A NURSERY that opened just one year before the pandemic is celebrating after achieving a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating in its first inspection

The Sherborne House Nursery, which sits within the grounds of the independent prep school, opened in January 2020.

The nursery, in Hiltingbury, now has 110 children enrolled over its nursery and pre-reception provision.

In the report, Ofsted observed that "Children share strong attachments with staff, who respond to them with interest, warmth and care. Children, including those who are new to the nursery, receive cuddles and reassurance. This helps them feel safe and secure.”

The report also included ‘Outstanding’ elements within the Inspectors’ feedback.

Lauren Head, the nursery manager, holds a level 7 qualification and has over 13 years’ experience in childcare.

She said: “The Ofsted report is a real achievement. I set up the nursery from scratch and designed each room to have specific sets of resources to facilitate targeted learning for the children in our care. The report mentions this specifically, which is fantastic recognition.”

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Although run as a separate nursery, it benefits from being part of the wider school, with pre-school children having lessons with subject specific school teachers such as French, Music, PE, Phonics, English and Maths as part of their weekly routine.

Lauren said that the school and nursery were incredibly proud of the hard work and commitment that the Sherborne House Nursery Team have invested into the daily running of the childcare setting.

She said: “The Covid period was definitely our most challenging time for us as a nursery, with the landscape constantly changing in terms of hygiene regimes, restrictions, and isolation for both the children and staff whilst still maintaining our offer of 7.30am – 6pm childcare for working parents, many of whom work in the NHS.

"We knew that providing our service allowed local healthcare professionals to go to work with piece of mind.”

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