Kids Planet nursery in Harrogate has received a ‘requires improvement’ rating following a recent Ofsted inspection.

A government inspector said in a report published this week that “teaching is variable and inconsistent for children who attend”.

The report said “staff who work with babies understand how to meet their needs” but added “some children with special educations needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not supported effectively”.

It added:

“Babies explore sensory activities in the garden. Older children use the wooden trail to practise balancing and jumping. However, during times when toddlers and preschool children share the garden, some staff do not supervise them effectively or engage them in learning.

“Support for emerging SEND is inconsistent. For example, staff who work with toddlers have identified areas of potential delay in some children’s learning. However, they have not completed any assessments or created targeted plans to help them make good progress.”

The report said Kids Planet must “improve staff deployment outdoors, specifically when children of different age groups share the space, to ensure children are well supervised at all times”.

It must also “ensure every child has a key person who provides tailored and purposeful learning experiences which meet their individual needs”.

However, the inspector did note that “staff consistently promote children’s good behaviour and help them to develop their social skills” and that “children are well mannered and kind to each other”.

Staff were also found to be ‘good role models.’

In response to the report, Clare Roberts, chief executive of Kids Planet Nurseries, said:

“As part of our continued approach to embedding best practice within our nurseries, we strive to build engaging, everyday environments for all our children at Kids Planet, whilst empowering the new and existing team to develop their own skills relevant to this.

“We take reassurance that the Ofsted inspector acknowledged this, alongside the excellent relationship staff have with babies and the effective safeguarding in practice, supported by knowledgeable staff.

“We continue to work with all parties to ensure we retain the best quality of care and positive feedback received from parents.”

The inspection, which took place on July 21, was the first one since 2018.

This year’s inspection saw the nursery, which was formerly known as Sunbeams, downgraded from a previous ‘good’ rating.

Kids Planet bought the nursery from Sunbeams Ltd in January of this year.

The nursery is one of 165 Kids Planet nurseries in the UK.

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A Harrogate nursery has been praised by Ofsted for delivering a “safe” environment where children feel “confident” and content.

Acorns In Harrogate, based in the grounds of Hookstone Chase Primary School, has maintained its ‘good’ rating earned at its last inspection in 2019.

In its latest report, inspector Pat Edmond said:

“Children are happy and settled at the nursery. Staff recognise the impact that the covid-19 pandemic has had on children’s development. They have sensibly prioritised children’s personal, social and emotional development.

“The success of this is evident throughout the setting. Children are relaxed, confident and very well behaved.”

Visiting the nursery in June, Ms Edmond found its staff had a good understanding of children’s development and were able to effectively support children with special educational needs.

She said the children enjoyed the ‘healthy, home-cooked meals” on offer and staff helped them to understand about their health, both through food and drink and by spending time outdoors.

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.”

North Yorkshire Council has refused plans to build a new children’s nursery at a farm near Boroughbridge.

Plans were submitted in March by Ben and Emma Mosey, who run Yolk Farm and Minskip Farm Shop on Minskip Road.

The nursery would have offered 74 full-day places and be based around the curiosity and forest school approaches, which encourage independence through outdoor learning.

However, in its refusal notice the council said the plans fall outside of development limits and the applicants failed to show how the nursery would diversify their farming business.

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 at other settings.

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

But the council said the plans failed to show that there is a need for the nursery in the area.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director of planning Trevor Watson wrote:

“The proposal is for a new community facility however the application fails to demonstrate that there is a local need for the nursery in this location, that it is of a scale and nature appropriate to its location and intended purpose and that it is accessible to its intended community.”

Mr Watson was also not satisfied with the location of the proposed nursery, saying the new building would result in a “visually intrusive and incongruous development” that would harm the rural location. He added:

“There are no public benefits associated with the proposal that would outweigh the harm.”

Despite not winning backing from the council’s planning department, the economic devolpment team did give it their approval. A council officer wrote:

“It will enable the expansion of an existing business into the Boroughbridge area, generating employment and supporting farm diversification.”

The applicants are able to appeal the decision.

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A village nursery near Harrogate has received praise from Ofsted for the way it encourages children to develop their independence.

The School House Nursery in Pannal was also found to be a “welcoming” environment where children felt “safe and secure” when inspector Jennifer Cowton visited.

Rating the nursery ‘good’ in all areas in a report published this week, she said:

“Children know what is expected of them and follow the boundaries and routines of the setting well. They enjoy playing alongside each other and understand the importance of sharing and taking turns.

“Staff act as positive role models and encourage children to be kind. They speak to children in a calming manner, and carefully consider and respect children’s views and opinions.”

