Harrogate nursery staff ‘adore the job they do’, says Ofsted

Kindercare nursery on Pannal Ash Road in Harrogate, has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

The findings were published in a report yesterday following an inspection in October.

Government inspectors rated the nursery, which was registered in 1993, as ‘good’ in all four categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

However, the assessment did see the grading fall from a previous ‘outstanding’ in 2018.

The report said “children enjoy their time at the nursery” and found staff provide a “safe and well-resourced” learning environment. It added:

“Children and babies are keen to explore and have a go at the wide range of activities on offer.

“They like trying tricky activities, such as catching falling leaves and taking turns to build ‘wobbly’ towers of bricks.”

Inspectors said the behaviour and attitudes at the nursery, which has 86 pupils, are “very good”.

The report also described the 20 members of staff as “wonderfully positive role models”, adding:

“They treat children with respect and are consistently kind and calm in their manner.

“Staff use sensitive and age-appropriate methods for managing unwanted behaviour.

“They frequently praise children for being kind and helpful. This helps to support children’s confidence and self-esteem.”

The manager was described as “knowledgeable, proactive and enthusiastic”. She seeks and receives good support from senior managers and reflects on staff training and wellbeing needs, the report added.

Inspectors also praised the “fun and warmth” shown by staff to babies, and noted they “clearly adore the job they do”.

They said:

“The special educational needs coordinator has a clear understanding of her role and responsibilities.

“Staff work with partner agencies to ensure that children’s individual needs are identified and well met. This makes sure that children have a consistent approach towards their care and learning.”

Safeguarding was found to be “effective”.

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Areas of improvement

However, the inspectors did say not all staff interactions with children “fully support them to make the best possible progress”. They added:

“Some staff do not give children sufficient time to deepen their ideas, solve problems, predict outcomes and find different ways of doing things for themselves.”

The report also found:

“At times, staff do not ensure that the outdoor learning environment has a rich range of play experiences to further support children’s development. This limits children to build on their growing physical skills.”

Ofsted said to improve, staff should “strengthen the already good teaching” to improve the children’s focus, as well as make full use of the outdoor space “to help to keep children engaged in their play”.

The Stray Ferret contacted Kindercare for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The nursery is owned by Busy Bees Ltd, which has more than 390 nurseries across the UK and Ireland.

‘Kind and caring’ staff draw Ofsted praise for Harrogate nursery

Strong leadership and a nurturing environment have earned praise from Ofsted for a Harrogate day nursery.

Busy Bees on South Drive was rated ‘good’ in all areas in a report published at the end of December.

In her report, inspector Jan Batchelor said:

“Children are greeted warmly by staff when they arrive at the nursery. They are keen to go and find their friends.

“There are plenty of cuddles and reassurance for children who are a little unsettled or new to the nursery. Throughout the day, children are treated with the utmost kindness, care and respect by the nurturing staff team.”

Ms Batchelor praised the many opportunities for learning on offer at the nursery. Both indoor and outdoor spaces were found to be supportive of development, with staff helping children to build on their knowledge and understanding in each age group.

She said there was a “good balance” between staff-led activities and time for independent play.

The inspection, which took place in November, found two areas for improvement, including giving more consistent messaging about healthy eating to ensure children understood it.

It also found children missed out on learning time when they had to wait for meals to be served or for others to take off their coats and wash their hands after being outside.

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Ms Batchelor added:

“Staff’s skilful interactions with children make learning fun and meaningful. They use their knowledge of individual children’s interests to set up effective learning opportunities.

“Staff introduce new vocabulary as children play. They question the children to help develop their thinking skills. Children are always given time to respond.

“Where children are not making as much progress as others, additional support is put in place. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children’s needs are being met as effectively as possible.”

Busy Bees on South Drive – formerly known as Kindercare and still registered under that name with Ofsted – was previously rated ‘outstanding’ in its last inspection, in late 2018. However, Ofsted has since changed its inspection framework for childcare and education settings, meaning they have to meet much higher criteria in order to achieve the top rating.

Responding to the latest report, South Drive centre director Danni Catton said:

“Overall, we felt the inspection went very well and it was great to read that the report highlighted our commitment to the children’s learning and safety, and our effective partnerships with parents. Our team is committed to giving children the best start in life and we continuously strive to ensure the needs of children are being met at all times.

“We are pleased with our ‘good’ rating – we will take the inspectors’ improvements into consideration, and we will continue to work towards achieving an ‘outstanding’.”