By John Baron
Ofsted inspectors have said the ‘friendly and nurturing’ Little People Nursery in Bramley is at the ‘expected standard’ – four months after saying it needed to urgently improve.
The nursery, off McLaren Fields, received an ‘expected standard’ rating in all six inspected categories – achievement, behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines, children’s welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance.
The report represents a turnaround after Ofsted inspectors in March rated the same six categories as requiring ‘urgent improvement’, along with raising concerns over safeguarding.
The latest inspection, which was carried out in August, praised youngsters’ behaviour. It said: “Children are welcomed into this friendly and nurturing nursery by staff, who know them well. Staff support children to settle quickly, helping them to recognise friends who are present and make choices in their play.”
Inspectors found: “Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They are settled, confident and increasingly independent, benefiting from routines and interactions that support their emotional wellbeing, behaviour and engagement in learning.”
The report also recognised the welcoming and inclusive culture within the nursery: “Leaders and staff create a welcoming and inclusive environment for the children and families they serve.”
Inspectors added: “Children feel secure and cared for.”
They also praised the nursery’s relationships with parents and its commitment to supporting children: “Leaders work in partnership with parents to identify priorities and coordinate support, ensuring children receive the help they need to thrive.
“A culture of professionalism and continuous improvement is evident across the setting.”
To improve further, the report notes: “Leaders should continue to strengthen staff knowledge and skills so that teaching consistently builds on children’s learning and development.
“Leaders should continue to review the curriculum for mathematics, so that progression in skills and knowledge is explicitly planned, across all age ranges within the nursery.”
Managers at Little People said the inspection was an opportunity for staff to have their work recognised.
Vicky Hallas-Fawcett, Director at Little People, said: “This outcome means so much to our team. Our previous inspection had a real impact on staff confidence, despite the fact that our team knew the children we cared for were happy, secure and well supported.
“It was difficult to see the effect that experience had on people who care so deeply about what they do. But our staff continued to come through the doors every day, give their very best and put the children first.
“This inspection has given them something incredibly valuable — confidence in themselves and recognition of the professionalism, care and commitment they show every single day.
“To hear inspectors describe our children as settled, confident and increasingly independent, and to say that children feel secure and cared for, is incredibly rewarding for the whole team.”
Linzi Page, Nursery Manager, added: “Our staff know these children. They know their personalities, their individual needs, their families and what makes them smile. That is at the heart of what we do.
“We have always believed in our team, and this inspection has helped our staff believe in themselves again. It has reminded everyone that the work they do every day really does matter. We are incredibly proud of them. This is their success.”
She said the nursery will continue to build on the feedback from the inspection, maintaining its focus on children’s wellbeing, learning, development and individual needs.
- The full Ofsted report can be found here.