The Old Fire Station Nursery, Englefield celebrates achieving ‘good’ Ofsted result

A village nursery has been rated ‘good’ in all five areas after its most recent Ofsted inspection in December.

Staff and parents at The Old Fire Station Nursery in Englefield are celebrating strong positive feedback from the inspector, published on January 22.

The report praised staff for having a “strong focus on building children’s personal, social and emotional wellbeing” and for providing “a wide range of learning experiences that promote their overall development”.

Sophie Bieny manages the nursery, which currently enrolls 56 children aged one to four.

In a joint statement with her deputy manager Georgia Ward they said: “Our team work so incredibly hard and to have received a good outcome is something each and every one of us are extremely proud of.

“This report only confirms what we already know as nursery managers; the team are great role models and we pride ourselves on ensuring the children feel loved, valued and respected within our setting.

“Our relationship with our nursery parents is just as important to us and to have received such positive feedback from them.”

“Such a great team; they go above and beyond with every detail and are very helpful and dedicated to all children,” said one parent in response to the result.

“The staff are fabulous, kind and compassionate and are an absolute credit to the business.”

“Some mornings my 20-month-old doesn’t say goodbye or want to come home because she has had such a lovely day at nursery,” added another.

“It’s a hard decision to go back to work full time and it’s made a little easier when you know your children are in safe hands.”

The inspector also noted that “staff act as good role models and encourage children’s use of good manners”.

To further improve, the inspector added that “support staff need to communicate clear expectations for children’s behaviour to help them understand what is expected of them and to create a calm environment for learning”.

Nursery owner Sue Highet also welcomed the result, saying: “I would like to say a huge thank you to our fantastic team, but also to the parents for their continued support.

“I am pleased to be the proud owner of such a small and well-established nursery.”