South Acton Nursery School and Children’s Centre is a busy and vibrant nursery school and day care setting for children aged 0-5 years and their families, and they certainly had much to celebrate at the end of the school term.
The centre is one of the largest children centres in London with specialist provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and they provide services in an ethnically diverse and socio-economically mixed area.
Outstanding
Back in April, the centre had a day care inspection from Ofsted, resulting in maintaining the previous ‘outstanding’ rating. The report highlighted outstanding practice, stating that ‘children thrive at this exceptional nursery.’ The inspectors recognised that ‘highly reflective and thoughtful staff implement an extremely well thought out curriculum’ meaning that ‘all children make outstanding progress from their starting points including children with special educational needs or disabilities’.
Staff were just breathing a sigh of relief, when they were informed that the nursery school in the centre would be having a 2-day inspection less than 6 weeks later at the end of May. After 2 extremely busy days, another ‘outstanding’ rating was received. The report opened with the rewarding statement that ‘children arrive at this nursery with a smile on their face. They very much look forward to the fun and adventures that they will have each day.’ Inspectors also recognised that ‘inclusion is at the heart of this nursery’ and that staff are not only proud to work at the centre but ‘are highly skilled at supporting children with SEND’.
Journey of life
Leader of Ealing Council, Peter Mason said: “It is fantastic news that the children’s centre have received a double Ofsted Outstanding judgement, It reflects the dedication and hard work of all the staff. This judgement shows that we are delivering on our commitment to provide the best possible start for every child, and I look forward to visiting soon.”
Mandy Roach, head of the centre said: “I feel immensely lucky to have such an amazing staff team and I am, indeed, extremely proud of all of them. It is such a privilege to work with wonderful children and families in Acton, providing an outstanding provision as they start in their journey of life and their education.”
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, cabinet member for a fairer start said: “I’ve been lucky to have been able to visit the centre and see firsthand the wonderful work of the team there. The children obviously enjoy the time they spend there and, as the inspectors also found, they have fun and adventures every day.”
Mandy and her team are currently developing training workshops for other practitioners and professionals, so they can share the outstanding practice they deliver with others.
The centre is also a finalist for the Inclusive Practice Award. Winners will be announced at the Nursery World Award Ceremony in September 2023. Good luck.
