Nursery children celebrate good Ofsted report with trip to the forest

Children at Stepping Stones Nursery School in Woodton have celebrated their recent Ofsted report with a trip to Thetford Forest.

The school was graded good in all three key areas including how well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend and the effectiveness of the leadership and management.

The inspector praised the school’s “well-established” outdoor play and learning, promoting children’s interest in outdoors and ensuring that those children who learn best through being outdoors are able to do so. She said that consistent rules are in place and the effective use of meaningful praise supports children’s self-esteem and their developing understanding of right and wrong.

Kim Harper, manager of Stepping Stones Nursery, said they were delighted with the report. She said: “The nursery believes that a good balance between indoor and outdoor activities helps staff to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage successfully, and our Ofsted report reflects the nursery’s ethos and approach to learning well.

“The visit to Thetford Forest reenforces many of the comments in our Ofsted report such as the strong emphasis that we place upon outdoor learning.”

During their visit the children participated in a Gruffalo trail - a well loved story at the nursery - and played in the wild play area.

In order to become an outstanding school, the report said staff need to maximise opportunities to interact with children as they participate in activities, to extend their learning even further and to the next level.