A Hornchurch nursery has been praised for its “calm, welcoming, nurturing environment” in its latest Ofsted inspection report.
Scallywags Nursery, located in Suttons Lane, received a “strong standard” rating across all criteria from the inspector, who visited on June 4.
Demi Eastment, quality assurance manager at Scallywags, told this paper that the inspection was “a really positive experience".
"All the staff are really excited [about the result],” she said.
“We’ve been waiting for it for quite some time now.”
The Ofsted report noted that “children thrive from the embedded curriculum and the calm, welcoming, nurturing environment provided by leaders and staff".
It added that “children explore their independence” at mealtimes by serving their own food.
“Safer eating is a big thing in early years at the moment,” Ms Eastment said.
“We have a really calming mealtime for our children, not rushed, very peaceful, and the staff sit at the table and eat with the children.”
She went on to say that the safety of the children in their care is “at the forefront of everything we do".
All staff are first aid trained at Scallywags, and they also receive age-specific training depending on the age of the children they work with.
The “forest school ethos” of Scallywags was also highlighted in the report.
Forest school is an outdoor education delivery model that prioritises children spending time in natural spaces.
Ms Eastment said it is one of the only nurseries that do forest school in Havering and has three forest leaders.
The inspector found that this ethos allows children to “explore freely and lead play with a calm and reassured attitude” and that “staff involve children in daily risk assessments of the forest area".
The only next steps given to Scallywags in the report were to “ensure continued improvement in the setting’s successful work” to “realise a transformational impact on all children’s achievement in readiness for school".
Ms Eastment said that the staff are hoping that this positive Ofsted result will increase the likelihood of planning permission being granted to do some refurbishments to the nursery site, including a potential loft conversion.
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