A BASINGSTOKE nursery has lost its Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rating following an inspection last month.

The BCoT Nursery, at Basingstoke College of Technology, in Worting Road was visited by the education watchdog in May, and a report published on June 7 has graded it as ‘good’ overall.

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The last time it was inspected in April 2018 it was graded as ‘outstanding’.

Inspectors found that children are “happy and secure” in the nursery and that “staff and management team work hard to create a strong, family ethos.”

The report said the manager aims to support “each family as a whole”.

The nursery has 97 children on its roll and it is open from 8am to 6pm for 50 weeks of the year.

Ofsted found that the manager and her staff had “worked hard to adapt to changes in practice as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

The report said that staff show respect for children’s voices and opinions, adding: “Staff are very knowledgeable about individual children and carefully plan activities based on children’s interests to close any gaps in learning.”

However, inspectors found that staff do not always adapt their teaching to meet “children’s differing needs or emerging interests as they arise during activities”.

The inspector found that children’s physical health is promoted well through “nutritious food, regular fresh air and exercise”.

The report said: “The management team has worked with the college to review the policy on the provision of food and children’s allergies to further ensure that children’s dietary requirements are strictly adhered to.”

It added: “Children thoroughly enjoy playing outside and have great fun using the slide to go from the upper garden to the lower garden. They confidently ride on wheeled toys, play with the mud kitchen and explore the natural area. Older children show good imagination.”

Inspectors found that arrangements for safeguarding were “effective”.

To improve, the nursery was asked to: “support staff to further strengthen the delivery of the curriculum, so they consistently consider their interactions and resources provided during group activities, to make the most of children’s learning opportunities.”

Rebecca Pickles, nursery manager, said: “We welcome the recent Ofsted report and are really pleased to read the praise for how we look after our children and give them a fun and safe environment to thrive.

“We are, however, disappointed that due to changes to how Ofsted make their judgements, we have been rated as good instead of outstanding, especially after the challenges we have faced due to Covid.

“Nevertheless, everyone at the BCoT nursery is passionate and dedicated to providing the very best care for our children and their families. We will continue to improve our services and would also like to thank the parents for their continued support.”

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