A Busy Bees nursery near Bristol that was rated “inadequate” by Ofsted has made “significant improvements”, a reinspection has found. The branch in Emersons Green was slammed in the previous report in November for placing children at “significant risk of harm”.
Ofsted served a welfare requirements notice on the nursery after finding that “safeguarding practice is weak” and youngsters’ learning and development were “significantly compromised because staff fail to implement a well-designed curriculum effectively”. But following a revisit on May 19, government inspectors have now assessed the Busy Bees in St Lukes Close to be “good” overall, according to their report published this week.
It said: “Since the last inspection, there have been significant improvements to the nursery and what is provided for children. The manager, staff and leadership team have worked tirelessly to make the necessary changes that have had a massive impact on the provision.
Read more: Busy Bees Nursery in Emersons Green rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted
“As a result, children are happy, settled and are making good progress with their learning. Children are eager to go in and play when they arrive at the nursery. Staff have developed a curriculum which focuses on children's needs and interests.
“The youngest children are confident about exploring the interesting environment that staff provide. Staff have made changes to the learning environments, so that they are interesting, stimulating and inclusive to all children.
“The new manager and leaders have high ambitions for what they want children to achieve. They provide staff with the necessary support to raise the quality of the education provided.”
It said nursery workers had a clear understanding of their curriculum, although those in the toddler room still needed some support with developing their assessments and planning. The nursery has 105 places, although there were 68 children on the roll when Ofsted visited.
At the previous inspection, it was rated as inadequate in three of four categories – quality of education, personal development, and leadership and management. The November report had said: “The provision is inadequate.
"The provider has failed to monitor the nursery sufficiently. Senior managers and staff do not fulfil their roles and responsibilities to promote children's welfare or their learning and development.
“Children's safety and well-being are at significant risk because safeguarding practice is weak. Children's learning and development are significantly compromised because staff fail to implement a well-designed curriculum effectively.
“Some staff do not know what to do if they have any concerns about a child and are not confident in their understanding of wider safeguarding matters. These weaknesses place children at significant risk of harm.”
Now it is good overall and across the board after Busy Bees implemented an action plan to address the concerns. Busy Bees Bristol Emersons Green centre director Kimberley Miller said: “We are thrilled to have received a ‘good’ rating by Ofsted.
“Receiving this acknowledgement for the quality of care and education we provide makes me feel incredibly proud of the whole team. Our team has worked tirelessly over the last six months to ensure that every area of care and education is to the highest standard.
“We now have a team of 20 in place who have all undergone enhanced training. They are hugely committed and dedicated to providing a wonderful and nurturing learning environment so that our children have the best start in life.
“We are looking forward to continuing building on the foundation that we have built.”
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