Corby nursery maintains its outstanding rating from Ofsted

A nursery in Corby has once again maintained its outstanding grade from Ofsted.

Little Learners Childcare, a family-run business in Occupation Road, opened in January 2011 and has never received anything other than top marks inspections.

Their sister Northampton setting also achieved outstanding in April 2023.

Sam Evans, director of Little Learners Childcare, said: “I am so proud of my incredible team. Not only have they achieved outstanding during the most challenging time our sector has faced, that means they have also maintained their outstanding grading for over 12 years.

“When we opened our little nursery 12-and-a-half years ago I had this big ambition of being the best we could be, creating a nursery that I would be happy to send my own children to and achieving outstanding but I had no idea that we would achieve it only six months in and then maintain it for all these years.

“We had to expand several times to keep up with demand and a few years later we opened our sister nursery in Northampton, which five weeks before Corby’s inspection, was also inspected and achieved outstanding.

“I am so grateful for my teams at both Corby and Northampton, they have worked so hard and have remained so loyal and passionate and absolutely deserve this recognition. The feedback received on the day from the inspectors at both inspections was enough to send us all into floods of tears.”

Nicola Cargill-Davis, nursery manager, said: “We are absolutely over the moon with our outstanding grade.

“The last few years have really challenged everyone who works in early years and we’ve personally had to redefine who we are as a setting and a team, as the pandemic changed a lot of who we are. However, it has also reaffirmed the importance of what we do in early years and how vital we are to the families in our community.

“Our team has worked tirelessly and given everything they can do to give our children the best possible start by working with our families. This achievement is as much for our Little Learners family as it is for us as a team.”

Little Learners Corby has an on-site forest school, an outdoor classroom for pre-school children and dedicated staff members for expressive arts working in every age group.

The Ofsted report was overwhelmingly positive with statements such as, ‘leadership is exceptional’ and ‘partnerships with parents are inspiring’.

The childcare facility was heavily praised for its staff and their consistent use of every available opportunity to develop children's language and understanding.

The staff were also praised for the remarkable experiences they provide to ensure that children's concentration is consistently positive.

The report was summed up at the beginning saying that: “Children are at the centre of everything staff do at this nursery.”

To read the full report visit the Ofsted website.