Busy Bees Northampton Wootton Fields secures an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating

Assessed as ‘Outstanding’ in all areas, the centre was recognised for its ‘exceptional’ partnership with parents, creating a support network for new families which offers impartial advice and opportunities for parents to feedback. Parents comment on how ‘information shared has enabled them to support their children’s development at home’.

The nursery is managed by joint centre directors Danielle Oliver and Hollie Spence.

Danielle said: “Our partnership with parents is key to children’s successful development in nursery and at home, so we are particularly pleased to see this recognised by the inspector.”

Hollie added: “We are proud to have achieved the Outstanding rating, which is a positive reflection of our team’s dedication to giving every child the very best start in life.”

The inspection report outlines how children ‘demonstrate immense pride in completing age-appropriate tasks’ and independence is encouraged through such activities as babies finding their own drinking cups or older children being selected as lunchtime helpers.

Children were noted to ‘display impeccable manners and are kind and considerate towards one another’.

Communication skills are well promoted in a ‘language-rich’ environment. Staff encourage children to explore new and challenging vocabulary and babies enjoy songs and rhymes.

The inspector praised the way the nursery management engaged with the local community, giving children a ‘rich set of experiences that reflects the environment they live in’.

Examples of this include children enjoying trips to the local library and shop and a weekly play session for families in the community which ‘supports the social development of all children’.

The nursery team were recognised for their ‘comprehensive monitoring of children’s progress’ which allows them to ‘extend and adapt activities well to ensure that they are suitably challenging for all children’.

This ‘well planned’ flexibility was also demonstrated in the way children transitioned through the nursery and into school, with the inspector commenting that ‘detailed information about children’s interests and learning needs is shared effectively between staff. This supports children to settle swiftly and continue to make good progress’.

Children are provided with ‘meaningful opportunities’ to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and ‘develop a sense of pride in sharing their knowledge with their friends’.

Support for the development and wellbeing of the ‘highly motivated’ staff is noted as being instrumental in the nursery’s ability to ‘offer consistently high-quality learning experiences’.

To view the full report, visit: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50216863