The renowned setting was graded as inadequate in September – the first time in its history it has been rated less than outstanding - leaving many in the sector shocked by Ofsted’s judgement.
The setting in Northamptonshire was subsequently visited by inspectors again last month, when it was judged as outstanding for its overall effectiveness.
Within its latest report, Ofsted inspectors call the centre’s leadership, governance and management ‘exceptional’, accountability and supervision arrangements ‘robust’, self-evaluation ‘accurate, well-informed and used rigorously to steer improvement raise families’ aspirations, resilience and independence.’
It goes on to say that ‘Outcomes for families are outstanding due to well-targeted and highly effective provision.’
Also that, ‘High-quality play and learning activities, exciting environments and skillful teaching ensure children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make excellent progress in their learning and development and improve their readiness for school.’
'We witnessed first-hand the significantly traumatic impact of the previous early years inspection and the unbearable burden on staff well-being.'
Pen Green’s chair of governors Adam Cooper, who thanked colleagues from across the sector for their support, said the setting’s ‘Outstanding’ grade is ‘vindication of the dedication of its wonderful, hardworking staff to the children and families served at the centre.’
He went on to say, ‘This is in stark contrast to the previous inspection in September which left those same staff, leadership team, and governors shocked by the outcome of an inspection that we disputed strongly at the time and left the settings branded inadequate.
‘Our parents have been outstanding in these stressful and disheartening times standing by a provision that has always been a joyful enriching place for children and often a lifechanging experience for parents. My thanks go out to them for their continued support. We were overwhelmed by the immense level of support we received from esteemed colleagues from across the education sector and beyond, locally, nationally and internationally. Many commented that if this has happened to Pen Green then watch out, it could happen to any of us!’
‘The challenge now is to create positive change out of such a traumatic experience. We will be offering our insights and our expertise to Ofsted in an effort to affect real change for early years settings during the inspection process. Making sure that the differences between early years and the mainstream school system is appreciated and that context embraced during inspections. We do not want other settings to unduly suffer the pain our centre has endured since September.’
‘As we have raised before, the inquest following the sad loss of Ruth Perry has highlighted many of the inadequacies of Ofsted and its current approach to inspections.
‘We witnessed first-hand the significantly traumatic impact of the previous early years inspection and the unbearable burden on staff well-being - staff were rocked to the core. We are determined that our experiences from these inspections will be used positively to support the sector. We will ensure that we rigorously lobby MPs, unions, and Central Government to address the whole sector, not just schools.’
