A NURSERY which was given the worst possible rating after an inspection has bounced back to receive a ranking of "good".

Sunbeams Day Nursery in Atherton was handed a score of "inadequate" in a report published by education watchdog Ofsted in January.

But inspectors returned to the Bolton Old Road nursery in July to check if improvements had been made and concluded it was "good" in all four areas it was rated on.

The report said: The manager and her dedicated staff team have worked closely with the local authority to improve the provision.

"As a result, standards have significantly improved.

"Staff working with older children prioritise school readiness and prepare them well for

their move to school.

"They have transformed the role-play area into a 'classroom', which helps children to explore what it will be like at school.

"The manager monitors children's progress closely.

"This helps her to swiftly identify those children who are at risk of falling behind.

"She identifies effective support strategies and makes good use of additional funding to improve the learning outcomes for these children."

Ofsted found some areas that the nursery could improve in though.

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The report states: "Staff are not provided with regular opportunities to share the knowledge they have gained from training, to help to improve the skills of all staff and maximise the impact

on all children's learning."

"At times, such as during children's spontaneous play, staff do not consistently support children to complete activities in their own way and in their own time."

The inspection was carried out on July 2 and published on July 25.

Sunbeams Day Nursery manager Angela Williamson said: “Ensuring that all of the children we look after receive quality care is a key priority for us.

“We have been working closely with the council’s Early Years team to improve our rating so it is great news that Ofsted now rates us as ‘good’.

“This improvement is also thanks to the hard-work and dedication of our staff and continued support from our parents and families.”