‘Hugely disappointed’ Telford nursery appealed unsuccessfully against shock Ofsted downgrade

Busy Bees Nursery in Priorslee was inspected in November and staff were ‘hugely disappointed’ to find it had been downgraded from 'Good' to 'Requires Improvement' across all categories.

The nursery offers full day care for more than 100 children aged up to four years old and was inspected in November. It has to be re-inspected within 12 months following the shock downgrade.

Inspectors found that leaders had designed a curriculum that provides children with a broad range of experiences, but that they do not prioritise the learning needs of the children when planning for staff deployment.

Inspectors Anne Dyoss and Donna Bessant found that arrangements for safeguarding are effective, and there is an ‘open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.’

A spokesperson for the Busy Bees chain said: “Whilst there were many positive comments, sadly the outcome was not as we had hoped and this is hugely disappointing for everyone at the nursery.

“Having reflected following the inspection, unusually, we felt the need to challenge the overall outcome, as we believed the outcome and feedback did not accurately reflect the standards at nursery.

“Sadly, our appeal was not successful, and we must now accept the grading. We still have faith in the staff team to deliver the standards that both parents and children experience at nursery.”

The leaders wrote to all families and “apologised for not living up to their expectations of us but also to reassure them that we are working really hard to make improvements where needed".

“We have put an Action Plan in place and are using the content of the report as a way to improve.

“The nursery is drawing upon expertise from across Busy Bees and we will continue to work with the support of the local authority, our quality advisors and other colleagues.”

Caroline Hampson Peach, area director for Busy Bees, said: “The Action Plan we introduced following the inspection addresses the single action point and many areas of focus are already completed.

“The staff team are rising to the challenge and are committed to delivering the improvements Ofsted require and that our parents and children expect.

“Our parents have been incredibly supportive for which everyone at nursery is both touched and hugely grateful.

“We will be re-inspected within a 12-month period, and I am sure the inspectors will see the continued progression of our nursery when they return.”

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Telford Priorslee was registered in 2009. It is one of a number of settings operating under the Busy Bees chain.

The nursery employs 26 members of childcare staff. Of these, 18 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, one at level 4 and one at level 2.

The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. It provides funded early education for children under two, two, three- and four-year-old children.