Staff at this Fylde coast nursery are '˜exceptionally skilled', Ofsted said

Nursery staff have been called '˜exceptionally skilled' and managers '˜dedicated' with an '˜inspirational vision'.
Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery in St Anne's Road has been rated outstanding by Ofsted.  Pictured is pre-school teacher Emily Clymer reading to some of the children.Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery in St Anne's Road has been rated outstanding by Ofsted.  Pictured is pre-school teacher Emily Clymer reading to some of the children.
Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery in St Anne's Road has been rated outstanding by Ofsted. Pictured is pre-school teacher Emily Clymer reading to some of the children.

The praise came from Ofsted after a visit to Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery in St Annes Road East, St Annes, which saw it given the rare top rating of ‘outstanding’.

Denise Farrington, an inspector from the education watchdog, said: “Staff are inspirational role models.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ex-manager Katie Payne, who now works as a training and development manager for Shepherd Lodge’s parent company Learning Curve, said: “The staff have worked so hard and this is a credit to everyone.

“As a team, we share a vision about where we want to be. The effort the staff put in day-to-day is amazing. They love being at work and it’s the outcomes for the children that are always put first.”

The nursery, one of five on the Fylde coast run by Learning Curve, was rated ‘good’ at its last inspection in 2015.

This time round, ‘dedicated leaders and managers’ were found to “share an inspirational vision for the nursery with the enthusiastic and exceptionally driven staff”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“With the support of parents, grandparents and children, they reflect deeply on the quality of the nursery. Staff are passionately committed to providing children and their families with early years experiences of the highest quality,” Ofsted said.

It also praised youngsters, describing them as “impeccably” behaved and “incredibly polite”. It added: “Children have outstanding opportunities to challenge their physical skills. Older children learn the skills of a variety of sports, and babies and toddlers explore different ways of moving as they take part in regular yoga sessions.”

The nursery should now “continue to enhance children’s well-being and levels of involvement even further, and monitor the impact this has on their already excellent learning outcomes.”