Southend Hospital based nursery rated 'good' by Ofsted

Ladybird Nursery, at 8-10 Cardigan Avenue, has been rated “good” in all areas after an inspection on July 6.

The nursery is run and managed by Southend Hospital, with places prioritised for staff working at the hospital.

The report, published on Thursday, stated: “Children are happy and confident in the nursery. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.

“Children readily introduce themselves and their friends to visitors and are keen to find out what they are doing.

“They develop extremely close bonds with their key persons.

“Staff understand children’s needs well. For example, when toddlers wake from their sleep, staff gently stroke their hair for comfort and softly speak to them.”

At the time of the inspection, there were 91 children at the nursery, all aged four and under.

Inspectors also praised the safeguarding arrangements.

The report added: “The manager and staff understand their responsibilities to safeguard the children in their care. The manager ensures that visual reminders are available to staff should they need them.

“Staff understand the signs and indicators that may mean a child is at risk of harm or abuse. They have a good understanding of the wider safeguarding concerns, such as female genital mutilation.

“Robust recruitment processes are in place to ensure that those working with children are suitable to do so.

“Staff know when and how to report concerns they have about a child in their care or about a colleague.”

Lynda Bartholomew, Ladybird Nursery manager, was delighted with the inspection results.

She said: “It is wonderful to be awarded ‘good’ in our rating and I would like to thank our parents and carers for their constant support.

“We are a real community, and running a successful and vibrant nursery such as ours is a team effort.

“This recognition wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated and passionate staff, who all put in such an amazing amount of hard work to make Ladybird Nursey what it is.”