A nursery in Oldham that has been open for more than two decades has maintained its 'good' rating by the education watchdog.
Teddies Day Nursery, situated within the Royal Oldham Hospital grounds on Rochdale Road, has once again been deemed "good" in a recent Ofsted inspection.
The nursery, which opened in 1994, offers full-day care for babies and children up to four years old and has maintained a positive record since its first inspection in 2004.
Inspector Michelle Highcock visited the premises in November last year and found the setting to be "warm and friendly" with the children "at the heart".
She praised the staff as knowledgeable and supportive, particularly as staff familiarise themselves with their key children to identify individual needs.
The youngsters also enjoy their time at the nursery with Ms Highcock finding the children "love to show off their developing skills" and "cannot wait to tell their parents about their day and what they have learned".
There is also a strong "sense of belonging" at the nursery as the children participate in daily circle-time activities, look after one another and learn valuable social skills such as sharing, turn-taking and respect for others, the report continued.
Language and communication are central to the nursery's curriculum with nursery rhymes, reading and talking embedded into the daily routine.
The inspector found staff talk well with the children, asking open-ended questions and engaging even the youngest of the group into conversation.
Ms Highcock said developing the children's talking skills helps them to become storytellers and effective, sensitive communicators.
Meanwhile, leaders consistently review children's learning by looking at progress and planning for the next steps while the youngsters also develop a "deeper knowledge and understanding of their own learning".
Parents are also happy with the provision and often receive notices from the nursery sharing their children's 'wow' moments with photographs and comments.
To improve the rating further, Ofsted said that while the curriculum is "ambitious and well-sequenced", staff need more support to fully implement it and to ensure it meets the needs of all children.
The latest "good" rating comes as the nursery has been consistently praised as satisfactory since Ofsted started inspecting the provision in 2004.
A spokesperson for Teddies Day Nursery said they are "thrilled" with the rating and that it reflects "the incredible commitment and hard work that the nursery team put in every day".
He continued: "We are delighted that Ofsted made some lovely comments and referred to our warm and friendly setting where knowledgeable staff support children to develop, sparking interests and new experiences through a well sequenced curriculum.
"It was great to celebrate the achievements of the children and staff with Ofsted throughout the day, allowing all the great things we do daily to shine through.
"We have recently completed a full refurbishment of our nursery and to now achieve this outcome and receive this report has capped off a really successful year for the team."
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