A CHILDREN’S nursery in Newport has won praise from inspectors for giving learners a “strong voice” and teaching them “independence and self-help skills”.

A team from Welsh inspection agency Estyn visited The Osborne Children's Nursery in March and has just published its findings.

The inspectors rated the nursery as “good” across the board, including for the standards of learning, leadership, and children’s wellbeing.

They found children at the nursery were “confident communicators because they know practitioners will listen to them and respond”.

The young learners are “very settled” at the nursery and “develop warm, close relationships” with staff.

Given their age and development, the children “behave very well” and follow daily routines, helping them to “develop a sense of belonging and community”.

They also “develop creative skills well” and “are confident within their environment and handle resources confidently”.

Staff at the nursery are “very caring and supportive”, the inspectors said.

Nursery staff “communicate respectfully with children and each other, creating a calm and relaxed atmosphere” and are “positive role models” to the learners.

For older children, the level of teaching was commended for providing them with a “wide range of purposeful and stimulating experiences in the indoor and outdoor areas” of the nursery.

The environment at The Osborne Children’s Nursery is “rich and enabling” and “supports all areas of [children’s] learning and development”.

The playrooms there are described as “welcoming, bright and organised providing an enabling environment for children to play and learn in”.

There is “sufficient space in each room for children to play as well as to gather as a group or to rest and relax”, as well as a “dedicated cot room for babies”.

Older children can “sleep in the sensory room away from the main play areas ensuring they can rest undisturbed”.

Leaders at the nursery are “enthusiastic about the work of the setting”.

The inspectors found a “strong commitment to collaborative working”, which has a positive impact on the children.

Leaders also have a “clear vision for the setting and have a good range of policies and procedures in place, which contribute effectively to the smooth running of the setting”.

The grading of the nursery as “good” reflects the inspectors’ findings of “many strengths and no important areas requiring significant improvement”.