Oldham nursery loses 'outstanding' grade by Ofsted

Kidz Matter Nursery, situated in the Arc Community Centre on Abbey Hills Road, looks after more than 40 children aged between two and four.

While Ofsted aims to grade nurseries and schools every four years, the education watchdog has only managed to inspect the school twice since it opened in 2015 due to the pandemic.

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Yet while the Oldham nursery was rated 'outstanding' in its first inspection in 2017, Ofsted has updated the grading to just 'good' as of May this year, suggesting it has slipped slightly in standards over the years.

After visiting the premises, inspector Sarah Gower-Jones published a mixed report about Kidz Matter Nursery that was more positive than negative.

Ms Gower-Jones said the children are "happy, relaxed and confident" in the "highly nurturing setting" with the youngsters able to separate easily from their parents and carers at the door as they post their name into either the 'happy' or 'sad' box to show their arrival.

The inspector said staff then discuss the children's choices which teaches them "the language of feelings" while promoting emotional security.

Their imagination and language skills were a particular highlight in the report as the children develop these through various role-play activities in the nursery, such as preparing food and drink for a tea party, playing in water, choosing a book to read and playing with play dough.

They count their classmates, clap out syllables in their names and sing familiar songs.

As their hands "shake with determination" to extract juice from an orange, the inspector said the children's muscles are also being developed in preparation for early writing.

Meanwhile, they are supported to be independent as they help themselves to a drink of water, blow their own noses, zip up their coats and wash their hands.

Outside, the children benefit from a range of activities as they search for things to find with a tick list and clipboards, such as a worm which they inspect under a magnifying glass.

Ms Gower-Jones said such activities develop their understanding of the natural world while supporting their physical skills as they run, play on scooters and bikes and follow toy cars as they roll down a drainpipe.

The children's behaviour was another highlight in the report as they were found to be kind to their friends, share well and speak politely.

"Staff are excellent role models and relationships are positive and respectful between staff and children", the inspector added.

However, while the activities and opportunities at the nursery were celebrated, the report reveals the organisation of the group can often leave some younger children to become distracted and "lose interest".

"As a consequence, these children do not make the same progress as others in their learning", Ms Gower-Jones wrote.

In addition, she found the strategies used to advance children's communication skills are "not consistent", resulting in the youngsters receiving "mixed messages from staff".

Still, the inspector said staff speak "very positively" about leaders and that they enjoy working at the nursery and discussing how to make the provision even better.

Parents and carers also hold the nursery's staff and leaders in high regard, reporting that they have an "excellent" relationship with the whole team and are well-informed about their child's progress.

Safeguarding was further found to be effective.

To improve further and return to its 'outstanding' rating, Ofsted said the nursery should consider ways to ensure learning intent is precisely focused for all groups of children and to develop the support given to children with particular communication needs.

Reacting to the report, bosses at the nursery defended its hard-working team as they continue to place a "strong importance" on children's personal, social, emotional, communication and language development.

The spokesperson said: "We are a small team that communicates effectively on a daily basis putting things in place for the best support for each individual child.

"Whilst we plan around children's interests, we set achievable goals for little ones, in a mixed room of two, three and four-year-olds and recognise our older children as an asset to our team, helping the younger children to develop their PSE skills with care and support."

Kidz Matter Nursery said it also works well and has an "excellent reputation" with other professionals in the industry, including health visitors, Additional Educational Needs (AEN) advisors and "communication champions".

"With the childcare sector in the area under threat, two local private nurseries have had to close their doors after many years of hard work because of the current climate.

"We hold our heads high in what is a challenging time, with the patience and support of the managing director, Sue Lord, who has faith and belief in what we offer and recognises this as invaluable support for the children and families within a deprived area of Oldham.

"Funds are extremely limited for many of our families, but the love for their children is rich so that's why we are here to offer them respite, a shoulder to cry on an ear to listen when needed and for the passion we have to improve outcomes for all of our children.

"That’s why we come into this profession to make a difference and give these little ones opportunities, a safe place to explore and achieve.

"We will continue to be 'good' and set high expectations to drive improvements,  but with the opinion of our parents of us being "outstanding" in all what we offer at the setting", the spokesperson added.

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