Ofsted inspector praises ‘outstanding’ Sheffield children’s centre

The Sheffield Children’s Centre, in Shoreham Street, was rated 'outstanding' in all four categories of an inspection that took place in February.

Registered in 1994, the centre is an award winning provision and one of Britain’s Early Excellence Centres.

They offer support, care and education to youngsters up to 17-years-old and their families and provide globally recognised qualifications to the post 16 sector.

In the Ofsted report, inspector Andrew Clark praised the ‘passionate and highly enthusiastic’ staff for creating a ‘warm, stimulating and welcoming’ environment to support children's learning.

He also found staff to be 'excellent’ role models and said children behave ‘very well’, learn to be tolerant and understanding towards others and make 'excellent’ progress from their individual starting points.

Centre manager Annie D’Aquila said: “The Centre continue to provide Outstanding care, support and education to children from birth to 17 years of age.

“Ofsted has once again recognised the exceptional services that are provided by The Sheffield Children’s Centre and rated them as Outstanding in all four areas.

“This rating highlights the exceptional work that The Sheffield Children’s Centre continues to provide to the local and wider community.”

She said she is ‘extremely proud’ of the children and their families for their continuous hard work and support’ and praised her ‘dedicated and passionate team’.

Recently, The Sheffield Children’s Centre have joined forces with The Sheffield Centre of Education to open The Sheffield SEND Support Team.

The team is led by parents and industry professionals and will provide workshops, online support and pre-school advice for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the centre should build on the already ‘very good’ strategies in place to promote children’s well-being and positive mental health.