‘Dedicated’ managers at Heckmondwike nursery celebrate ‘good’ Ofsted verdict

The family-run nursery, owned and managed by sisters Samantha Barber and Emma Owen since 2006, was inspected in August and was graded as good in all areas including leadership and management and personal development.

The report says: “Children are safe and very happy in this warm and friendly nursery. They show high levels of confidence and get fully involved in their chosen play from the moment they arrive.

“The dedicated managers, who are the owners, plan and organise the curriculum well. They put children's emotional well-being and communication skills at the heart of everything they do.

“Staff have created a nurturing environment which is full of exciting learning experiences for children of all ages.

“Staff know the children and their families very well and are tuned into children's individual needs. They help children to understand how to manage their emotions and how to ask for help.

“Staff are positive role models. Their warm interactions and caring manner help children to develop responsible behaviour, learn to be kind and manage risks in their play.”

The report goes on to state that “children's behaviour is consistently good” before adding “children get plenty of fresh air and exercise in the nursery garden, where they climb, balance and run around” and that “staff prepare nutritious meals and snacks”.

In response to the report’s findings, a delighted elder sister Samantha said: “We are a close-knit family and that ethos of us being very nurturing and caring and providing a family-feel is passed through to the staff.

“It’s our passion to help families and being able to watch these children grow and being part of those families.

“We are passionate about what we do and the Ofsted inspector said that on the day. She said she could feel our passion for it and could feel how much it meant to us. She saw that we put everything into it.

“We are really flexible and we appreciate people’s working patterns so we work around our families.

“All of our families are really supportive of us.”