsop, on Church Street and Sherwood Street, in earning the rating in the last 12 months.

Lisa Chipping, company operations director and manager of the Mansfield nursery, said everyone was delighted with the success.

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Mrs Chipping, who celebrates her 45th birthday tomorrow,said: “It’s about having the right people, good quality staff.

“I feel you can run a great nursery in a village hall with cardboard boxes, if you’ve got great staff.

“The first thing I am is a mum. If it’s not good enough for my children, it’s not enough – it’s about ‘is this what you want for your children’.”

In her report, inspector Lianne McElvaney said staff at the Hamilton Way nursery “plan a range of exciting activities for children to enjoy”.

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She said: “Children make good progress, are happy and enjoy their time at the nursery.

Parents are well-informed about their children’s progress through daily discussions and are supported by staff to continue and extend children’s learning at home.”

Mrs Chipping said being a good nursery is not just about Ofsted’s rating, “but also what parents are looking for” and that having a good relationship with parents was “vital”.

She said: “We work closely with parents, that’s how we learn about the children, how dod they sleep, what did they do at the weekend.”

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And Mrs Chipping, who has more than 20 years’ nursery experience, said she loved working at Shaping Futures.

She said: “We all bounce off each other, it’s a really nice working environment.”

Ofsted said the nursery was not yet outstanding because:

* Staff do not consistently give children time to think about, respond to questions and to

share their ideas;

* During some activities, staff do not fully consider pre-school children’s varying levels of engagement and adapt approaches to help each child maintain focus.

Inspectors said, to further improve, the nursery should:

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* Enhance teaching skills and provide children with time to think, respond and share ideas;

* Review the organisation of some activities, taking account of all children’s interest.

To read the full report, visit ofsted.gov.uk