Peterborough nursery boss to appeal Ofsted rating - and says inspectors put too much pressure on staff

A Peterborough nursery boss has appealed to Ofsted following their latest inspection – and said too much pressure is put on staff by inspectors.

The Little Owls Day Nursery in Stanground, Peterborough, was graded as Requires Improvement by official inspectors following their visit in February.

The nursery had previously been rated as Good.

But speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph, owner and manager, Abbi Goodwin, said they were appealing against the decision – and parents of nursery pupils backed the action.

‘We have had deep discussions with parents about report’

Ms Goodwin said: “We are appealing against our inspection. Our parents do not agree with what the report says.

"My team work extremely hard, and all of our parents agree with us.

"We have had deep discussions with parents about the report and what it says.”

Ms Goodwin said the team were still waiting to hear back from Ofsted about the appeal.

She also spoke about the pressure staff working in education were being put under – and how people were being put off working in early years settings as a result.

‘The first two or three years of a child's development are so important’

Earlier this month, Liz Debenham, director of Whizz Kids nursery in the city also spoke of problems with recruitment in child care, as she was forced to close one of her branches in Orton, siting staffing numbers as the reason for the closure.

Ms Goodwin said: “The first two or three years of a child's development are so important.

"As a sector it is so hard to recruit at the moment. I’ve been in the sector for 24 years, and at the moment so much is expected of us, and people are deciding to leave the sector because of the pressure of Ofsted. It can be very intimidating when the inspections arrive.”

Praise and criticism in inspection report

In the report, inspectors said: ‘Overall, the quality of education provided for children requires improvement. Although children demonstrate that they are settled and happy to attend they are sometimes left to occupy themselves as staff complete other daily tasks.

‘Children do not benefit from consistent well-planned activities and interactions from the staff that extends their learning.’

However, the report did praise the nursery for a number of areas, saying: ‘The manager and staff develop appropriate relationships with the children and demonstrate that they know them.

‘Children are welcomed on their arrival at the nursery. They seek reassurance if they are feeling sad or upset, and older children are encouraged to talk about their feelings during group time activities. This appropriately supports children's emotional well-being.’

The inspectors added: ‘Overall children behave appropriately. They learn to listen, take their turn and to share the resources. Children respond to gentle reminders not to run indoors and learn to follow instructions.’

To read the report in full, visit https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/16/EY500534