A nursery school in Bristol has retained its ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted five years after its last inspection. Purple Childcare, on Passage Road in Henbury, received the ‘Good’ grading after inspectors visited the school on Thursday, August 29, following a previous inspection in February 2019.
The educational provider takes in children between the ages of two and four which operates all year round. It receives funding to provide free early years education for children for up to 48 weeks a year.
The Ofsted report, published on September 30, says that the children at the nursery are able to separate from parents with ease as “friendly staff welcome them” into the facility. Children arrive “happy and excited to start their day” and show high levels of confidence when interacting with the staff at the nursery.
The report said: “Children become confident communicators at an early age. They approach visitors and engage in conversations. They chat to their peers and take turns in conversations during group times.
“Staff plan a broad curriculum that promotes children’s communication, well-being and excitement to learn. Staff know their key children well and have clear intentions for what they want children to learn next.”
Learning is well sequenced and that means that all children are able to make good progress in their learning and development. As well, the behaviour of the children is good as they “listen to instructions, follow boundaries, and show respect for staff and each other”. Staff were also praised for reinforcing their expectations and addressing unwanted behaviour.
The management at the school are able to explain the curriculum and how it meets the learning needs of children who attend the nursery. It focuses on communication, language and on personal and social development.
Staff consider the interests of children as they plan activities and are skilful and interact with children well. Learning is sequenced in order to give children the knowledge and understanding to prepare them for primary school education, however “older and most-able children” are not challenged in learning and do not always make the progress which they are capable of.
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The report said: “Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their self-help skills, such as washing hands, pouring drinks and selecting their own fruit at snack time. However, there are some inconsistencies in the arrangements to promote all children’s independence.
“On occasion, younger children do not receive encouragement to try to complete tasks for themselves. At these times, they do not always benefit from opportunities to further develop their independence and self-help skills.
“Children receive clear messages so that they understand expectations for their behaviour. Staff manage children’s behaviour well and discuss how the child is feeling or how they have made others feel. Staff consistently praise and reward positive behaviours which support children to understand how to behave appropriately.“
Children at Purple Childcare are able to develop their physical skills through different opportunities within indoor and outdoor spaces, including climbing frames and slides. Staff are able to promote language skills as they sing and read stories with children, including using sign language. Inspectors praised staff for taking a “genuine interest” in what children say and allowing them to become confident talkers.
The report added: “The management team is reflective and reviews how well children’s needs are being met. It has recently implemented changes to the environment and updated policies and procedures. Staff report that improvements are having a positive impact on them and children.
“The management team prioritises staff well-being. Staff report how they feel supported in their roles. Partnerships with parents are successful. Parents communicate that staff are friendly, helpful and willing to assist.”
The inspection took place prior to changes made to how inspections are conducted and assessed. One word and two word judgements were scrapped in September for all state schools and replaced with a school report card system.
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