Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, paid a special visit to a nursery in York yesterday (Monday 28th July) to see first-hand how a nursery team is delivering quality education and childcare.
Located on Eccles Close, Busy Bees York is led by a team with over 150 years of collective early years experience. During his visit, Sir Martyn toured the centre alongside the nursery’s Centre Director, Carole Hood. He was joined by Peter Gowers, Group Chief Executive at Busy Bees and Gill Jones, Busy Bees’ Group Chief Quality Officer and Safeguarding Lead.
The visit provided an opportunity to discuss sector-wide plans including the new Ofsted inspection model and the Best Start in Life Government strategy. Sir Martyn also spent time with the children engaging in activities including a ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ painting experience, and saw Busy Bees innovative curriculum, Bee Curious, in action.
Sir Martyn Oliver, Chief Inspector at Ofsted, said: “It’s been wonderful to spend some time with the children and staff at Busy Bees nursery in York. It was great to see how Busy Bees are helping children to learn, grow and get ready for school.”
Centre Director, Carole Hood, said: “We were delighted to welcome Sir Martyn Oliver to our nursery and showcase how our highly trained team create a supporting and nurturing environment for our children. It was wonderful to showcase how Bee Curious, the UK’s only independently evaluated early years curriculum, is supporting children’s lifelong love of learning and helping to prepare children for school.”
From its 1983 beginnings in Staffordshire, Busy Bees has become a worldwide success story. The company now cares for over 70,000 children every day across 10 countries.?
Gill Jones, Group Chief Quality Officer and Safeguarding Lead at Busy Bees, added: “It was a privilege to host Sir Martyn and engage in a meaningful conversation about the evolving landscape of the sector and the impact that the new Ofsted inspection model will have on nurseries across the UK. At Busy Bees, we are committed to working in partnership with Ofsted so that we can continue delivering the highest standards of early years education for every child in our care.”