‘Good’ result for Wick nursery, says Ofsted

An inspector for the monitory body have hailed the Playcentre Nursery, at the Wickbourne Centre, in Clun Road, as “Good”, after visiting the site, last month.

The nursery tends to around 100 children, aged between six months and five years.

The report, which was released last week, praised the staff for their dedication, commitment and enthusiasm to pass on their knowledge to the children in their care.

In her report, Ofsted inspector Helen Edwards highlighted: “Staff offer children an exciting programme of activities through a rich range of toys and resources.

“They provide a welcoming and stimulating environment where children follow their own interests and have fun. Children arrive at the nursery with great enthusiasm and are eager and motivated to play and learn.

“Staff fully support children’s learning and prepare them for their transition to school and future learning opportunities.”

The attention and enthusiasm by staff to provide engaging and exciting lessons was also noted in the report, with morning and afternoon story sessions proving to be particularly strong.

“Children enjoy listening to stories read to them by attentive adults who engage them in discussions about the story and the illustrations. They join in excitedly when making up their own story and acting out a trip to the moon.

“Children have numerous opportunities to make marks with a variety of media and materials, both inside and out.”

The inspection also said that babies received lots of individual attention by “kind and caring staff” at the site.

Despite all the praise, the nursery, which has been in Wick for around eight years, did fall short of achieving the top “Outstanding” mark.

It was suggested that more attention needed to be paid by staff when it came expanding the children’s opportunities to explore mathematics.

However, it did say that this was being addressed by the nursery, with regular cookery sessions, getting the children to weigh out their ingredients.

It added that a review was needed of the self-assessments undertaken by staff.

Melanie Ruffell, nursery manager, said she was delighted with the results.

Mother-of-two Melanie, whose children have both attended the school, said: “We’re thrilled at our mark. It’s just such a shame it wasn’t outstanding, but we’re already working on improving this.”

She added: “We love getting involved with the children and dressing up, too. Everyone is like one big family”