An Astley Bridge nursery which tries to create a ‘homely’ environment for children in its care has received a good Ofsted rating.
It was the nursery's first Ofsted rating.
In the report, Ofsted inspector Chris Scully said staff at the nursery, which opened in 2021, had created a ‘warm, inviting and interesting environment in which children grow and develop’.
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The report, published on Thursday, April 9, went on to praise staff teaching methods, with children said to learn how to regulate their emotions through various breathing techniques.
Children were said to respect and value their friends’ opinions as they were encouraged to vote on which story to read before lunch.
The report went on to note that children had ‘lots of opportunities to undertake tasks’ – with those of all ages pitching in and helping out.
Parents were said to benefit from a positive relationship with staff, and knew what their children had been learning each day at the nursery, which has 45 places.
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Closeknit relationship credited for rating
Owner-manager Jackie Nairn credited the nursery’s ‘close-knit’ relationships with its success.
Originally from Lockerbie, Jackie said: “We’re a small nursery, we’re not big – and the main ethos for us is to make it homely for the children.
“We take on a more natural approach, we got rid of a lot of toys and we use more of what we call ‘loose parts’ – and that spurs the children’s imagination and creativity. Behaviour-wise we’ve got no issues at all with the children.
“The staff are amazing, we’ve got quite a close-knit team. The main thing is nurturing the children and helping them to become resilient and confident learners.”
The 53-year-old added: “Our secret is that we’re a close-knit nursery, we’ve got a mix of older and younger staff, we’ve got fabulous relationships with the parents. It was our first inspection – I’ve been there nearly six years, so it was a bit of the unknown, to be honest.
“We are delighted we’ve got the outcome we got, but it was two points away from outstanding – which was annoying, really. We’re always striving to be the best and I don’t think anybody’s perfect anyway.
“I think it’s mainly the team that we’ve got that made it, and the children, really.”
Seymour Road Nursery hit the headlines last year after raising thousands for cancer treatment centre The Christie .
Later this year, the Astley Bridge nursery will be raising funds for Bolton Hospice at its summer fair, on September 14.
If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.
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