CELEBRATION is on the cards at a nursery after inspectors judged them to have retained their high rating.

Barrow private day nursery the Old Vicarage, based at 112 Hartington Street, was delighted to get another ‘Good’ result in their recent Ofsted inspection which was conducted at the end of September.

During their time at the nursery, inspectors were involved in a soup making activity where the toddlers learned about making healthy choices with autumnal vegetables, a baby sensory music session, a yoga class and a whole host of outdoor activities including football and cricket drills.

Company manager Gabrielle Rowley said: “The report was really positive and reflected a lot of our excellent practice. All of our staff were a little disappointed that we didn’t achieve the ‘Outstanding’ grade as we all pour so much love and hard work in to the nursery and we felt that it was really deserved.

“We were still very satisfied with the ‘Good’ result and we were very pleased that the inspectors noted the dedication of all our staff members when making children feel settled and safe in their nursery environment.

The Old Vicarage was graded Good in all areas and was given a tick in the box for effective safeguarding.

The report noted that staff working with younger children sometimes use sentences that are too complex for a baby to understand while older children were not provided with questions to develop their critical thinking. However, children were judged to 'confidently' engage in conversation with each other and adults

They also noted that parents' satisfaction with the nursery, how well staff prepare children for schooling, and praised the good behaviour and independence of children.

Regarding the improvement points, Gabrielle Rowley said: “It is very disappointing to hear that Ofsted found any issues at all with our communication and language at the setting. When we had our feedback meeting our inspectors told us that we were in fact speaking too much to the babies but we have always conversed with the children as much as possible, no matter how young."