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17

Apr 2023

Last Updated: 14/04/2023
Education
Education

'Nurturing' staff help children to learn at 'homely' nursery near Ripon

by Vicky Carr

| 17 Apr, 2023
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A "homely" nursery in a village outside Ripon has won praise from Ofsted.

Appletrees Day Nursery in Littlethorpe has maintained its 'good' rating in a new report published this month by the education regulator.

After visiting the nursery in March, inspector Kelly Nevett said:

"The curriculum helps to prepare children for their transition on to school. A dedicated transition manager ensures that children are ready for this next chapter, and staff have made good links with local schools.
"Staff have high expectations for all children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children make good progress."


She said the indoor and outdoor areas helped children to "interact with the natural world" and "make choices in their learning". Staff helped children to build confidence by offering "nurturing support", she added.



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The nursery, which has 53 children on the roll, was praised for its effective communication with parents, and for involving families in the children's learning.

Play was used effectively to help children learn skills such as maths, the inspector said. She added:

"Children are at the heart of this welcoming nursery. They show very good attitudes to their own learning and have good self-regulation skills. Behaviour is also very good across the age groups of children. Staff encourage children to share, take turns and learn how to focus through some group teaching times.
"However, staff do not consistently plan precisely for what children need to learn next during some adult-led activities, such as group times before lunch."


She also suggested improvements could be made in encouraging children to speak to each other more, as well as with adults, and in allowing older children to develop their independence at mealtimes.

Nursery director Lucy Thompson said she and the rest of the team would use the inspector's recommendations to make further improvements. She added:

"We are delighted to receive such a good report. The inspector clearly recognised our ethos and well-being priorities of love, care, nurture and our naturally inspiring outdoor space, all of which are so important for positive growth and development.
"We were particularly delighted that parents and guardians shared their positive feedback with the inspector, and did so with such passion. This is a testament to the wonderful community that we have built together, and really meant a lot to us.
"Our brilliant team is incredibly proud of what we have achieved. I felt quite emotional observing the day. We’re so often wrapped up in a busy learning atmosphere in nursery, but to stand back and see Appletrees in full flow made my heart swell. Everyone works so hard to create this wonderful learning environment. It’s a real team effort."