‘Kind and nurturing’ Birstall nursery celebrates ‘good’ Ofsted verdict

Birstall Preschool, which is a registered charity, based on Carr Street, was given the second highest commendation by the education watchdog following an inspection in October.

The report states: “The manager has a clear vision for the setting with a detailed understanding for the curriculum intent. Staff plan a broad and sequenced curriculum, which reflects children's interests and builds on what they already know and can do.

“Children are happy to be at the setting. They feel safe in the care of the kind and nurturing staff. These warm relationships and children's sense of security are evident across the setting, and especially so in the baby room

“Children benefit from a curriculum that is clearly defined and understood by staff. The staff team meet regularly to discuss children's progress and complete regular assessments. This informs their teaching and the planning of next steps for all children.

The report adds: “Parent partnerships are strong. They comment that staff go beyond expectations to provide support and advice to families.”

In response to the report’s findings, nursery manager Sue Brooke, who has worked at the setting for 27 years, said:

“It was nice to be able to discuss our clear vision with the inspector which we have been working towards. Our staff goes above and beyond, working with our families and working with the community - it is a community based setting.

“The staff are passionate and committed. They are all fundamental and everyone is valued. They are all united in their commitment to make a difference.

“I also want to stress the importance of our trustees who work voluntarily and do an invaluable job. We would not be where we are without them.

“We are a children’s charity and a non-profit organisation and have always been keenly invested in our community.

“To be able to showcase all this, and the part we play in our community, was lovely.

“The partnerships we have with our parents is something we value and they are very involved with us. We got some lovely feedback from our parents, especially the care we provide for their children and supporting them through their personal, social and emotional development.”