Mansfield nursery, where 'staff really care about the children', is rated 'Good'

Little Plums Day Nursery, on Bath Street, which has 99 children, aged two, three or four, on its books, was inspected in December.

Now the inspectors' report has been published, revealing 'Good' ratings not just overall but also for four individual categories.

These categories cover the quality of education, the behaviour and attitudes of the children, the personal development of the children and leadership and management.

The inspectors' report read: "Leaders and managers have a clear vision for the nursery and how they want children to learn.

"Most of the learning and play experiences provided for children meet their expectations.

"Children arrive happy to see staff and their friends, and eager to play. They receive cuddles and enjoy cosy moments with staff.

"Parents and carers are happy with the support the staff provide. They feel that children make rapid progress in their care, and comment that staff really care about the children."

The inspectors found that Little Plums youngsters "demonstrate their growing imaginations" and "confidently share ideas with friends".

They listened carefully to staff, who played alongside them and taught them to “develop their speaking and communication skills". Children also "show a love of books and stories".

The nursery employs 17 members of childcare staff and is operated by the private company, Little Bath's Ltd, which has its registered address in Nottingham. It is owned by 46-year-old directors Satinder Bath and Dalbir Bath.

When Little Plums was previously inspected at the end of 2019, it received a rating of 'Outstanding'. But then the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

This time, inspectors pinpointed three particular areas where the nursery could improve.

The first was "better oversight of the curriculum", which was "not always delivered in line with the vision of leaders". The nursery was aware of this and was "strengthening the skills of the management team".

The second was children's behaviour, which was "generally good", but staff did not always explain why certain things, such as running indoors, were unacceptable, meaning children did "not always understand the consequences of their actions".

The inspectors also urged staff "to allow children to try things for themselves" more often, such as putting on their own shoes.