A full-day care provision for children in Trellech has been given a top rating by the inspection watchdogs for Wales.

Busy Bodies Playgroup were graded excellent in the six areas scrutinised by Estyn and the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) in their joint June 2024 report.

The playgroup, which can cater for up to 24 two to four-year-olds is run by Natasha Wilson and Lisa Harris with help from Alexa Williams (Room Leader) and Mandy Saunders (L3 Playgroup Assistant) at the Babington Centre in the heart of Trellech.

The inspection said that nearly all children have an extremely strong voice at the setting and are confident in expressing themselves. 

“The children self-register when they arrive at the setting, help prepare their fruits and pour their own drinks at snack time. They manage their personal needs and develop good hygiene habits. 

“They make informed choices and decisions about what they do and how they spend their time. Nearly all children are eager to express themselves and follow their interests and ideas independently.”

The report goes on to say:” Children feel happy and valued because they know that practitioners treat them with respect and actively listen to what they have to say. They cope well when separating from parents and carers and build warm and stable relationships with practitioners and peers. Children laugh, chatter and show confidence when expressing themselves, communicating through gestures and speech effectively. 

“They show a strong sense of safety and security within the setting. Children enjoy browsing the individual books that celebrate their experiences and achievements and sharing these with their families. Children refer to their family photographs displayed in the setting and a few talk maturely about their home life, which helps them develop a strong sense of belonging.” 

Praising the staff, the inspector wrote: “Practitioners have an excellent understanding of child development and of how children learn. They understand the importance of learning through play and following children’s interests. Practitioners have high expectations of all children and know their individual strengths and needs.

“They provide a rich variety of high-quality learning experiences that they match skilfully to children’s fascinations and stages of development through an exceptionally well-planned learning environment. For example, practitioners developed an exciting construction and digging area in the outside environment in response to noticing a few children’s interests and patterns of repetitive play. As a result, all children benefit from a fresh, stimulating learning environment that develops their creative, problem-solving and physical skills extremely successfully.

Lisa told the Beacon that she and Tasha, who took over managing/owning Busy Bodies Playgroup Ltd in Trellech in September 2020, have been “bursting at the seams for 10 weeks” before being able to reveal the inspector’s report.

“Achieving an ‘Excellent’ in all six areas is no small feat and serves as a remarkable testament to the hard work, commitment and care invested in making Busy Bodies Playgroup Ltd an excellent setting, she said.

“The staff's dedication and passion play a crucial role in creating such a nurturing and exceptional setting, so thank you so so much to our amazing staff Alexa, Mandy and Harry, we make a fantastic team.”

She went on to thank all the parents “past and present that continually support us and most importantly, thank you to all our wonderful children, as without you we wouldn't be able to do what we love and we love helping and watching you grow,” she added.

The six areas they achieved an excellent grading in were Wellbeing,  Learning, Care and Development, Teaching and Assessment, Environment and Leadership & Management.

To read the CIW report, go to https://www.careinspectorate.wales/busy-bodies-playgroup