A PRE-SCHOOL set in the grounds of Abbotsweld Primary has been rated as “Outstanding” by Ofsted.

The Nurture Pre-School was inspected on June 28th by the government inspectors.

Commenting on the report, pre-school owner, Lucinda Ashcroft said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the outstanding rating from Ofsted.

“It validates the hard work and commitment of our incredible team to create a nurturing and stimulating environment with our wonderful children at the centre. 

“We believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life, and this recognition reaffirms that we are on the right path.”

The report states:

The provision is outstanding

Children attend this unique setting with great joy and enthusiasm. They have a positive and excellent attitude to learning. Children quickly become deeply engrossed in their enriching learning environment. They are extremely sociable and confident and make informed decisions about what they would like to explore and discover .

Children form strong, warm relationships with their key person. Supportive staff continuously challenge children’s learning and promote collaborative play. For example, while out in the garden, children are fascinated to explore a tray set up with various natural resources, such as sand, water, dried leaves, and pinecones. They explore the textures using all their senses to build on their sensory experiences.

Furthermore, children engage in meaningful discussions with the staff about what they are doing. Children make lines and circles in the sand using mark- making tools with great control. This helps support communication and language to very high levels, mathematical skills and understanding of the world.

Children behave extremely well. Nurturing staff have very high expectations of them and children rise to the challenge by following the setting’s routine exceptionally well. Children develop the skills needed to become resilient and happy learners. Staff share pride in children’s achievements and praise them for their continuous efforts. For example, staff pick a child each day to become ‘the leader’. This helps build on their confidence and self-esteem.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Children’s natural curiosity is fostered when reading books with a member of the staff. Their favourite story is about going on a bear hunt. Children recall events from the story with ease and make predictions. Furthermore, they quickly become immersed in this tale and pretend to be characters. This further develops their imaginative and role-play skills and supports early reading skills.

Younger children have an amazing time exploring small-world resources to build on their understanding of the world. For example, they concentrate intently when operating magnets, being fascinated by the cause and effect. This further develops their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Leaders have created a meaningful curriculum that is extremely well sequenced, and all staff have a clear vision about what they want children to learn. Staff are exemplary role models and continuously promote communication and language to very high standards. For example, they introduce new vocabulary, such as ‘patience, café, smooth’, and use all opportunities to ensure children acquire this new knowledge securely.

Staff focus on developing children’s independence. For example, while in the garden, children work incredibly well with their peers to create a large structure using crates and beams. They then walk on the beams with great confidence and climb on the crates before jumping back down. They laugh and giggle with excitement, showing high levels of energy. This helps build on children’s balance, coordination and stamina and strengthens their social interactions.

Staff have strong relationships with their key children. They have a robust knowledge and understanding of children’s learning. They use their assessment of what children can do to plan for next steps in their learning. Staff also support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. As a result, they make remarkable progress and adapt incredibly well to their learning routine.

Partnership working with parents is strong and effective. Parents comment on how well staff support children’s progress in all areas of learning. In addition, parents feel involved in their children’s learning and development, helping to assure the continuity of care and education.

Leadership and management is strong and inclusive. Leaders value the staff, their well-being and professional development. Leaders continuously reflect on their practice and work relentlessly to provide excellent levels of care and education. The vision for the setting is ambitious and focused on positive outcomes for children, who are at the centre of this exquisite setting. Leaders and staff place a great emphasis on children and families who require additional support and make provisions to extend their learning and development. This is shared among the team, who embrace it with passion and determination.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff and leaders have a secure knowledge and understanding of safeguarding. This including aspects, such as county lines and the ‘Prevent’ duty. They also have a deep knowledge and understanding about how to deal with disclosures and make referrals to relevant professionals, to protect children from harm. There is a robust induction process in place to ensure all staff complete regular and relevant training, to keep their safeguarding knowledge current. Policies and procedures are robust, effective and updated regularly. These are implemented accordingly and shared with staff and parents. Risk assessments are robust and completed daily. Furthermore, effective staff deployment means that children are well supervised and cared for. This helps to assure children’s safety and welfare.