Portland House Nursery has once again been judged “Outstanding” in every category by Ofsted under the new, even tougher framework.
With their 25 year anniversary around the corner and this glowing and well-deserved Ofsted report, there's lots to celebrate!
The Ofsted inspector commented that “Children have immense fun in the nursery” and the “teaching is consistently outstanding” supporting the children to make “excellent progress, including disabled children, those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language.” She then went on to praise the leadership saying “The members of the management team are inspirational. Their enthusiasm, passion and high expectations across all areas of practice show an exemplary drive for ongoing development and continual improvements.”
Nursery Manager Julie Lister, who has been with the company for over 20 years complemented her staff team saying “I am immeasurably proud of this achievement, as I know the staff team have worked so hard to deliver the very best for the children in our care by constantly developing the nursery and our practice to keep standards high. Although impressing an Ofsted inspector is not always easy, I must admit that I was looking forward to our inspection to show case everything we do! The whole experience was really quite enjoyable, it’s just a shame the new style of reports cannot go in to more detail to be a bit more exciting for parents to read. However ‘Outstanding’ says it all and we are delighted!”
Ofsted further highlighted the excellent partnership with parents: “Parents are offered a wealth of training and information through monthly themed stay-and-play sessions….and…. frequently contribute to planning for their children's learning and receive detailed information about their progress.”
The Ofsted inspector commented that “The environment is extremely welcoming and has exciting resources, both inside and outdoors. Children have extremely good opportunities to learn why a healthy diet, effective hygiene routines and regular exercise contribute to maintaining their good health.”
The nursery was also praised for its continually developing outdoor area: “Children have rich and highly rewarding experiences as they explore the inspirational outside play space. This supports their imaginative skills extensively and allows them to test their abilities.”
Rosemary Murphy OBE, owner and managing director said “I am immensely proud of all the staff across the company who have worked very hard supporting each other to become good reflective practitioners. We have always invested heavily in the training of the staff and encouraged them to maintain our high standards and it is wonderful that this dedication and hard work has been recognised once again. I feel very proud of our achievement knowing that we are providing the best we can for the children in our care.”
General Manager, Anastasia Murphy said “Caring for such young children is a great responsibility, which we take very seriously, and to have our hard work and dedication acknowledged by Ofsted as “Outstanding” is a wonderful way to celebrate our 25 years in childcare.” “However we are not going to rest on our laurels and we are already working on new ideas for developing the nurseries and ourselves even more”.
