Fairy Bridge Day Nursery, Burnley, receives good Ofsted

Fairy Bridge Day Nursery, in Tunnel Street, was judged to be ‘good’ by inspectors who visited the provider in Tunnel Street on November 4.

The educator was given an ‘inadequate’ in 2022 following complaints which said it compromised children’s safety due to weaknesses in leadership and management.

Since then, it has taken big steps, with Ofsted praising the staff who welcomed children with “open arms”.

Inspectors said: “Children arrive at the nursery happy and full of smiles. They are greeted by the staff who welcome them into the nursery with open arms.

"Children separated from their parents and carers with confidence.

“The provider is clear about what she wants children to learn and why. The curriculum is well thought out and supports children across all areas of learning.

“Mostly, staff implement the curriculum effectively and support children to become confident learners. Children learn important new knowledge from the nursery staff.”

Staff were said to read, talk and sing to children skilfully and children adored choosing from the selection of song cards to hear their favourite nursery rhymes.

However, on some occasions, they were said to use questions in ways that prevented longer conversations between them and the children, which did not support children’s thinking skills or use of language.

The provider was also said to make sure that new staff received a thorough induction and training for their roles, which guides them on how to improve their work.

Inspectors added: “The provider ensures parents and carers are fully informed about their children's experiences at nursery.

“Staff provide helpful guidance for parents, such as about toilet training and sleep routines, to support children's learning at home. This supports children to make further progress in their learning.”

Children were said to enjoy healthy, freshly cooked meals that the nursery provides, and staff had meaningful conversations with children about what foods were healthy.

They were also said to benefit from the resources available to them including a stethoscope and bandages in the role-play area and staff told children how to care for people who have an injury.

Inspectors said: “Children's imagination flourishes as they learn how to act out being someone other than themselves.”

The nursery also supported children’s personal development and provided a calm place such as the ‘emotions tent’ to have some quiet time to reflect on their feelings.

Staff also support older children to become independent learners but at times they were said to offer too much help and this reduced their problem-solving and testing out their own ideas through play.

A focus on meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities was also raised and staff were said to spot any potential barriers to learning.

Working with external experts, such as speech therapists, they ensure children’s learning needs are met.