A Plymouth day nursery is celebrating moving up from a ‘Good’ to an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating following its latest inspection by the governing body Ofsted.  

Mama Bear’s Day Nursery & Pre-School at Springhill Green, Pennycross in Plymouth, was rated outstanding in all areas including the effectiveness of the leadership and management; the quality of teaching, learning and assessment; personal development, behaviour and welfare; and outcomes for children. 

The rating means both the Mama Bear’s settings in Plymouth now hold the highest possible rating from Ofsted.   

The Springhill nursery celebrated its 10th anniversary of being run as Mama Bear’s earlier in the summer and the inspectors have praised staff for the ways they enable the children in their care to flourish in what they called a “highly supportive and nurturing” setting.  

Mama Bear’s Springhill nursery manager, Alex Davis, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded an outstanding rating by Ofsted.  

“To move from a good grade to an outstanding grade reflects how committed my team and I are to providing the very best quality early education to our children and we’re thrilled to have gained this official recognition. 

“We were particularly pleased with the comments in the report about our outstanding partnerships with parents. They said families commented on the amazing support staff provide to them, their children and the whole community. 

“The report also observed that all children are given excellent opportunities to experience a variety of innovative and highly motivating activities. 

“And I was delighted with the inspector’s comment about the leadership team being highly reflective and passionate about continually improving the nursery for both staff and children alike, because I truly believe Mama Bear’s nurseries are lovely places to work. And we’re keen to hear from people considering a career move – we have some great opportunities for beginners and established practitioners alike.” 

The family-run Mama Bear’s day nurseries provide care for children from three months to five years, with 24 settings across Devon, Somerset and Bristol, providing children with their first vital level of education to give them a head-start when they start at primary school.  

Springhill Green offers five large, well maintained and resourced age-specific rooms, all of which allow direct access to the garden with staff encouraging everyone to develop a love of playing outdoors, whether it is racing around on the grass, climbing on the apparatus or all-weather play in the undercover area.