A nursery has been given a rating of ‘good’ by education watchdog Ofsted just a few months after it had been rated ‘inadequate’.

An Ofsted report released this month said the manager at Bright Start Playgroup in Cowlersley, which looks after children from 0-4, had made “significant improvements” since the last inspection in July last year.

Ofsted inspector Angela Sugden, said: “She (the manager) demonstrates commitment to ensure continued improvement and accurately evaluates the quality of the provision.

“The manager understands her responsibility in meeting all the legal requirements.”

Ofsted said:

  • Staff support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities particularly well by identifying any developmental concerns and implementing individual support plans
  • Children develop their understanding of differences between themselves and people “in this very inclusive nursery”.
  • Staff value children’s home language and help them learn about each other’s family, their beliefs and cultural celebrations.
  • Staff effectively support all children to settle in nursery, which helps children develop secure emotional attachments.
  • Parents are very complimentary about the nursery,

Ofsted says the nursery, on Cowlersley Lane, is not rated ‘outstanding’ for two reasons:

  • Staff do not consistently use effective teaching methods to challenge children’s thinking and encourage them to solve problems for themselves
  • Staff do not effectively organise some activities and resources in the room for older children to ensure that all children maintain their concentration.

Oftsed says that, to further improve the quality of early years provision, the nursery provider should:

  • Enhance staff teaching skills so they consistently encourage children’s thinking and extend their problem-solving skills to maximise their learning
  • Refine the organisation of some activities and resources in the room for older children to ensure all children maintain concentration in their learning.