Harrogate nursery set to become part of Dutch childcare chain

Safe Hands Day Nursery in Harrogate is set to rebrand as part of a Dutch owned childcare provider.

The nursery, which is in a converted Edwardian house on Kent Road, is set to get new signage and uniforms as part of the move.

Currently, the daycare is run by nursery provider Just Childcare.

However, the company entered into a partnership with company Partou in 2021, which will see the Dutch firm become majority shareholders.

Now, the Harrogate nursery has announced that parents and carers will now see changes at the facility over the next few weeks.

In a post on its social media last week, Safe Hands said:

“It’s been a little over a month since we shared the news about our transition to Partou. Behind the scenes, there’s been a lot of work taking place as we begin to reshape our future, merging Just Childcare and All About Children to become one unified brand, Partou.

“Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing exciting developments with you as we continue our journey to becoming Partou. Our new signage is currently being produced, nursery uniforms have been ordered and we will be sharing with you the planned changes and improvements happening within your setting.”

The move comes as Just Childcare and All About Children will merge to become part of the Partou group.

After opening its first childcare centre in 1984, Partou operates over 700 childcare centres, welcoming more than 63,000 children and has 9,000 members of staff.

The interior of Safe Hands nursery. Image: Just Childcare

David Johnson, CEO at Just Childcare, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have secured this new partnership with Partou. With long established experience in the provision of childcare we are looking forward to working alongside them to further develop the Just Childcare group in the UK market. The new partnership with Partou is the start of the next chapter in the company’s development and we are really excited for the future.

Having known the team at Partou for some time and spoken extensively, it is clear we share the same ethos when it comes to childcare and we’re all excited to explore the opportunities that our combined knowledge and experience will bring”

Jeanine Lemmens, CEO of Partou, said:

“We are equally excited about this partnership and admire what David, Jacqueline and the entire Just Childcare team have achieved over the years. This collaboration indeed marks a new chapter, in our ambition to provide outstanding childcare to more children and families. Just Childcare and Partou share the same, simple quality principal: “all children deserve nothing but the best.”

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Ofsted upgrades Woodlands Day Nursery to ‘good’

Woodlands Day Nursery in Harrogate has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

The findings were published in a report on Friday following an inspection in August.

The assessment means the nursery on Wetherby Road has been upgraded from its previous ‘requires improvement’ grading last year.

Government inspectors said the nursery, which was registered in 2000, was ‘good’ in all four categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

They described it as a warm and welcoming place where children are eager to join their friends. They added that children make good progress and are supported by dedicated and nurturing staff.

The report said:

“Play and learning in the nursery is led by children. The varied curriculum focuses on their interests, next steps, and experiences from home.

“Children settle quickly and soon form strong bonds with staff and other children. They behave very well.

“With clear guidance from patient staff, they learn to understand and manage their emotions.”

Children learn sign language and Spanish, and have excellent communication skills and a broad vocabulary, the report added.

Inspectors also found children “develop their independence from an early age and are fully prepared for the eventual move on to school.”

The management team was praised for its “passionate and ambitious” attitude. The report said:

“The management team works extremely hard to drive improvements in this nursery.

“This is reflected in the enthusiasm of their staff team. Together, they have created a culture of teamwork and support that values each member of staff and promotes a strong culture of continual improvement.”

The report also praised the level of communication between parents and staff and found “parents share a wealth of positive experiences that clearly depict the dedication, enthusiasm and care provided by the staff team.”

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Area to improve

However, inspectors did report sometimes “staff are not perceptive to children’s curiosity during their play and do not help them make connections in their learning.”

They added:

“Children play in the garden every day. Staff plan some activities for children here. However, these are not well thought out, and staff do not provide a good range of resources that interest children and motivate them to explore.

“Consequently, children do not benefit from the same rich learning experiences as they do in their rooms, and some children wander around with little focus for their play.”

Ofsted said to improve, staff should be “more perceptive to children’s curiosity and emerging lines of enquiry during their play”, as well as consider “children’s interests so that they are engaged and motivated to explore and build on what they already know and can do.”

‘Positive direction’

 Nursery manager Suzie Wighton said in response to the report:

“We are absolutely thrilled to have received a ‘good’ rating following our recent Ofsted inspection.

“It’s a testament to the dedication and hard work of our amazing team, who work tirelessly to provide a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment for the children in our care.

“Moving forward, we are very excited about the positive direction we are heading. We will keep building on this success and remain fully committed to providing the best care for our children.”

Woodlands Day Nursery is part of Just Childcare – a group of day nurseries with branches across the north west, Yorkshire and the south west of England.

Harrogate nursery Tiny Teapots rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

Tiny Teapots nursery in Harrogate has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted just a year after receiving a ‘requires improvement’ rating.

The government inspector said in a report published last week that “children in this setting play happily with one another and eagerly participate in activities with the warm and friendly staff who take care of them”.

The report said “staff communicate well with children” and take the time “to share in children’s interests”.

It added:

“The curriculum is carefully planned to meet the needs of individual children in the nursery.

“[It] is built upon an ethos of ‘magic and wonder’ and the learning environment actively supports this aim.

“The nursery benefits from a strong management team which is keen to ensure the nursery continues to progress. Relationships with parents are a priority.”

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Despite reporting that “children generally behave well”, the inspector did note “occasionally, children are not fully supported to understand boundaries and behavioural expectations” which can “lead to some boisterous play”.

However, it added that “this is an area of development which the management team recognises and is actively supporting staff with”.

Claire Martin, nursery manager at Tiny Teapots, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are absolutely thrilled with the recent Ofsted report which serves as a testament to the dedication and care delivered by the team.

“As we look ahead, we are excited about the promising path we are on.

“We are firmly committed to building upon this remarkable achievement and ensuring that we continue to offer nothing but the very best care for our children.”

The inspection, which took place on July 25, followed an inspection in July last year.

Tiny Teapots is part of Just Childcare – a group of day nurseries across the north-west, Yorkshire and the south west of England.