Hilltoppers praised by Ofsted for its nurturing and happy environment

++ Ofsted inspectors rate The Hilltoppers in Thurnscoe as a “good” nursery, with “outstanding” behaviour and attitudes ++

The Hilltoppers nursery, which is based at The Hill Primary Academy in Thurnscoe, Rotherham, is celebrating after receiving an excellent report from Ofsted.

The Hilltoppers, which is part of Astrea Academy Trust, was inspected in February and has been rated as “good” in all areas, with “outstanding” behaviour and attitudes.

Ofsted inspectors say that The Hilltoppers, which cares for children aged 0 to four, is a “nurturing nursery”, where staff take the time to get to know them well and develop positive relationships.

Staff have consistently high expectations of behaviour, encouraging children to be “kind, caring and thoughtful towards each other” and, as a result, they are extremely well behaved.

Staff are praised for organising the nursery environment so that children have access to a wide variety of “stimulating resources and activities that ignite their curiosity”.

They also support children well to gain good communication and language skills, and promote physical development.

The Ofsted report says that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported, with specific programmes of support being implemented swiftly.

Manager of Hilltoppers Nursery, Amymarie Fielding, said: “We are incredibly proud of this glowing report from Ofsted and I would like to thank all the staff for their hard work to make The Hilltoppers the nurturing nursery that it is.

“We are delighted that the inspectors highlighted the excellent behaviour and attitudes of all children at The Hilltoppers.

“We pride ourselves on offering a place where babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers feel safe and well cared for, while giving them all the learning opportunities they need to flourish and develop.”

Chief executive officer of Astrea Academy Trust, Rowena Hackwood, said: “This is a fantastic and well-deserved Ofsted report for The Hilltoppers nursery and I would like to congratulate Amymarie and all the team there.

“It is clear that the nursery is a highly nurturing environment where early years children are well cared for, while having the opportunity to explore the world around them and meet their developmental milestones.

“As a trust, we are committed to making sure that all pupils can learn, thrive and go on to lead successful lives and it is wonderful to see that The Hilltoppers is getting young children off to the best possible start.”