Outstanding nursery care rewarded with top rating

A BUPA-run Teddies nursery has become the first in the chain to secure an 'outstanding' rating from inspectors for the care and education it provides.

Teddies Bexleyheath, London, earned the premier rating in an annual inspection by Ofsted and has exceeded every national standard.

The nursery is the largest within the BUPA-run Teddies chain and cares for up to 90 children a day.

Ofsted praised staff for being 'very imaginative' and showing 'dedication to each and every individual child'.

Among the strengths they highlighted was that the nursery works closely with parents, leading one Ofsted inspector to say the parent partnership was the 'best I've ever seen'.

Parents are regularly invited to attend events, including themed days and sporting occasions.

Eleven parents sit on a representative committee run by the nursery to look at everything from new initiatives for the children to social activities and fundraising.

Mandy Penfold, nursery manager, said: "Only about one in 50 nurseries in the UK achieve this ranking so we're absolutely elated".

"It's such a reward for the commitment and dedication shown by the team to providing the best care and education for the children." Ofsted also singled out the nursery for encouraging children to make healthy choices- from serving a range of healthy food and providing a rich mix of activities to encouraging youngsters to drink water throughout the day and wash their hands thoroughly before meals.

Teddies, which joined BUPA in 2000, runs 34 day nurseries for children aged between three months and school age.

It is one of the largest nursery chains in the UK.

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