A nursery in Kingsbury has achieved a major turnaround after going from an inadequate to a good Ofsted rating in just six months.
Little Explorers Nursery in Brent was praised by inspectors having previously raising concerns about the children’s welfare.
The nursery, located at St Sebastian and St Pancras Church in Kingsbury, provides daycare for children up to the age of four. While it’s located at the site of St Sebastian and St Pancras, they are separate organisations and the church has no role in running the nursery.
Ofsted raised concerns about the facility in February but the leadership has been praised for “taking all the necessary steps to improve” after a follow up inspection last month (July 13) rated it as ‘good’.
Children were described as “safe and happy” whilst having “strong bonds” with their key person, who they will readily go to for reassurance or comfort. Inspectors found that the nursery was a “safe and secure environment” for the kids to play and learn in.
The report says: “Staff are good role models who provide structure and have high expectations for every child. […] Leaders have high expectations for every child, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is designed around children’s interests and what they need to learn next.”
Children are encouraged to learn about nature through the nursery’s ‘forest school’ garden, where they can use binoculars to investigate spiderwebs and search for bugs, as well as getting messy and creative using natural materials.
Parents are said to “speak highly” of the nursery and comment on the “positive experience” they have when settling their child in. The report states: “Parents appreciate the daily updates on the online progress log. They know what their child is doing each day, which gives them confidence in what their child is learning and how their personal needs are being supported.”
This is a far-cry from what inspectors concluded just seven months ago. Following the visit on January 19, the report described children as ‘not feeling safe or secure’ due to the leadership not having strategies to manage their behaviour. Inspectors said there were many occasions where kids behaved badly, including hurting each other or snatching toys.
The report was also critical of the quality of the education provided, the leadership team, and the safeguarding of the children. Ofsted described the quality of the curriculum as “not good enough”, with not enough staff with the necessary skills to provide good care.
Little Explorers Nursery were approached for comment but did not respond ahead of publication.
