Acres of Fun for Hermitage nursery rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted

A Hermitage-based nursery has achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted.

Acres of Fun Day Nursery, in Priors Court Road, was inspected on February 14.

The nursery – which currently enrols 141 children aged up to four years old – scored ‘outstanding’ in all categories, a marked increase from its previous ‘requires improvement’ rating after its last inspection in March 2023.

The inspector’s report called staff teaching ‘exemplary’ and described the children as extremely happy and secure with ‘consistently positive attitudes to their play and learning’.

Nursery owner Nicola Walters said: “We were all absolutely thrilled to receive our latest Ofsted inspection result.

“I could not ask for more and am thrilled the knowledge and skills of my wonderful team have been recognised.

“Since the pandemic, we are seeing so many children who sometimes struggle with their behaviour and emotions.

“This is something we really focus on, with some practitioners holding specialist qualifications, so I am delighted that this has been recognised.

“[The inspectors] got down and played with the children while they were watching, listening to and questioning the staff.

“The support we have received from our parents has been incredible.

“The kind words are so important to us and do so much for staff morale.

“We love to welcome families as much as possible [and] we have regular events throughout the year for family members to come and join us.”