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20
Jan
Ripon nursery receives good Ofsted rating
A Ripon nursery has received good Ofsted rating after an inspection of its early years class.
Happylands Nursery/Playgroup was graded “good” in all four categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
Ofsted, which visited the nursery in December, found that staff share a good relationship with the children in their care.
Inspectors also found that staff observe the children and find out from their parents and carers what their capabilities and interests are.
In its report, Ofsted said:
Children and their families receive a warm welcome from staff as they arrive at this friendly and caring nursery. Children quickly settle into their day and begin their play and learning.
Staff work closely with external professionals to provide support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work in partnership to put in place carefully planned targets to help children to work towards their development goals. Consequently, children with SEND are happy and confident learners in this inclusive nursery.
Ofsted also praised Happylands’ approach to learning, which focuses on children’s independent health and self-care skills, communication and language skills, and understanding of the wider world.
It said:
They learn about the importance of brushing their teeth and learn to wipe their own noses. Children enjoy a range of healthy snacks. Mealtimes are sociable events.
Staff consistently talk and interact with the children. Children sit and enjoy stories with staff and confidently repeat key words and phrases from books. Staff use skilful questioning to assess children's understanding, encouraging them to express their opinions and ideas.
They plan activities that help children to learn about Diwali and Black History Month. Children learn about their local community. They frequently visit the adjoining church, where they sing and do shows for parents. Children have access to outdoor spaces.
Ofsted further praised the staff’s risk assessments and safeguarding processes. Inspectors said that there is an “open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first".
Sarah Hogger, nursery manager, said staff took pride in the rating. She said:
We are overjoyed with the outcome of our recent Ofsted inspection. We are a fairly new team and over the last three years have worked hard to change the ethos and mindset of the nursery. We believe ourselves to be a safe, nurturing and inclusive nursery where everyone achieves and reaches their potential. We believe that we provide an inspiring curriculum that sparks children's curiosity and imagination.
Every experience is a learning opportunity for the children. The staff work exceptionally well as a team and have the children's interests and needs at the forefront of all they do. This was reflected in the comments made by the Ofsted inspector. We believe that the recommendations given are very manageable and we are looking forward to developing our outdoor curriculum.
We would be happy to liaise with any local early years settings who offer forest school provision so we can learn and adapt, with the aspiration of including this in our curriculum.
Ofsted noted that to further improve their rating, the nursery could include more learning activities in their children's outdoor play times.
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