A LOCAL nursery and day care team has said it is "over-the-moon" about the positive, first Estyn report they have received, with a manager crediting the staff's hard work for the successful result.
Meithrinfa Pontnewydd Day Care Centre offering pre-school education, located on Station Road in Pontnewydd, received a visit from the Estyn team on May 21, 2024, which resulted in a positive and 'Good' rating.
Senior manager for Meithrinfa Pontnewydd, Kaye Knox, said staff were "over-the-moon and absolutely overjoyed" about the rating, receiving good judgements in all areas, and for receiving their first official inspection.
Ms Knox, 56, added: "I think it just backs up all of the effort and hard-work that the team has collectively put in.
"Everyone has to work as a full team and it's truly amazing to have this recognition."
In the report, the Estyn team gave a 'Good' rating to the centre in all themes, including well-being, care and development, environment, leadership and management. Where applicable, learning, teaching and assessment were also given 'Good' (only applies to three and four year old children who do not receive education in a maintained setting).
After speaking to Kaye Knox, she explained that although the day care centre has been open for years, COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns delayed the Estyn inspection.
The senior manager explained that the staff at Meithrinfa Pontnewydd call themselves the 'Purple Army.'
When asked why, Ms Knox explained: "We call ourselves The Purple Army as we became an army of workers during the Covid period, and it has just stuck with us."
Ms Knox also wanted to mention the centre's director, Stephen Cross, who she said "is amazing and supports us in everything we do.
"He leads our army, and is always there if we need him."
Since last year, the nursery has undergone changes. The setting changed from being a Welsh medium setting, to English medium, in September 2023. The Estyn report highlights that very few children speak Welsh at home, and a few have English as an additional language, but the service intends to become a bi-lingual service.
Welsh language skills were also emphasised by the Estyn team, though the report said, "many practitioners use Welsh regularly for instructions, at circle time, snack time and incidentally throughout the session."
Estyn inspectors offered two recommendations to the team which are to:
- Ensure that practitioners provide children with suitable opportunities to learn about the diverse culture and heritage of Wales
- Ensure that targets for improvement focus on children's experiences, learning and progress
The Meithrinfa Pontnewydd day care centre is open Monday to Friday, 7.30am – 6pm.
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