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Sept 2023

Last Updated: 26/09/2023

Education

Ofsted upgrades Woodlands Day Nursery to ‘good’

by Flora Grafton

| 27 Sept, 2023

Woodlands Day Nursery in Harrogate has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

The findings were published in a report on Friday following an inspection in August.

The assessment means the nursery on Wetherby Road has been upgraded from its previous ‘requires improvement’ grading last year.

Government inspectors said the nursery, which was registered in 2000, was ‘good’ in all four categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

They described it as a warm and welcoming place where children are eager to join their friends. They added that children make good progress and are supported by dedicated and nurturing staff.

The report said:

"Play and learning in the nursery is led by children. The varied curriculum focuses on their interests, next steps, and experiences from home.

"Children settle quickly and soon form strong bonds with staff and other children. They behave very well.

"With clear guidance from patient staff, they learn to understand and manage their emotions."

Children learn sign language and Spanish, and have excellent communication skills and a broad vocabulary, the report added.

Inspectors also found children “develop their independence from an early age and are fully prepared for the eventual move on to school.”

The management team was praised for its “passionate and ambitious” attitude. The report said:

"The management team works extremely hard to drive improvements in this nursery.

"This is reflected in the enthusiasm of their staff team. Together, they have created a culture of teamwork and support that values each member of staff and promotes a strong culture of continual improvement.”

The report also praised the level of communication between parents and staff and found “parents share a wealth of positive experiences that clearly depict the dedication, enthusiasm and care provided by the staff team.”

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Area to improve

However, inspectors did report sometimes “staff are not perceptive to children's curiosity during their play and do not help them make connections in their learning.”

They added:

"Children play in the garden every day. Staff plan some activities for children here. However, these are not well thought out, and staff do not provide a good range of resources that interest children and motivate them to explore.

"Consequently, children do not benefit from the same rich learning experiences as they do in their rooms, and some children wander around with little focus for their play."

Ofsted said to improve, staff should be “more perceptive to children's curiosity and emerging lines of enquiry during their play”, as well as consider “children's interests so that they are engaged and motivated to explore and build on what they already know and can do.”

‘Positive direction’

Nursery manager Suzie Wighton said in response to the report:

"We are absolutely thrilled to have received a 'good' rating following our recent Ofsted inspection.

"It's a testament to the dedication and hard work of our amazing team, who work tirelessly to provide a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment for the children in our care.

"Moving forward, we are very excited about the positive direction we are heading. We will keep building on this success and remain fully committed to providing the best care for our children."

Woodlands Day Nursery is part of Just Childcare – a group of day nurseries with branches across the north west, Yorkshire and the south west of England.

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Ofsted upgrades Woodlands Day Nursery to ‘good’

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Area to improve

‘Positive direction’