Otters Nursery in Cliddesden upgraded to 'good' Ofsted

Otters Nursery School, a nursery for children from the ages of three months to five years old in Farleigh Road, has been rated 'good' following an inspection on September 30.

The nursery, which was rated 'inadequate' by inspectors in April, was taken over nine weeks ago by husband and wife Victoria and Andy Grayson.

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Otters Nursery in Cliddesden (Image: Victoria Grayson)

The couple, who formerly worked as primary school teachers, purchased the nursery at the end of July after the former owners and managers left. The pair also own the Old Basing Village Nursery School.

Inspectors noted that managers are 'highly committed to continually improving children's care and learning' and have worked with staff and the local authority to 'make changes that have significantly improved outcomes for children'.

Managers and staff 'work hard to build strong partnerships with parents and meet children's individual needs' according to the report. It continues: "There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first."

The report states that to improve the nursery from 'good' to 'outstanding', support should be strengthened for staff 'so that all children's learning is consistently challenged and extended to support their good progress further'.

It adds that the setting should 'strengthen information shared with parents about all children's dietary needs to support their good health further'.

Victoria told the Gazette that she 'felt a desire to help the team to get Otters back on track' after visiting the nursery in April.

She added that she is 'particularly proud of the way in which the existing team members have shown perseverance and open-mindedness when met with new ownership and a new curriculum and vision'.

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Andy and Victoria have plans to repaint and decorate the exterior of the property and 'improve opportunities for outdoor play and enrichment'.

She concluded: "We have exciting plans ahead for Otters and have already brought the team together across our other settings to begin to share good practice.

"They can also enjoy the reward of seeing the ideas and initiatives presented to the children reap rewards in terms of their engagement, rich levels of play and excitement about accessing the new learning environment each day."

"We cannot wait to see what the future has in store for Otters Nursery School, Cliddesden."