A NORTHWICH nursery has received a glowing Ofsted report after its first inspection.

Little Weavers Day Nursery, on London Road, has been rated ‘good’ in three categories – the second highest score the education watchdog can award - and 'outstanding' in leadership and management.

The family-run facility, owned by mother and daughter team Lisa and Natasha Kirkwood, was praised highly for the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

In her report, inspector Alison Tranby described the nursery as welcoming and said children were enthusiastic to attend.

She highlighted the range of interesting activities and stimulating learning opportunities available, and said children had ‘strong bonds with staff’, and ‘good friendships with each other’.

The staff focus on special educational needs and disabilities was also congratulated.

She said: “They seek support from the nursery’s designated special educational needs coordinator and use strategies from speech and language therapists, to support children from an early stage.”

The report pointed out how parents compliment staff, recognising how they work in partnership, and the high expectations of staff and managers were also acknowledged.

The nursery’s commitment to outdoor learning was highlighted and special reference was made to providing the children with new learning opportunities.

The inspector added: “Children have lots of opportunities for physical exercise in the outdoor area. Additionally, they gain an appreciation of the natural world as they look for bugs and are supported by staff to see how things grow.”

The arrangements for safeguarding were deemed effective, with all staff understanding how to recognise signs that may indicate a child is at risk, and how to report any concerns.

The report found that to further improve the quality of early years provision, the nursery should ‘provide more opportunities during group time so that so that all children are able to fully participate and extend their learning and confidence’.