Berkhamsted nursery delighted after Oftsed ‘good’ rating

Staff at a nursery in Berkhamsted are delighted after after being given a ‘good’ rating by Ofsted.

The report, published in late December, found that Sunhill Montessori Nursery continued to be ‘good’ after the last inspection in 2017.

A spokesperson for the nursery said: “We are delighted that the inspector recognised the importance of how settled, happy and independent our children are. The team have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure the impact of lockdown and lack of social interactions during this time did not have a negative long term impact on the children’s social and emotional wellbeing.”

They continued: “We continue to strive to provide a warm, welcoming and nurturing environment for our children and staff and are looking forward to a busy year ahead.”

Inspectors found that children of all ages were extremely confident and speak about their interests to which staff listen attentively. At Sunhill, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities were well supported.

The report also explained how staff support children who speak English as a second language by using words in their home language to help children communicate their needs.

It also said that parents responded positively about the levels of communication from staff. The inspector said: “They praise the setting and say that the nursery is a 'wonderful, safe and exciting setting' and that 'staff are very caring.’”

Staff at the provision also understood what was expected in terms of safeguarding. For example, the staff knew the signs when a child may be at risk of harm and knew how to make referrals to protect children.