A YORK nursery has once more achieved the top ‘outstanding’ rating from inspectors.

Sandmartins Nursery, based at the York Biotech Campus at Sand Hutton, received the highest possible grade following an Ofsted visit in August.

This was its routine inspection since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The last onsite visit from Ofsted took place in 2013, where the nursery was also awarded ‘Outstanding’.

The inspector said: “Children are extremely happy to attend this warm and inviting nursery. They are joyful as they enter and greet the staff with affection.”

Their report also comments on ‘overjoyed’ parents full of praise for the staff and support provided by the nursery. One parent commented that the nursery feels like ‘a home from home’ with the staff going ‘above and beyond’ to make everyone feel welcome.

The inspector also commented on the staff’s exemplary communication and guidance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sandmartins  Nursery opened as a workplace nursery on the York Biotech Campus site in 1996, with current owners Debbie Ashby and Helen Pearson forming part of the original management team. Faced with redundancy in January 2020 and the potential closure of Sandmartins Nursery because of a contractual change, Debbie and Helen took over the nursery during the lockdowns.

Debbie, a director, said: “We’re incredibly happy to see all our hard work pay off. Helen and I knew taking over the nursery wouldn’t be easy but the COVID-19 pandemic just added to the number of hurdles we already had to face, and at times it seemed impossible to overcome them.

“We’re so glad we persevered through the challenges with the help of our loyal and supportive staff. The uniqueness of every child, family and staff member is at the heart of what we deliver, and we could not have achieved this fantastic accolade without them.”

Sandmartins Nursery provides care for children aged from three months to five years, for both parents in the local community and also for employees working at leading bioscience organisations based at York Biotech Campus, including Abingdon Health, Fera, Covance and Labskin.

Liz Cashon, Innovation Campus Manager at York Biotech Campus, added: "Sandmartins Nursery is a really important asset for York Biotech Campus. It can be incredibly difficult to find high quality childcare, let alone childcare that works around a parent’s working life, and many of the employees based onsite take advantage of it.

“We hear first-hand from our occupiers about how having the nursery so close to their work makes balancing childcare much easier for them, meaning that they can focus on important scientific research, discovery and application, comforted by the knowledge that their children are being well looked after, and are only a short distance away.”

For more information about Sandmartins Nursery, go to: https://sandmartinsnursery.com/