'˜Record has been put straight' says pre-school after Ofsted rating is bumped up from inadequate to good

Helen Jacklin said it took just a day to correct the two problems at Brookside Pre-School in Gunthorpe which an inspector had previously declared were compromising children’s safety.

But it has been a long six month wait to get confirmation from Ofsted that the pre-school is in a healthy state.

She said: “I’m really pleased with the report and it’s what we deserve. The parents have always known that and we’ve had lots of support from them. They did not understand what went wrong last time.

“Hopefully, they are as pleased as we are.”

The pre-school manager said the ‘inadequate’ rating had come from an administrative error after Ofsted did not receive information on a committee member of Brookside Methodist Church, where the pre-school is based.

In addition, an individual who the pre-school knew had access to its kitchen.

But she said these problems have now been put to bed, adding: “All the staff put in a lot of hard work, so to get an ‘inadequate’ report for the issues we got them for - the system just does not seem fair. But even in the last report the quality of teaching and the outcomes for children were good.

“This puts the record straight.

“The two issues we had to deal with - one final piece of paperwork needed filling in by a committee member and the person who had a key to access our kitchen no longer has one.

“It literally took a day to put right.

“The last six months we’ve been stuck with this. Any new parents are going to think ‘I should not send my children there any more’. But it’s now all good.”

According to Ofsted inspector Carly Mooney, in her recent report, children at the pre-school “develop warm, affectionate relationships with their key person and confidently approach them for guidance, support and reassurance. A welcoming and friendly atmosphere greets all children and their families.”

She added:“Good quality observations and accurate assessments help staff to plan interesting and motivating activities that children enjoy.”

The pre-school is not yet ‘outstanding’ because “some staff do not always fully challenge and extend children’s learning in activities.”