A NEW forest school in Clacton is celebrating its first Ofsted rating after scoring good across the board. 

Little Pals Forest School, in St Johns Road, opened in September 2023 as the latest edition of the Little Pals nurseries in the area. 

As a forest school, the nursery has a strong focus on nature-based activities and encouraging children to explore and discover by themselves, assisted by the nursery teachers. 

The nursery was inspected by the education watchdog for the first time in October and received a good rating in all categories, much to the delight of staff. 

Staff - Gill Smith (Managing Director), Danille Brodley (Finance Director) and Karne Isgrove (Director of Operations)Staff - Gill Smith (Managing Director), Danille Brodley (Finance Director) and Karne Isgrove (Director of Operations) (Image: Little Pals)

In its report, Ofsted mentions that children are excited about going to school and are well-behaved, following the rules and boundaries “proficiently”. 

The report states: “Children's knowledge of the world is effectively enhanced as they frequently go on trips and outings outside of the nursery. For example, they recently visited the local beach as part of their celebrations around 'World Mental Health Week'.  

“They visit libraries, garden centres and have participated in litter picking activities.” 

Ofsted continued by praising the staff’s ability to manage the needs of older and younger children alike and create learning opportunities around weekly themes. 

Manager Gillian Smith was delighted to receive the result after the very first inspection. 

She said: “Little Pals are absolutely thrilled to receive their first good rating from Ofsted for their Forest School Nursery. 

Outdoors - The children are enjoying spending time outdoors and learning about chickensOutdoors - The children are enjoying spending time outdoors and learning about chickens (Image: Little Pals)

“We are especially pleased with the quote from the report ‘The nursery is managed by a team of directors who have oversight of three linked nurseries.’” 

Bosses at the Forest school were also proud of parents’ high views of the nursery with the report stating: “Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection, share that they are really happy with the care of their children.

"They feel that a core strength of the nursery is the friendly staff team and state that their children really enjoy attending.” 

The report also highlighted “an open and positive culture of safeguarding” at the school. 

In its recommendations, the report includes improving staff support to “strengthen the quality of learning” and improve planning to teach mathematical concepts.