'˜Outstanding' Ofsted report for nursery

St Luke’s Pre-School Nursery, on Carlton Road, South Elmsall, has been rated “outstanding” by the education watchdog Ofsted.

Inspectors who visited last month said improvements had been made at the nursery by manager Jane Oxley after St Luke’s got a lower rating of “satisfactory” two years ago.

The Ofsted report said: “The manager is an inspirational leader.

“She has made vast improvements to achieve excellence in every aspect of the pre-school.

“The manager and staff provide children with a high-quality provision and the best opportunities to learn and develop.”

There was praise for staff and activities to help children learn at the nursery, which is part of St Luke’s Church and has 32 places for children aged between two and five.

The report said: “Children flourish in this nurturing environment, as staff are exceptionally caring and know children incredibly well. Staff are highly considerate of parents’ and children’s feelings during settling-in times.”

The report said children who needed extra help to learn were making substantial progress thanks to additional funding.

Staff used questionnaires to seek parents views on the nursery.

The report said: “Staff’s quality of teaching is consistently of a very high standard.

“Their excellent interactions contribute to children being fully engaged in purposeful play. Children are continually making discoveries and experiencing new things.”

Children’s behaviour was also praised. The report added: “Children receive constant praise and encouragement.

“Their behaviour is excellent, as staff place a great emphasis on teaching children how to share and treat their friends kindly.”

St Luke’s Pre-School Nursery was rated “outstanding” in four separate areas by the education watchdog Ofsted.

Inspectors praised leadership and management, the quality of teaching, behaviour and welfare of children and learning.

The Ofsted report said youngsters benefitted from outdoor activities. It said: “Children benefit greatly from daily fresh air. They have access to a range of resources that helps them to develop their learning outdoors. The providers and manager have aspirations to improve this area of learning even further.

“All children are developing skills that will enhance their future learning extremely well.

Children display excellent levels of concentration during their play.”