Harrogate pre-school receives ‘outstanding’ Ofsted ratingWellbeing ‘at the heart’ of village pre-school near Ripon, says Ofsted

A village pre-school near Ripon has been praised by Ofsted for creating “happy, confident and independent learners”.

Rating Fountains Playgroup and Pre-School ‘good’ in all areas, inspector Jane Mumby said children’s wellbeing was “at the heart” of the pre-school, where children “smile and laugh” all day.

In her report, she said:

“Children’s behaviour is exemplary. They work together to build, act out role-play scenarios and engage in joint tasks, such as building a tower.

“Children’s language and communication skills develop very well. Staff and children share conversations at every opportunity.

“Children with additional needs are supported well. Staff use their knowledge of child development to help children and families put strategies in place to help them to make good progress.”

The report, published at the end of last week, said staff worked together to monitor children’s learning and plan the next steps through “fun, relevant and interesting activities”.

Singing, telling stories and playing outside all formed part of the daily routine at the Grantley pre-school, the inspector found when she visited at the end of March.

She praised the manager’s enthusiasm and the way the staff worked together to offer the best experiences to children, adding:

“Parents say how pleased they are that their child can experience their early education sessions within the pre-school. They comment on how well the staff team know their child and how they go above and beyond to help them develop and learn.

“They feel that their children are safe and happy within the pre-school and are delighted that their children have had a positive early years experience.”

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Looking at areas for improvement, Ms Mumby said staff could offer more opportunity for children to be creative in their activities. She also recommended spending more time looking at diversity to help children understand modern Britain.

In response, Fountains Playgroup and Pre-School leader Dawn Rogers said staff were already working on ways to address the inspector’s recommendations, but that overall they were “thrilled” with the report.

Feedback from parents to the inspector had been excellent, she said, and highlighted the strong links between staff and families.

She added:

“A six year wait to have a visit from Ofsted is a long period of time. However, we ensure good practice in our setting at all times and are up to date with current legislation; so the staff looked forward to welcoming the inspector, sharing our good practice, expertise and knowledge. 

“The inspector was with us longer than she anticipated, but, we, the staff, being as enthusiastic about our setting as we are, we wanted to show her a range of things we do in our day to day sessions making the children’s learning fun and individual and we still had more to show her by the end of the day.

“We want to inspire and give each child in our care fun learning through play and promote learning for life. It is our role to provide the solid foundations and knowledge about the world around us so the children can build their future on the solid foundations we, at Fountains Playgroup and Pre-School, have given them.

“We have 17 children on our register which is our own little Fountains family and each individual and their families mean so much to us as a group.”

New children’s nursery planned for farm near Boroughbridge

Plans have been submitted to build a new early years children’s nursery at Minskip, near Boroughbridge.

Ben and Emma Mosey, who run Yolk Farm and Minskip Farm Shop on Minskip Road, have applied to North Yorkshire Council for the scheme.

The nursery would be situated on the farm and offer 74 full-day places for children aged 0 to 5. It would be open for 51 weeks a year.

The nursery would create 18 jobs and be based around the curiosity and forest school approaches, which encourage independence through outdoor learning.

Documents state the owners have diversified the farm in recent years with a cafe, farm shop and dog walking area but they and want to add a nursery “to create an experience which is safe, fun and educational for children”.

The intended manager of the nursery, Tracey Roberts of Tiddlywinks Private Day Nurseries, has over 20 years in the early years sector and has achieved an outstanding Ofsted rating at Tiddlywinks’ York and Easingwold nurseries.

According to the application, there is a high demand for early years places in the area because there are 229 nursery-aged children in Boroughbridge but only 85 spaces.

UK childcare is among the most expensive in the world and the government announced last month it will expand free childcare for working parents in England by September 2025 to help more parents get back to work.

Planning documents state:

“The subject proposal continues the established trend of successful diversification at Minskip Farm which plays host to a popular café, farm shop and dog walking field.

“Indeed, the provision of an on-site nursery will support the sustainability of extant commercial operations on site, drawing additional footfall to increase trade.

“It is considered that the subject site represents the optimum setting for the establishment of a children’s day nursery, providing children with access to nature and farming activities within a safe, controlled environment, parents with access to the dog walking, café and shopping facilities associated with Yolk Farm, and being accessible from Boroughbridge by public footway, with a bus stop also nearby.”

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Bilton playgroup rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted

Ofsted has rated Acorns Playgroup in Bilton ‘outstanding’ following a recent inspection.

The education inspectors visited the setting, which operates at Bilton Grange Community Primary School on Bilton Lane, in February.

It has 30 children registered between the ages of 2 and 4.

Ofsted found that children “excitedly enter the safe and vibrant pre-school” and are “deeply engrossed in a limitless range of first-class activities and experiences”.

The report said:

“Children’s interests and ideas are at the heart of staff’s thinking when they implement the curriculum.”

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The inspector praised the playgroup for its safeguarding procedures and said staff give the “utmost priority” to keeping children safe.

It said staff have “very high aspirations” for all children and swiftly identify any possible developmental delays to help any child catch up. It said staff at Acorns have an “admiral passion and dedication” to their jobs.

The report added:

“Children demonstrate exemplary behaviour and play extremely well together. They solve problems while building impressive constructions, excitedly dig for ‘treasure’ in the large sand pit and make ‘Chinese noodles’ in the exploratory kitchen. Older children play a mathematical card game skilfully and ensure everyone plays fairly and follows the rules.”

Catherine Kaiser, director of Acorns, thanked staff following the report

She said:

“The staff here are fantastic, we’ve all worked really hard and the report reflects that. It’s our fourth ‘outstanding’ rating in a row. It really has been a team effort.”

Woodlands Kids Club

Earlier this month Woodlands Kids Club, at Willow Tree Primary School on Wetherby Road, received a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted.

Inspectors visited the setting on February 1 and praised staff for offering a welcoming and encouraging environment for young learners.

The report said:

“Staff know the children well and respond to their interests. They extend their learning as they play together. Children greet staff with huge smiles as they arrive at the end of the school day. They show a good sense of belonging as they excitedly talk about their day.

“They form meaningful relationships with the staff and follow instructions well. Staff use their knowledge and experience effectively to support those children who need additional help and encouragement. The strategies they use are highly effective.”