Revamped nursery wins inspectors' approval (From Bicester Advertiser)
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Revamped nursery wins inspectors' approval
7:10pm Tuesday 5th February 2013 in News
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Manager Andrea Leonard, left, with children, from left, Cerys Smyth, three, Ellis Payne, three, Christian Hayes, four, Olivia Martin, three, and nursery nurse Lindsay Humphreys
A BICESTER nursery has improved in two years to get a ‘good’ Ofsted report.
In January 2011, Child First Nursery, in Launton Road, was deemed satisfactory, but in this latest report the nursery has made good progress.
Manager Andrea Leonard was brought in two years ago to turn the nursery around.
She said: “I basically restructured the whole nursery. I refurbished it, extended the garden and outdoor area, and changed the way the staff worked with the children.
“I just put children first really, so it’s much more child-based play, and that really came out in Ofsted’s report.”
Among the changes are an extended garden where 15 ducks, which were incubated and hatched from eggs, live, and a vegetable patch.
Mrs Leonard has worked with children for the past 30 years and was a foundation stage teacher at Middle Barton School.
There were up to 60 children when she took over. Now the nursery looks after 120 youngsters from birth to school age.
The nursery was rated good for meeting the range of needs of children and leadership, and scored outstanding for wellbeing of the children.
