BRIGHSTONE PRE-SCHOOL NOW ‘REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT’ AFTER LATEST OFSTED VISIT

Brighstone Pre-School, based at the village’s primary school on New Road, has slipped in its Ofsted rating to ‘Requires Improvement’ – but inspectors said children have fun. The pre-school was visited by the education watchdog in February and found the previously ‘Good’ nursery had fallen in its rating, with multiple improvements needed. In their report, inspectors said the implementation of the curriculum at the pre-school is variable – while some staff had a strong understanding, others did not always implement it through their interactions or activities. Inspectors also said the pre-school did not support children’s learning at a consistently good level. The manager has recently left but leaders are working together to ensure staff have regular supervision and access to training to support their professional development, the report highlighted. Inspectors said the roles and responsibilities of staff are not clearly defined to ensure the day-to-day management of the pre-school is efficient. Furthermore, not all staff working with babies under 2-years-old have completed the required training that specifically addresses the care of babies although the babies are cared for well. The babies are happy and settled, but activities are not always targeted precisely enough for their age. While children behave well most of the time, at others staff do not address or manage it well. Staff sometimes struggle to manage children’s behaviour when they get distressed, Ofsted said, which disrupts learning and the pupils emotional well being. Overall, however, children had positive relationships with staff and felt safe and secure at the nursery. Parents are extremely positive about the pre-school and told inspectors they have good relationships with staff. The children are confident in social situations and make good friendships too. Staff told inspectors they feel well supported and have opportunities to discuss their well-being. The safeguarding arrangements are effective, inspectors said, and there is an open and positive culture around it which puts children’s interests first. The pre-school has been contacted for comment