Tytherington Pre-school gets outstanding Ofsted report (From Gazette Series)

Tytherington Pre-school gets outstanding Ofsted report

4:40pm Monday 6th February 2012 in Thornbury news By Marion Sauvebois

DEDICATION and hard work paid off for four educators in Tytherington.

The small team reaped the rewards for their efforts when Tytherington Pre-school was rated outstanding in 17 different categories following an unexpected visit from Ofsted.

In her report published last week Inspector Zahida Hatia, praised the group for its motivation and determination to strive for excellence.

She said: "Children are provided with very high levels of care and make excellent progress in their learning and development.

"Partnerships with parents and other providers are very well established to ensure that all children receive a consistent and outstanding service in which their individual needs are met."

The team’s robust approach to safety was also deemed exemplary.

The inspector congratulated the playgroup, based in the village hall, for holding daily risk-assessment checks and enforcing a rigorous recruitment process during her visit on January 16.

But what made Tytherington Pre-school truly stand out was its staff’s hands-on approach to the infants' personal development.

"The resourceful deployment of staff means that each child’s designated key person knows them extremely well and plans very effectively for their individual needs," Mrs Hatia added.

"As a result all children are making excellent progress in their learning and development."

Manager Jane Cowell along with colleagues Deb Wilson, Paula Mayers and Ali Grey were over the moon at the outcome of the inspection and celebrated in style with the children.

She told the Gazette: "All the staff have worked very hard to improve the pre-school and we are delighted that this has been recognized. The parents were absolutely delighted, as were we.

"There are only four members of staff and we are a small pre-school. The report showed that we do know our children and and provide activities that suit each of them."

She added: "We celebrated the fantastic news with the children of course."

The four-strong team is not, however, planning to rest on its laurels. Despite the shower of praise from Ofsted, Mrs Cowell is already looking to improve the school's outside play area.