Ofsted inspector praises Sheffield nursery with ‘outstanding’ judgement

Children and staff at a nursery in Sheffield are celebrating after they received an ‘outstanding' Ofsted rating for the second time running.
Staff and children at Sunny Meadows Nursery celebrating the 'outstanding' judgementStaff and children at Sunny Meadows Nursery celebrating the 'outstanding' judgement
Staff and children at Sunny Meadows Nursery celebrating the 'outstanding' judgement

Sunny Meadows Nursery in Handsworth, which provides full day-care for children up to four years of age, has been rated ‘outstanding’ across all areas following an inspection by education watchdog Ofsted last month. 

In the report, Inspector Andrew Clark praised the ‘very experienced and enthusiastic’ management team and found that staff provide ‘colourful and exciting’ activities which motivate and engage children throughout the nursery. 

Staff and children at Sunny Meadows Nursery celebrating the 'outstanding' judgementStaff and children at Sunny Meadows Nursery celebrating the 'outstanding' judgement
Staff and children at Sunny Meadows Nursery celebrating the 'outstanding' judgement
Read More
Sheffield schoolchildren receive most important lessons they could ever have dur...
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said children behave 'very well’ and make ‘excellent’ progress from their individual starting points.

Natasha Unwin, Early Years Manager at Sunny Meadows, said: “We can not express how proud we are of our amazing team, children and families, it is such an achievement to be awarded Outstanding for the second time.

“We are extremely fortunate to have such a dedicated team around us who all share a passion for early years.

Staff at Sunny Meadows Nursery celebrating the 'outstanding' Ofsted judgementStaff at Sunny Meadows Nursery celebrating the 'outstanding' Ofsted judgement
Staff at Sunny Meadows Nursery celebrating the 'outstanding' Ofsted judgement

“We strongly believe the purpose of education is to nurture each child's ability to be resilient, independent and confident individuals.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Early education is such an important aspect which should be delivered to an outstanding level to ensure all children receive the best foundations for all that is to come.

The inspector also found that parents are very well informed and supported to help their children achieve their best, and they typically comment on how impressed they were by the ‘warmth and care’ shown by the managers and staff when they first met. 

He said that all room leaders and staff have ‘consistently high’ expectations for children's well-being and care, and that children ‘rapidly’ grow in confidence and self-awareness. 

And, staff, including new staff and those in training, were said to be ‘excellent and consistent' role models to children in response to the leaderships’s well-established 

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ms Unwin added: “I would like to thank our team, children and families for all their hard work, continued support and commitment to Sunny Meadows Nursery without you all this would not have been possible.”

To further improve the quality of early years provision, the nursery should continue to build on the strong procedures to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching in order to further enrich the children’s learning experiences.