During the inspection, which took place at the end of March, Ms Cowton said children were “well prepared for their next stage in learning”, being encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.

Children benefitted from learning about the natural world through growing flowers and feeding wildlife, she found.

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The report said the nursery, which is part of Kids at Heart based near Knaresborough, helped children to learn about good health, as well as offering a menu of freshly-cooked, healthy meals and snacks.

Ms Cowton said:

“Parents speak highly of the nursery. They say that their children love attending and arrive happy and smiling.

“Staff share information with parents about their children’s learning experiences through daily conversations. In addition, they share photographs of children’s activities using an online application.

“Parents are encouraged to contribute to their children’s learning and support their learning at home. Staff provide parents with activity ideas.”

The report found that, while staff understood how to support children’s language development, they could do more to model language to younger children while playing.

It also recommended the nursery manager could make better use of observation and supervision to help staff develop their teaching.

Responding to the report, Julie Shaw, owner of Kids at Heart, said:

“I would like to say how delighted I am with our Ofsted report. I feel it truly reflects the hard work, dedication, and commitment of the staff team at The School House Nursery, Pannal.

“I would also like to say a massive thank you to the wonderful children (who are amazing) and their parents for all their supportive comments, not only on the inspection day, but on an on-going basis.”

A nursery set up just two years ago in Starbeck has been rated ‘good’ in its first Ofsted inspection.

Finding Nature’s Little Learners achieved that rating in all four areas, inspector Janet Fairhurst praised its focus on developing children’s communication skills.

Her report said:

“The nursery is a happy and welcoming place for children. They have lots of fun learning and playing. Children are safe and well cared for by staff who want the best for them.

“Even the very youngest children settle quickly and happily in the calm and nurturing environment.”

Ms Fairhurst found children enjoyed reading books with staff, who made story time a “thoroughly enjoyable experience”.

She also highlighted the work done to encourage friendships between children and to teach them to share and take turns. She added:

“The experienced leadership team show dedication to their roles. They have created a curriculum which identifies what they want children to learn.

“Leaders and staff know each child’s needs well. This starts with the building of strong relationships with families before a child joins the nursery.

“Staff get to know the children and are alert to any barriers they face and the knowledge they need to learn next. Such strategies ensure that staff can quickly identify and meet the learning and development requirements of children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.”

After the inspection in March, the report praised the strong partnerships with parents and the amount of information provided by staff about children’s progress.

It found parents praised the nursery and its staff, appreciating the “wonderful range of learning experiences” it offered to the 136 children registered.

Addressing areas where improvements could be made, the report added:

“Overall, leaders are aware of staff’s strengths and aspects of their practice that can be developed further.

“However, monitoring of teaching has not been precise enough to identify where some staff need further support and guidance. For instance, staff do not always consider the environment when planning adult-led activities, so that distractions are reduced, and children are able to concentrate.

“Equally, on occasion, some staff interactions between children and staff do not stretch or develop older children’s mathematical skills, such as counting and calculation, as well as they might.”

‘Proud of the team’

The report has been welcomed by the nursery, which said a ‘good’ rating is “increasingly difficult to achieve”. Owner Samantha Williams said:

“I am exceptionally proud of the team and their continued commitment to ensure that the children attending our setting receive the very best possible care and education. The inspection was really relaxed and the inspector herself said if she was a child attending our nursery she would want to come back day after day.

“We thank all the parents who flooded our inbox with emails to include their feedback on the day – there is no better representation of the hard work and dedication of the practitioners than what the children and parents have to say about their experiences here.

“As a newly established nursery in the area, we are welcoming ways to strengthen our practice and the Ofsted inspection gave us just that. Through our recent staff training day we have already addressed the improvements suggested and made adjustments in our environments.

“I am a firm believer in there is always room to improve, room to grow and our experienced team show true dedication in their reflective practice.”

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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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A Boroughbridge nursery helps children to feel “safe and secure” and “eager and ready to learn”, according to its latest Ofsted report.

Stepping Stones Day Nursery and Out of School Club on York Road has maintained its ‘good’ rating in the latest report, with inspector Janet Fairhurst praising the way children are helped to develop skills and independence.

She said:

“The manager has developed a curriculum that focuses on promoting children’s communication and language, and independence. Staff gain good information from parents about children’s starting points and create activities to build on these skills.

“Staff know the children well. They speak confidently about what children already know. Staff take account of this information to plan activities and provide targeted support that helps children make progress in their learning.”

Ms Fairhurst said energetic play outdoors, nutritious meals and good hygiene routines all helped to teach children the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

She praised the way staff used songs, rhymes and questions to promote children’s language development. The report said children were encouraged to stop their activities and listen at appropriate points in the daily routine, and that they were able to maintain their concentration for sustained periods.

