Little ones are thriving at an Aycliffe Nursery which has been rated good. Ofsted inspectors said Little Acorns Nursery is a good nursery in every area.
Fiona Smith the manager at the nursery is very proud of the staff, “We have a fantastic team of people here who work very hard. It is a privilege to be manager of the setting.” The previous inspection graded Little Acorns as satisfactory and the nursery has made vast improvements.
Ofsted inspectors were full of praise for the nursery saying; “Staff plan a range of interesting and exciting activities based on children’s interests. Consequently children are motivated, keen to learn making good progress in their development.” Children are well safeguarded due to robust recruitment and vetting procedures and staff’s understanding of their roles and responsibilities in protecting the children in their care. The nursery has a well established key person system, which helps children form warm and secure attachments, promoting their well-being and ensuring they feel happy and safe. “Partnerships with parents are strong who speak highly of the nursery and the different ways staff support them in helping their children to settle and involve them in their learning.”
The inspectors said the staff skilfully enable children to follow their own interests. They give them time to explore for themselves but are on hand to sensitively support and extend their learning as needed, both indoors and outdoors.
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the nursery should extend the opportunities for children whose home language is other than English, to see and use that language within the nursery environment. Also to enhance the opportunities pre-school children have to develop their independence skills, for example setting up for lunch.
Little Acorns Nursery are so happy with their outcome and are looking forward to making new changes to their environment and making further improvements inorder to better their nursery provision.
