Northampton nursery fails to climb out of 'requires improvement' ranking after year of slow progress

Abington Park Day Nursery came up short in an Ofsted inspection published this week (September 20) that scored 'requires improvement' across the board.

Inspectors noted the daycare had not made enough progress on since their last visit in November last year, and the quality of teaching was 'inconsistent'.

However, it was also noted that a new manager had recently arrived at the daycare who had not yet had enough time to implement changes.

The report reads: "Leaders and managers have not made enough improvement since the last inspection.

"Staff often busy themselves attending to routine tasks and do not always engage with children during these times... Consequently, some children turn to visitors for interaction and play.

"Children are generally happy and enjoy spending time exploring the range of toys and creative experiences... However, weaknesses in the quality of teaching, mean that staff do not always make the best use of all opportunities to interact with children or engage themselves in their play."

The daycare, on Wellingborough Road, has 87 children aged between one and four on roll.

Abington Park Day Nursery received a 'requires improvement' grade on its last inspection and was criticised for not making progress in key areas.

However, inspectors noted the daycare had 'good links' local schools and supported children as they transitioned to primary.