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Looking at areas for improvement, Ms Fairhurst said the nursery could do more to help children learn about other cultures and ways of life. She added:

“The provider, manager and staff build strong relationships with families. They establish effective communication with parents to inform them of their children’s learning and the next steps in their learning.

“Parents appreciate the online system for sharing information, and say they are ‘impressed’ with how much progress their children make.

“However, staff have not yet established effective working relationships with other settings that some children also attend. This means that relevant information to support continuity of children’s learning and development is not shared.”

Stepping Stones has welcomed the latest report and rating. Owner Nadine Blakey said:

“We are really delighted with the outcome of our recent Ofsted inspection, the inspector was particularly impressed with our children’s behaviour, manners and independence.

“I am really proud of all our staff team who work really hard to give all our children the best start in life.”

A nursery in Ripon has been praised for the sense of joy it creates in its children.

In a report published this week, Ofsted said Stepping Stones in Blossomgate offered “purposeful” activities and helped children to become more independent.

Rating the setting ‘good’, inspector Jen Lyons said:

“Lively, interesting and purposeful activities filtrate the rooms, giving a sense of joy and happiness for the children and staff at this nursery.

“Children are settled and happy attending and have built strong attachments with their key workers and other staff. Children are focused and engaged in carefully planned activities built around their interests and next steps.

“Joyful songs are heard throughout the day and children’s faces light up during group singing sessions. Babies learn about jungle animals, exploring different textures through making animal footprints in play dough.

“Children experience moments of awe and wonder, such as while using shakers and playing with glittery water in the baby room. This effectively supports the development of children’s emotional well-being.”

The inspection, which took place in February, found staff helped children to develop their understanding in key areas of the curriculum.

Indoor activities, such as learning the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, were followed by imaginative play outside when the children pretended to be characters from the fairytale.

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Ms Lyons said the nursery’s approach of making learning enjoyable helped children to engage and make good progress.

She added:

“Children with special educational and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff are quick to spot the signs of children not meeting relevant milestones.

“These children make good progress from their starting points as staff know how best to support them. Parents are kept well informed of their progress and are happy with their learning and development.”

Looking at areas for improvement, the report recommended the nursery should ensure consistent teaching about personal care, such as washing hands before meals.

Stepping Stones manager Clare Brigantes said she was pleased with the latest Ofsted report and that the recommended improvement was already in place.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Normally, you feel on edge about an Ofsted inspection, but she was very friendly and made everyone feel at ease.

“The day just flowed and it was really nice – the staff were able to answer her questions and the children were having a really good day.

“The inspector asked us to get emails from parents about their experiences. Some of them made me cry.

“They say thank you when they’re picking up and we get Christmas cards and things, but it’s lovely to hear their experiences and how they really feel about what we offer.”

A Harrogate district private primary school is launching a new free monthly parent and baby group for children up to the age of three. 

Belmont Grosvenor School (BGS), which is based at Swarcliffe Hall in Birstwith, will hold its first session of First Steps in its Magic Tree Nursery on Friday, February 24. 

Meeting on the last Friday of each month, parents and babies up to the age of 36 months will be offered a different free activity, such as yoga or dance, aimed at encouraging a child’s development in their early years.  

Belmont Grosvenor School nursery manager Joanne Henderson said: 

“At this time, when the entire country is struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, First Steps parent-and-baby group at BGS is something that is free and will hopefully benefit local families.

“The activities we have planned for our monthly meetings are experiences our children here at BGS enjoy and we wanted to share them with our local community.” 

The first session, on February 24, will be Music and Dance, hosted by Belmont Grosvenor’s music co-ordinator Mrs Jo Sadler. Aimed at babies from birth to 18 months, the session will include action songs, stories and dance, as well as the chance to have fun with the musical instruments. 

On Friday, March 31, there’s an Easter Egg scavenger hunt across Belmont Grosvenor’s 20 acres of grounds planned for older children, from 12-months to three years, with an Easter treat at the end.

Hazel Roman from Harrogate Baby Massage will be running a free First Steps class for parents and babies at BGS on Friday, April 28 while older children will be able to sign up for a Forest School session through First Steps on Friday, May 26.  

All sessions are free and will run from 9.30 to 11am but need to be booked in advance. Free tea, coffee and snacks will be provided, as well as everything needed to take part. 

To book a free slot, go to Belmont Grosvenor’s website, or call Belmont Grosvenor on 01423 771029, or email admin@belmontgrosvenor.co.uk.

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