A PORTLAND nursery that was rated 'Inadequate' two years ago has turned things around to now be rated 'Good'.

In June 2018, Sunbeams Day Nursery was given a scathing Ofsted report. Inspectors said that the nursery's safeguarding arrangements were not effective and the teaching was not consistently good.

Inspectors rated the nursery as 'Inadequate' and said there were "significant weaknesses in leadership and management."

The school showed signs that it was turning things around after being upgraded to 'requires improvement' in December 2018, but there was still work to do.

However, following an extraordinary turnaround by a new manager and a team of dedicated staff, Sunbeams is now happy to announce that it has recently been judged as ‘Good’ in all aspects by the education watchdog.

The report said: “The manager has worked with them to develop their teaching skills. Staff now interact well with children and extend their learning effectively.

“Safeguarding is effective. Staff have attended relevant training and have a secure knowledge of how to protect children from harm and neglect.

“The ongoing improvements to the learning environment have had a positive impact on children's welfare and development.

"Children make good progress and they benefit from the positive interaction of staff. The inviting learning environment provides children with a willingness to learn."

Jordan Lucas, Sunbeams’ manager, said: “I have worked here almost 11 years and I am proud of the improvements we have made.

"The staff and I have worked really hard to get a ‘good’ rating and we are looking forward to the future of the setting. We have lots of exciting things in store.

"We are currently focusing on becoming an eco-friendlier setting by making one change a month to avoid plastic pollution.”

Jayne Urquhart-Sims, the owner of the nursery, said: “We care for children from three months old, right up until they leave to go on to primary school.

"We provide before and after school clubs along with long day care throughout the holidays. We have spaces available for two and three year funding, including spaces for the thirty-hour entitlement.

"We are excited about the future of Sunbeams.”