A nursery celebrates an Ofsted upgrade and dedicates a report to a “wonderful manager” who has died

Birchfield Prepcare based on the site of Birchfield Preparatory School nearby Albrightonhas been upgraded to ‘Outstanding’ in all areas following a recent Ofsted report.

The kindergarten was visited by the education regulator on September 5, and inspectors were impressed by the work of the 21 staff who look after children aged six weeks to five years all year round.

Nursery bosses dedicated the successful report and great news to Penny Shevyn, who died in August this year. Penny was the first Prep Group Manager and is missed by all who knew her at Nursery.

Nursery manager Sue Lawrence said: “Not only was she a great manager, she was also a very good friend.”

The nursery is registered for 65 children and benefits from the school’s facilities including the gymnasium, library, computer room, dance studio and outdoor swimming pool.

The report recognizes leaders with a nursery rated ‘Outstanding’ overall and in all categories, namely quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

Children and staff celebrated the report’s findings with cake and balloons this week, and manager Sue was delighted with the upgrades.

“We are incredibly excited to receive this award, it is a great achievement,” she said. “It took a lot of hard work and dedication from the team, but we are thrilled to receive an ‘outstanding’ rating.

“I am incredibly proud of my staff. They have worked tirelessly to bring the nursery to life at the best possible time to provide the best possible service to the families and children in the community we serve.

“We have always tried to go from good to outstanding.”

The Ofsted report stated that “children are fully equipped with all the essential skills and knowledge they need to be successful at the next stage of their development and when they enter school.”

According to Sue, the children certainly enjoyed the celebrations, adding: ‘They see something is happening, they are delighted with the ‘outstanding’ balloons and they are having a great time with them. They were so happy to take their own slice of the cake home to share with their families.”

The report also praised a nursery near Albrighton for its curriculum and “tailored accommodation for each child”.

Speaking about what the nursery has to offer, Sue continued: “A personalized service tailored to each family. We want to make sure that every child is entitled to a personalized transition service at the beginning of their journey with us. We have open lines of communication on a daily basis with parents.

“We like to think that even though we are a nursery, we offer in-home care so that we can, as best we can, mimic the routine that parents have already implemented at home.”

Ofsted inspectors also mentioned that leaders and staff have “high ambition”, and Sue agreed, saying: “I certainly do – myself, my deputies and senior staff work tirelessly to ensure that the curriculum we offer to children, although there is an ambitious curriculum that is certainly within the reach of what they can achieve.

“It is obviously age appropriate and our children certainly leave us ready to start their school careers.”