Children and parents are happy -- but Ofsted tells Huthwaite nursery it must improve

However, Ofsted inspectors have also warned that the Little Lambs Day Nursery must get better, especially in its work with two-year-old toddlers.

The nursery, on Main Street, was handed a ‘Requires Improvement’ rating after an inspection last month. It was previously rated ‘Good’.

The inspectors’ report said: “Overall, the children behave well and are happy at this nursery. But staff’s support for children’s learning is variable. Some two-year-olds are not as engaged as the babies and the older, most able children.

"Staff who work with two-year-olds do not always interact with, or encourage, them to be involved in activities or experiences to support their learning.

"Consequently, these children are sometimes disengaged in their play and do not learn as much as possible.”

The Ofsted inspectors urged the nursery to “ensure that all staff understand, and consistently implement, a clear and ambitious curriculum to support the development of all children”.

In particular, it should provide activities that help two-year-olds “consolidate their learning and remain focused”.

The nursery, which has 76 children, aged two to four, on its books, employs nine members of childcare staff, all of whom hold the relevant qualifications.

The manager is Shauna Denman, while Little Lambs is a business run by directors Louise Bradley and Rebecca Fox. It has two other nurseries in Kirkby and Sutton that both hold ‘Good’ Ofsted ratings.

Louise and Rebecca accepted the verdict on their Huthwaite operation, saying: “For most of our staff, it was their first experience of an Ofsted inspection. It did not go to plan due to extreme nervousness.

“We are now working hard to support our staff and build their confidence to showcase the high-quality childcare which we usually deliver.

"Many parents have already reached out to support us as they know how dedicated our team is.

"We look forward to welcoming Ofsted again to regain our previous ’Good’ rating. Even the inspector herself thought we could turn this around very quickly.”

The directors also stressed that the inspectors still reported on “many positives” at Little Lambs.

In particular, the report said “babies thrive” thanks to “attentive and caring staff”, who also “promote children’s health well” and are always approachable to parents.