Saplings Nursery celebrates “Good” rating

Photo of the building Saplings Nursery

Saplings Nursery has been awarded a Good rating after its February 2023 Ofsted inspection. The Nursery was rated good in all areas; Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development and Leadership and Management.

The Nursery based on the Southmead Hospital site, which is used by many of our North Bristol NHS staff, looks after 91 children each day, with over 150 children agreed from 6 weeks to 4 years and 11 months accessing the provision every week.

Ofsted praised the Nursery on a number of counts, with the report stating: “There is superb support for children with SEND. The special educational needs coordinator works with key persons to monitor children's needs. Together, they liaise with parents and other professionals to put in place support to enable children to reach their full potential.”

The inspection also highlighted the effective relationships between staff and parents: “Staff build strong relationships with parents. They find out what children enjoy doing at home and use this to provide experiences that capture children's curiosity in the nursery. Parents' feedback is very positive. They comment on the thorough feedback they get from key persons about their children's achievements. They feel that their children have gained confidence, develop well and are well prepared for their future learning, including the move into school.

The report added: “Managers monitor staff and make sure they build on their professional development to support children better. Recent training on helping children to accept and manage feelings and emotions helps children cope with changes well. Staff use consistent approaches to encourage children to think about how others feel when they try to snatch a toy from a friend. They talk with the children about what they can do to solve the problem, offering suggestions and praising them when they find solutions.” 

Helen Dacre, Nursery Manager, said: "The report reflects the amazing work of our dedicated team, and I’m absolutely delighted with the rating.

We are very pleased with the many positive comments, which are a testament to the team's continued ambition to make the nursery even better every day. We will be using the report feedback to look at extra ways to develop and progress.” 

Interested in joining the team? Visit our careers website.