STAFF at Puddleducks Children's Day Nursery are celebrating after receiving a "good" rating following their recent Ofsted visit.

The nursery has bounced back from a "requires improvement" rating at the last inspection, with several improvements put down to the new management.

The new manager Samantha Smart started in April and has over 23 years childcare experience and over 16 years’ experience as a nursery manager.

Commenting on the appointment, Lisa Holmes, company secretary at Puddleducks said: "I was really delighted when Sam agreed to join the nursery as manager. "She brings with her invaluable experience and has already made a number of changes which benefit the children's care and the working environment at Puddleducks.

"I know that Sam and the rest of the team are planning to implement further improvements to enhance the children's experience, whilst at the nursery.

"We have also made a substantial investment in the nursery infrastructure, with the laying of over 150 square metres of artificial grass in the children's play area. It's wonderful to see how happy the children are playing on the new grass."

The report said: "The newly appointed manager has made a number of improvements since the last inspection.

"She is ambitious and communicates high expectations to all. Clear and concise action plans have been implemented to achieve and maintain good standards.

"An effective key-person system is in place. Children form strong bonds with their key person and are relaxed in their care.

"This helps to support children's emotional wellbeing and growing self-confidence.

"Children are happy and settled. They have fun and enjoy their time at the warm and welcoming nursery. Children are articulate and confident during their play and interact positively with their peers and visitors.

"Staff are good role models and children behave well. Children are encouraged to share, show kindness to each other, to listen and not to use loud voices when playing inside.

"Partnerships with parents, other providers and professionals are good. Information about children is shared in a range of ways. This contributes strongly to meeting children's needs and ensuring consistency in their care and learning."

The report also highlighted areas to improve the nursery so it could become outstanding.

It added: "Sometimes, the planned next steps in children's learning are too broad. This means staff are not able to plan precisely enough to ensure children make even better progress.

"Professional development is not specifically focused on raising the quality of teaching to an outstanding level."