Children and staff at Busy Bees Hertford Hartham Park are celebrating after maintaining an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating.  

This is the nursery’s second ‘Outstanding’ result, with the Ofsted inspector commenting that children are ‘excited and eager to learn in this inspiring nursery’. 

The nursery gained an ‘Outstanding’ rating in all areas, with the inspector noting that the ‘quality of teaching is exceptional’. Staff are described as ‘extremely skilled’ at helping children to ‘make outstanding progress’. 

Babies settle quickly into the ‘caring and nurturing environment’ and children form ‘strong friendships as they play happily alongside each other’.  

Particular praise was given for the nursery’s ‘superb’ partnerships and ‘excellent communication’ with parents, who are ‘actively involved’ to support their children’s learning. 

Children are ‘extremely independent’, developing the skills they need in readiness for school. They ‘show high levels of concentration’ and are ‘very confident’ in using a wide range of vocabulary, helping them build a secure foundation for future learning. 

Children are given ‘a strong voice in the nursery’, with staff working hard to ‘enable even the youngest of children to have choice in their play’. Pre-school children become ‘council members’, which ‘empowers children and raises their self-esteem and confidence to exceptional levels’. 

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are ‘extremely well supported’ with staff using ‘focused skills, such as signing, to develop children’s communication skills’ and ‘detailed care plans’ to them make the ‘best possible progress’. 

The nursery helps children to ‘explore similarities and differences’ in innovative ways, such as visiting a residential care home to allow children without extended families to ‘experience having older adults in their lives and learn how to interact with other generations’. 

The ‘inspirational and passionate’ management team ensure staff well-being and professional development is well supported, ensuring ‘the quality of teaching remains at the highest level’. Practitioners ‘demonstrate huge commitment’ to their roles and ‘are proud’ to be part of a ‘remarkable team’. 

Joanne Good, centre director at Busy Bees Hertford Hartham Park, said: “Securing an ‘Outstanding’ from Ofsted takes hard work and dedication, so to maintain this rating for a second time is testament to the ongoing commitment of our incredible professional team. I am really proud of the way we build positive relationships with parents and work together to ensure we can offer each child the best start in life.”  To view the full report, visit: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50198493