Daventry nursery and pre-school awarded good Ofsted rating

The nursery and pre-school is located within the grounds of the NHS Danetre hospital, where children have the choice of a wide range of activities and have the opportunity to develop positive relationships with staff due to their gentle and caring approach.

The staff have been complimented on how they implement the children’s curriculum; while the nursery children experience new activities, staff plan further events to follow on from their discussions and interests about the topics.

The nursery received a good Ofsted rating across all areas of inspection criteria.

The inspector commented on the effective leadership and management of the nursery, saying that the nursery manager “spends significant amounts of time in the children's group rooms. This keeps her up to date and well informed about staff practice and their interaction with the children. The manager provides feedback to staff about their work and how they can continue to improve.”

In the report the staff were complimented on their ability to follow the children's interests as they play, stating that the staff “give children time to explore and add resources that provide children with different experiences. For example, babies enjoy crawling through the tunnel and tumbling into the ball pond.”

The report also commented that the staff had an “effective use of simple sign language in the nursery which helps babies and toddlers communicate. Staff say words and use the corresponding sign throughout children's play and during daily routines. Children quickly learn the signs and use them at mealtimes, such as to indicate that they want 'more, please' and to share when they have finished.”

Nursery manager Tashika Bennett said: “We are delighted with the grade we received from our recent inspection. The experience was very positive on the day, and I am pleased that the comments from the inspector truly reflect the level of care and practice myself and my team deliver on a daily basis.”