Seasoned nursery in Ravenshead for babies and toddlers celebrates another rating of 'Good'

Longdale Nursery School and Children’s Centre, which has 93 children, aged one to three, on its books, has retained its ‘Good’ rating, both overall and in all four individual categories, after its latest inspection.

Those categories cover quality of education, behaviour and attitudes of children, personal development of children, and leadership and management.

The Longdale Lane operation was established back in 1996 and is now run by the Childcare (East Midlands) group, which is responsible for several Cherubs nurseries across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

The Ravenshead nursery, which employs 20 members of childcare staff, opens all year round on Mondays to Fridays from 7.30 am to 6 pm.

In their report, Ofsted inspectors said: “Children are supported to feel secure in the nursery when they arrive, and to behave well. Staff talk to them about their experiences at home.

"Outside in the garden, when it rains, children show excitement to jump in puddles and laugh with staff. This develops their co-ordination.”

The inspectors also found that staff help to develop the confidence of youngsters, who “listen to and follow instructions, helping them to learn skills for when they move on to school”.

"The cook offers children a range of healthy meals, and staff talk to them about the ingredients. They tell children that they should eat all of their food to make them strong.

"Staff also support children’s communication and language skills well. For example, they sing nursery rhymes to support children’s early speaking.”

The inspection found that toddlers were encouraged to become independent, while children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) were “supported well”, with one-to-one help if necessary.

The management team was praised for supporting staff, providing supervision, appraisals and in-house training.

And staff were hailed for “sharing information with parents about their children’s development, which helps them to be involved in their learning”.

There was also an “open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first”.

Ofsted pinpointed three areas for improvement at the nursery. These focused on boosting children’s self-care skills in the baby unit, encouraging children to share their own thoughts in the pre-school room, and developing partnerships with other early-years settings that the youngsters move on to.