Maisie Days: Sheffield nursery which branded scathing Ofsted inspection as 'unjust' revisited by watchdog

In December, Maisie Days Ltd – trading as ‘The Nursery’, in Lodge Lane, Aston – was dropped from a long-standing ‘Good’ grading down into the lowest rating possible and placed in special measures.

Ofsted claimed staff did not “have a good understanding of how to safeguard” and said they found hazards where children were playing. The criticised everything from hygiene to how staff interacted with little ones, saying they were not given enough attention, praise or interactions, leading to children “shrieking and wildly running around”. In response, the nursery called the inspection “harsh and unjust”.

Now, the education watchdog has revisited the nursery – where it has now raised the grade to ‘Requires Improvement’ in all areas. In the new report published on this week, inspectors felt progress had been made but there were still weaknesses.

The report reads: “The play area has been made safe and the hazards in the premises have been removed. Children form positive relationships with their key person. Young children seek comfort and reassurance and benefit from regular cuddles with familiar adults.

“However, there are still weaknesses. At times staff working in the toddler room are inconsistent with how they support young children to understand feelings and emotions. Consequently some children squabble and become upset.”

Inspectors also felt the curriculum at Masie Days was not challenging to children in their play, and staff were not doing enough to engage children.

“This means that children become bored with the activities on offer and wander round looking for things to do”, the report reads, which was an issue raised in the previous visit.

The report does not specify if Maisie Days has now been lifted out of special measures. However, the nursery was given a list of areas to improve.

The nursery was contacted for comment following the reinspection.

It comes after owner Mae Boldison called the report in December “quite unjust” and “uncomfortable”. They told parents in a letter home: “Rest assured we are working hard and continuously to restore standards to our pre-pandemic ‘Good’ levels.”