Traquinas Childcare in Raymond Street, Thetford, celebrates the highest praise from Ofsted

The team at a children’s nursery are thrilled their setting has been awarded the highest rating across the board by the regulator.

Traquinas Childcare’s Raymond Street location, in Thetford, has been judged to be ‘outstanding’ overall by Ofsted, as well as in every single one of the four categories.

The setting, which is for children aged 0 to five, was inspected by the regulator on March 6.

The ‘outstanding’ rating was awarded for the categories of: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

The inspector described the management team as ‘inspirational’, saying they care deeply about the role they play in supporting children, parents and staff.

The Ofsted report said: “Children thrive in this inclusive and nurturing setting.”

Carla Ferreira, managing director of Traquinas Childcare, said: “What an incredible result — the culmination of so much love, dedication, and hard work.

“None of this would be possible without our amazing team, who pour their hearts into creating the best possible environment for our children.

“And to the parents who support and believe in what we do every day — thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. This is for all of us.”

The Ofsted report says staff greet children with a warm and friendly welcome and are highly-responsive to their individual needs.

There are clear boundaries to help guide children's behaviour and staff consistently model respect and tolerance for others. As a result, children are kind and considerate to one another, the report said.

Independence is encouraged from an early age and staff skillfully provide children with immersive learning opportunities in the setting and on outings.

“Staff's attentive teaching and calming guidance encourage children to be curious learners and provide them with exciting and new experiences,” the report said.

In further highlights:

♦ Staff have expert knowledge of child development and continually review their practice to provide high-quality teaching;

♦ Staff strive to provide a setting that enhances children learning experiences, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND);

♦ They plan excellent extra-curricular opportunities, such as swimming lessons, forest school, trips to the local care homes, and have hired a speech and language therapist to support children develop their communication skills;

♦ Children have excellent physical skills and understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle;

♦ Staff are experts in promoting children's early communication skills;

♦ Parents are overwhelmingly complimentary about the setting. They feel that they are approachable, trusting and go out of their way to help parents learn effective ways to support their children at home. For instance, parents are invited to potty training workshops;

♦ Staff receive focused and highly effective professional development opportunities to consistently improve their already exceptional knowledge and skills. For instance, staff have been to Italy to take part in training on the Reggio Emilia approach to help strengthen their teaching and curriculum.

The setting was previously rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, in 2019.

Traquinas Childcare also has a setting in Old Croxton Road, Thetford.