A Brighton nursery under threat of closure has been rated good with outstanding features by Ofsted, the government education watchdog.
Brighton Start, at the Old Slipper Baths, in Barrack Yard, off North Road, Brighton, was good overall, with outstanding leadership and management.
But Brighton and Hove City Council is proposing to close the nursery to save just over £100,000 a year, with a final decision due by the end of February.
Parents and supporters have been campaigning to keep the nursery open. To read about their petition, click here and here. To sign it, click here.
Ofsted said: “Children can hardly contain their excitement when they arrive at the nursery. They run towards the adults who care for them and chatter about the activities that have been set out for them for the day.
“Children behave very well, and they are aware of the high expectations staff have for them.
“Children are very well supported to manage anxieties, which leaders have attributed to the recent covid-19 pandemic.
“Staff have undertaken specific training to enable them to provide strategies for children most in need, in particular for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children benefit from this targeted approach.
“Children have a good attitude to their learning. They access a very well-planned curriculum that caters for their individual needs.
“Overall, staff provide a very high standard of teaching. They plan a detailed programme where learning is exciting and challenges the children.
“Parents speak very highly of the nursery and mention that staff go ‘above and beyond’ for their children.
“They give examples of ideas staff have suggested for home learning, such as simple word cards and pictures that have been provided to help support children’s emerging language.
“Parents of children who speak English as an additional language report that their children’s home language is celebrated in the nursery.
“The leaders’ meticulous monitoring of children’s progress helps staff to identify gaps in children’s learning and development.
“They have instigated an exceptional programme to support communication and language and they work extremely hard to highlight the support needed for children who may not have the same experiences as other children.
“There is an exceptionally strong programme of support for staff when they first join the nursery. Leaders put a detailed and highly effective programme of training and mentoring in place for these staff.
“Any inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, however slight, are being swiftly identified and addressed, with the aim that all staff will develop the skills and confidence they need to deliver teaching of a high quality.
“The leaders and staff work very well with outside professionals to arrange support for children with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language.
“The nursery’s special educational needs co-ordinator works very effectively to try out recommended strategies, which help children to make very good progress. She identifies the most effective ways to support children who are in receipt of additional funding.
“Staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding. They are aware of the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of being abused, including female genital mutilation, the operation of county lines and the effect from those who may have extreme behaviours and views.
“To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should give children enough time to process their thoughts and ideas when responding to questions (and) make the most of everyday routines to support children to understand the importance of healthy eating.”
Ofsted inspector Tina Lambert visited the nursery, which has 55 places and 48 children on roll, on Friday 18 November.
She said: “Bright Start Nursery is located close to the city centre of Brighton. It is open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round.
“The nursery employs 21 staff, several of whom hold early years qualifications at degree level. The nursery provides funded early education to two, three and four-year-old children.”
To read the full report, click here.
The nursery has been threatened with closure before. To read our report from 2010, click here.
And just four years ago, Bright Start was graded inadequate by Ofsted – the watchdog’s worst rating. To read the official report, published on Christmas Eve in 2018, click here.
