STAFF at Bright Start Day Nursery in Penhill have been vindicated by a fresh Ofsted report since being judged to have failed an injured child in a March inspection.

The nursery has now been lifted from inadequate to good following a series of monitoring inspections, and staff are looking forward to business as usual.

Bright Start had made a complaint about the initial report but believes inspectors have now realised their successes.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the new report,” said nursery manager Cathy Parker. “I think the difficulty is there are very different types of inspection. The first one we had was a concerned inspection so there was a lot less observation of what actually goes on in the nursery.

“For this one, the inspector spent at least two hours of the visit with the staff and children.

“It is a relief, but now we have got our ‘good’ we will be striving for ‘outstanding’. It is incredibly difficult to get there, however it is not out of reach. We just need to build on all the good parts that are in the current report, and we will do that together as a team.”

Julie Swann, Ofsted inspector, said of Bright Start: “Staff carry out detailed observations of the children as they play and children have good opportunities to participate in individually planned activities, which the staff team plan weekly.

“Staff are flexible in their approach to the planning and are especially aware of children’s emerging and changing needs, as they settle and become accustomed to their new routines and environment.

“The well-embedded key person system ensures that every child’s care and development is adapted to meet their individual needs.

“Staff are good role models for manners and the children are polite to both staff and each other.

“Staff use consistently applied strategies and provide clear guidance, therefore, children behave well, demonstrating an understanding of the set boundaries and expectations.

“Since the last inspection, the manager has received substantial support from the local authority Early Years consultants. As a result all staff now have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.

“The safeguarding and welfare requirements are now clearly understood by the management.”