A NURSERY in Kendal has been told it ‘requires improvement’ in all categories after a recent Ofsted inspection.

Inspectors visited Stramongate Nursery on October 5 and said the nursery’s overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management all required improvement.

Concerns raised included insufficient guidance and support for management; that nursery leaders had not created a ‘planned and sequenced curriculum that supports the learning of all children’ and that some children were ‘behind’ in communication and language development.

However, the report praised the nursery’s safeguarding, its knowledge of the children in its care and said children were ‘safe and happy’.

“The provider has not given the new and inexperienced manager sufficient guidance and support to secure a good standard of education for all children,” it said.

“However, children are well cared for and are safe, happy and settled in nursery.”

Another concern raised by the report was that older children in the nursery’s care were ‘not as well prepared’ when moving on to school.

“Staff know the children well and support their personal and social development,” the report said.

“However, not all staff focus on children's next steps to support and extend the learning of their key children. Therefore, older children are not as well prepared when they move on to school as they should be.”

The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff and provides funded early education for two, three and four-year-olds.

There is also a baby room with six places for children under two years.

In total there are 59 children on the nursery’s roll.

Inspectors advised that the provider should: “Support the new and inexperienced manager to improve the quality of provision to a good standard, in particular the quality of education.

“Ensure the manager provides staff with effective supervision to enable them to provide a broad, well-planned, sequenced and appropriately challenging curriculum for all children.

“Ensure children receive the support they need to develop their communication and language skills.”