‘Good’ Ofsted rating for Hassocks nursery

Staff at The Acorns, which runs twice a week from a converted barn at the Stoneywish Nature Reserve, Hassocks, were praised for the way they helped children to develop their education, interests and good behaviour.

The Acorns was visited by Ofsted inspector Hannah Barter on May 5 and her findings were published on May 23.

Explaining why the nursery had not been given an ‘outstanding’ rating, she reported: “Occasionally, staff do not organise group sizes effectively, which means some children lose interest.

“Staff do not always provide purposeful resources in the outdoor area to fully promote children’s early reading skills.”

Those minor points aside, the report was positive, with the quality of teaching described as ‘good’ and praise levelled at the way teachers combined learning with play.

Ms Barter reported: “For example, while children explore a range of colouring pencils, staff ask them to recognise colours and numbers and to tell them about their pictures. This successfully promotes children’s knowledge and encourages them to use their imaginations.”

She added: “Overall, staff seize opportunities to extend children’s learning. For example, during the inspection, they spoke to the children about the food they were having for lunch. They asked them to think about where potatoes and carrots come from, which encouraged children to think and recall experiences of digging up vegetables.”

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