Chapel-en-le-Frith nursery regains ‘good’ status from Ofsted

Cheeky Monkeys, on Long Lane, was visited by the education watchdog and is once again rated as good in all areas.

Last year the nursery was given its first ‘inadequate’ rating in its 15 years of operating, but the manager said it was not a true reflection of the hard work put in by staff and lodged an official complaint.

After a revisit 18 months later, inspector Joanne Smith said: “Children are happy, confident and settled at the nursery.

“Staff know children very well and provide a safe and stimulating learning environment for children of all ages.

“Staff in both nursery rooms know the children they care for very well.

“They are keenly aware of individual children’s next steps in learning and skilfully provide activities that capture children’s interest and promote these areas.”

The report noted staff use the outdoor area and the local area well and make sure older children who prefer to be outdoors have opportunities to hear stories, read books, make marks and experience mathematical and scientific concepts.

Nursery owner Claire Millner said she was really pleased with the report: “Last year we were absolutely devastated and didn’t feel it was justified, but it challenged us to look at ourselves and our practises and improve.

“In the past 18 months we have had a structural shake-up. I’ve become more hands-on, we’ve worked with the local authority and carried out staff training, as well as bringing in a consultant to guide us.

“We were worried we would lose children after the last inspection, but we are still as busy as ever which is great.”

To further improve the nursery, inspector Ms Smith said: “Staff need to make sure they do not use baby language so that children learn the proper words for things, such as a dog or a duck, and embed the processes for staff monitoring and supervision to raise the quality of teaching to a higher level.”