A Bolton nursery where children ‘thoroughly enjoy spending time’ has received a ‘good’ rating in its latest Ofsted report.
Bright Futures at The Gateway, located on Green Lane, received a good rating following a routine inspection on January 12.
In its report, published on February 7, the daycare nursery receives ‘good’ in all areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
Ofsted inspector Suzy Marsh wrote in the report that children ‘are happy and thoroughly enjoy spending time’ at the nursery, which has been open for 15 years.
The nursery was praised for its ‘ambitious curriculum’ and for a ‘strong ethos of connection and support’ for families using the nursery, with staff praised for working with parents and for taking care to get to know each child ‘thoroughly’.
Staff were described as having a ‘passion and dedication’ in their jobs, and were applauded for providing ‘experiences that ignite children’s interests’; the nursery was commended for planning trips on buses and to the local library, helping the children to develop an understanding of the wider world.
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Founder and director Angela Bibby thanked staff and parents, saying she was ‘enormously proud’ of the good rating – which comes just months after the nursery had a £75,000 renovation.
Speaking to The Bolton News, Angela, who is also the manager at the nursery, said: “The inspection report is just amazing; the content of it, all the lovely positive comments, and we’ve worked really, really hard – so we’re just really, really pleased with it.”
The inspection occurred just days after Ofsted resumed its work following a short-term suspension after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
Despite this, the 47-year-old said the inspection was a ‘positive experience’ and ‘extremely thorough’.
The Chorley resident added: “I don’t think inspections are going to become easy in light of everything that’s happened, but the inspector was extremely professional, and I felt that it was an inspection that we did together.”
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The nursery’s recent £75,000 renovation was completed in August 2023.
Angela said: “Just after Covid we just decided we needed a big change, so I’ve put a massive investment in in light of the new free child care that’s coming.
“We’ve expanded, in terms of our rooms, we’ve also created a lovely mindful room. In light of Covid and the children’s social/emotional development and the impact Covid had. We’ve created a lovely mindful room that’s a calming space that children can go and self-regulate in.
“That’s really helping their emotional development. We’ve spent a lot of money refitting every single room, so it’s really high quality.
“I’m really passionate – we are in an area of deprivation, and I’m really passionate about making sure that in the area we are, the children that we’ve got have got the best start. They deserve that, and I want to give them the best start that we can.”
If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk or click to send me a message on WhatsApp or on Signal on 07517566383.
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