A NURSERY in Bridgwater has been rated 'Good' by Ofsted for the fourth consecutive time.

Sunbeams Nursery first opened in 2013, and has since been rated Good at every single one of its inspections.

The most recent visit from Ofsted took place on Tuesday, June 11, and found positive results across the board.

The inspector noted in the report that Sunbeams is a 'very welcoming and friendly' nursery where children 'thrive', and are 'happy and confident' with high self-esteem.

Sunbeams' curriculum was particularly commended in the report, as were the staff who deliver an excellent quality of care and teaching.

"Staff plan an ambitious curriculum that successfully interests and challenges children to make good progress in their learning across all areas," the inspector wrote. 

"Staff place a strong focus on developing children's independence and preparing them for their future learning, including starting school."

The inspector also noted the range of experience given to children at the nursery, including visits from the local police community support officers, and learning about the life cycles of butterflies and frogs.

"Staff teach the children how to play cooperatively," the inspector added.

"For example, they provide sand timers to encourage children to take turns when using the role-play equipment, which they do well.

"This helps children to gain a good understanding about fairness and supports them to learn respect for one another."

The nursery was commended for its 'strong' partnerships with parents, who are 'well informed about their children's progress', and are fed information on various topics to help support their children's learning further at home.

As points to improve on, the inspector noted only two criticisms, firstly that 'staff do not consistently encourage the quieter or less confident children in large-group activities to share their ideas and knowledge'.

Secondly, it was written that 'staff do not encourage children to begin to link sounds to letters'.

These two small improvements came among countless positives, and the nursery was rated 'Good' in all areas and overall as a result.

To celebrate the successful inspection, Sunbeams children were treated to a prom, and graduation ceremony for those moving on to primary school in September.

Manager Leighanne Ricketts said: "Prom is our favourite day of the year!

"We celebrated with bouncy castles, games and own very own graduation ceremony.

"We have such a great team here at Sunbeams and are lucky to have such fantastic parents!

"We are delighted to maintain our grading of GOOD."