Northampton nursery with ‘rich and exciting’ curriculum rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

A Northampton nursery has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in its latest inspection.

The Wooldale Early Care and Education Centre in Wooldale Road, Wootton was visited by Ofsted inspectors on August 2 and - in a report published last week - was found to be ‘good’ in all areas.

The report said: “Children have a wonderful time at Wooldale Day Nursery. They are greeted at the door by warm, friendly staff.

“Staff work well to meet the individual needs of children as they arrive and settle for the day. Babies are handled with great care and consideration as they separate from their parents into the care of the dedicated baby room team.”

The inspector described the nursery’s curriculum as “rich”, “exciting” and “considers the learning needs of all children. For example, children took an interest in first aid so staff used books to help them to understand the jobs doctors do and children practiced putting bandages on one another.

Staff were commended for encouraging children to broaden their knowledge about things that interest them and supporting them to remember key words such as lava and magma as they create a volcano outside.

The education watchdog said that children at the nursery enjoy being active outdoors with babies playfully exploring parachute games and toddlers taking part in exercise sessions where they pretend to grow from a seed into a tree.

The Ofsted report found that children’s behaviour is very good as a result of staff having high expectations of them. Staff were praised for giving children gentle reminders about sharing, waiting and taking turns whilst encouraging them to think about how their behaviour impacts others.

One inspector noted the care that two-year-olds showed for one another when they bumped into each other, making sure they are not hurt.

According to the report, parents spoke highly of staff and valued their personal approach as well as the time given to support children to settle. They especially appreciated the verbal feedback they receive on their child’s experience on a daily basis in addition to the more detailed feedback on their development through an online app.

The education watchdog also had praise for the nursery’s manager, who spends time in each room to observe staff interacting with children. Purposeful feedback is then provided to staff, which encourages them to become reflective practitioners and enables staff to feel well supported.

Suggested improvements for the nursery include giving children the opportunity to explore how to use toys and resources to their own satisfaction because staff sometimes “overdirect” activities.

Inspectors also found that not all children are supported to be independent at meal times and staff can address this by allowing children to carry out tasks by themselves consistently.

The Wooldale Early Care and Education Centre, registered in 2004 by Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited, is situated within the grounds of Caroline Chisholm School.

At the time of this inspection, the nursery employed 22 members of childcare staff and had 89 children on roll.

The nursery was rated outstanding at its last inspection in February 2015.

Read the full Ofsted report here.