Playdays Preschool 6, Gidea Park gets 'outstanding' Ofsted rating

Playdays Preschool 6 in Upper Brentwood Road, Gidea Park was inspected by Ofsted on March 13 and the findings were made public on April 15.

Inspectors labelled the overall effectiveness of the education provider as 'outstanding' - an improvement from the 'good' rating received in June 2019.

The recent report claimed that children "thrive and flourish" at the preschool thanks to the "exceptional care and support" they receive from staff.

It said: "Staff consistently and skilfully help children to understand and name their feelings, building their emotional confidence and allowing children to show deep levels of engagement in their play, which develops their interests and ignites their creativity and imagination."

Children's behaviour is "exemplary" and they are "wonderfully respectful of each other", according to Ofsted.

The report said that children thrive and flourish at the preschool (Image: Playdays Preschool 6) Inspectors noted that across the pre-school, the quality of teaching and learning is "excellent", so children make rapid progress in their development.

Books, rhymes and stories are "expertly woven" into the environment by staff throughout the day, helping children to develop their language and communication and expand their vocabulary.

For children who are not yet speaking, staff use signs alongside words to support their language development.

The report also noted that staff in the pre-school place a very strong focus on children learning about and developing healthy lifestyles.

Children learn about the importance of brushing their teeth and eating fruit and vegetables to keep healthy and staff use music and movement sessions to help children observe the effect of activity on their bodies.

Children learn about being healthy including eating vegetables at Playdays Preschool 6 (Image: Playdays Preschool 6) Parents praise the pre-school highly and appreciate the care staff provide for their children, Ofsted said.

They value the "swift and effective support" that staff put in place and shared that their children make excellent progress there.

They also use the strategies that staff share with them at home to help develop their children's communication and language.

Owner of Playdays 6, Claire Lakin, said: "Our staff work extremely hard to give the children the best start possible and are always looking for ways to maintain our high expectations and the learning experience for the children.

"We are grateful for the support of our families, staff and of course our wonderful, inquisitive, caring little ones who attend our preschool."