PASSIONATE leadership is at the heart of a nursery and pre-school in Yate, says the education watchdog.
An Ofsted inspector found that Little Oaks, in Cranleigh Court Road, was a a “warm and welcoming” nursery whose children developed independence and confidence as they learned.
The regulator said the nursery was ‘good’ in all areas – quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and personal development – retaining the rating it received at its only previous inspection in 2018.
Inspector Rachael Williams praised staff for encouraging and respecting the choices children made about their play, and found staff supported children well.
Her report said: “The approachable and passionate leadership and management team support staff well to develop their skills, especially unqualified or less-experienced staff.
“Staff take time to get to know their children, working closely with parents and other professionals.
“They build a curriculum that supports children’s individual interests and what they need to learn next.”
The report said staff gave careful consideration to meeting all children’s needs and to ensuring that they offer suitable challenges.
A “knowledgeable” special educational needs coordinator provides good support to the staff team to ensure that they meet children’s individual needs successfully.
Little Oaks, which was first registered in 2016, has 102 children aged four and under on its roll, opening 51 weeks of the year from 7.30am to 6pm.
The inspection in July found that staff were clear in what want children to learn and provide a broad range of experiences and opportunities to help children succeed.
The report said: “Children become confident communicators.
“Young children are inquisitive and talked about their play with the inspector. Older children confidently talk about their drawings.”
The inspector said even the youngest children gain good independence – staff support babies well to wipe their hands with a flannel before they eat and to choose which apron to wear.
The inspection also noted there was a strong focus on supporting the well-being of staff.
In order to further improve, it recommended Little Oaks develops more support and guidance to raise the quality interactions with younger children, and provides children with clear explanations to help them to assess risk for themselves.
Manager Joanna Henshall and deputy Rachel Brown praised their staff team.
Joanna said: We are very proud of the amazing team we work with every day and how much care and passion they put in to looking after children and supporting them in their development.
“We thank our incredible families for also supporting us in achieving the ‘good’ grade and continuously working with us as a team.”
Picture: Little Oaks children and staff celebrate the nursery’s ‘good’ rating from Ofsted