A Bolton Council cabinet member has shared his delight after a council-run childcare centre met Ofsted requirements.

Castle Hill Young People’s Centre, on Castleton Street, Tonge Moor received a new rating in an Ofsted report published last week, on Wednesday, July 17, in its first routine inspection since the Covid pandemic began.

Inspector Suzy Marsh visited the establishment, which provides out-of-school daycare for 196 children aged four to 12, on Thursday, June 20.

Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.

In her report, the inspector says children are ‘happy to attend’ the ‘inviting and friendly club’ – praising staff for carefully planning the environment to ‘meet the needs of all children who attend’.

Children told the inspector that they liked attending the club, and that their favourite activities were ‘always ready’ for them.

The five members of staff at the club were also praised for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well, adapting practices and working in partnership with parents and schools to understand their needs so that they can ‘actively participate’ in activities.

Club leaders were also praised by the inspector for continually observing what children know and can do as they play so their needs could be accommodated – such as providing restful activities when needed.

Follow The Bolton News on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok.

Leaders were further praised for monitoring the quality of the care provided for children and for understanding the ‘importance of reflection and evaluation’ to develop their practices.

In 2018 the club had been rated 'inadequate', which was upgraded to 'good' a few months later – now, under a new rating syllabus of either 'Met' or 'Not Met', Ofsted says the club meets requirements.

Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Martin Donaghy, said: “I’m delighted that Castle Hill Young People’s Centre has again been rated good by Ofsted.

 “Inspectors say the children are confident, capable and comfortable, and commend the experienced staff, positive relations with parents and commitment to supporting families in the community.

“This well-deserved report reflects the staff’s hard work and dedication, with the aim of giving young people in Bolton the best possible start in life.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.