A DOWNEND nursery’s strong bonds between children and staff and partnerships with parents have been praised by an inspector.
Ofsted visited Mama Bear’s Day Nursery, at Stanbridge Primary School, in October.
Inspector Rachel Howell found the nursery to be ‘good’ in all areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and personal development.
Her report said all children at the nursery make good progress, and are “well supported to reach their potential”.
Staff help them to become more independent, and develop literacy and physical skills.
The inspector said children’s language, social skills, confidence and self-awareness progress well.
Differences are “valued and celebrated”, with staff using words in the home languages of children who do not have English as their first language, and using signs and pictures to communicate with children who need extra support.
The inspector said: “Children form strong bonds with the caring staff, and their safety and physical well-being are closely supported.
“Parents are very positive about the friendly, welcoming staff and all that they do for the children.
“Partnerships with parents are strong.”
The inspector said staff promote a “beneficial community atmosphere”, offering ideas and equipment for home learning and opportunities to share uniforms.
Staff are well supported and given a “range of relevant training”.
To further improve the inspector recommended that managers ensure all staff are able to pick up on children’s interests and adapt activities to inspire them, and review group activities to ensure children are consistently paying attention.
The nursery, which has 39 children aged two to four on its roll, is based on the primary school grounds in Stanbridge Road.
Ofsted’s visit was its first since the Mama Bear’s nursery registered in 2022; the site has previously been occupied by Bright Sparks and Stanbridge pre-schools.
Nursery manager Hannah Castle said: “I am really proud of our team.
“We are happy with this result and feel it reflects the care we put in every day.
“We are happy that the report reflects our parent partnership, as we work hard to cultivate trusting relationships, sharing knowledge, having open communication, understanding the children’s interests, working together to best support each individual child’s learning and development.
“The well-being and mental health of our children and staff are at the very centre of everything we do.”