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.”