A Reading nursery has bounced back to create an environment where ‘children feel safe and secure’ after being told to improve by education inspectors.

The Busy Bees Holme Park day nursery, located near Reading RFC in Sonning, has been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted inspectors. 

The team at Busy Bees received recognition for taking the time to get to know children and ‘making them feel valued’, noting that children ‘behave well and demonstrate high levels of engagement in both adult-led and self-chosen activities’.

Staff were praised for providing children with a ‘familiar routine’ and engaging children in ‘meaningful conversations’, with a strong focus on communication and language throughout the nursery.

They were also recognised for ‘promoting children’s behaviour and supporting their understanding of how to recognise their feelings and emotions’.

Parent partnerships were described as a ‘strong golden thread’, with effective plans in place to keep parents up to date with their children’s learning and development.

There was high praise for the leadership team who display a ‘can-do attitude’ and ‘have worked hard to design and embed a clear and appropriately sequenced curriculum that builds on children’s unique starting points’.

Centre Director Charlotte Way was recognised as a ‘supportive leader’ who ‘understands the importance of staff wellbeing.

She said: “We are delighted to receive a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted – this wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated team who have gone above and beyond for our children.

“Following our inspection last year, the team has worked so hard to turn things around by fostering a positive workplace culture, sharing best practices and increased training.

“We are looking forward to growing even further and working with our parents to ensure every child receives the best start in life.”

The nursery has bounced back after a previous ‘Requires Improvement’ rating last year.

After a visit in April 2023, inspectors found that staff did not always offer experiences to help children  staff do not always offer experiences for

children who need support in building relationships and interactions with others.

The inspectors at the time said: “As a result, some children do not develop the social skills required to play and engage with their peers.

The latest inspection was undertaken in February, with the Good rating being published the following month.

While leaders were praised for providing good training programmes for staff, inspectors observed that not all staff have the confidence to implement strategies to improve communication between children consistently.

Therefore, it was suggested that some training would be needed around communication methods such as sign language and using visual aids.

Busy Bees serves children aged 0-4, with 50 children currently on the roll.