Day Nurseries Owned by Playschool Nursery

Reply from Management Team at Playschool Nursery (Harpenden)

Playschool Nursery strives for excellence and has supported families in Harpenden for over 15 years. When there has been an error we believe in being honest - it is one of the core values of the nursery. As soon as we realised our mistake we contacted the parent with our apologies for offering a place that was not available. An alternative place for both children was offered at one of our other nurseries. The parent declined this offer and a full refund with interest was provided. A full review of administrative processes has been conducted to ensure this error does not occur again. As an early years provider, Ofsted requires us to inform parents of any changes to key persons that may affect their child, and this is our priority in all communication. Regular updates including any changes are provided to parents via handovers, email communication and regular development reviews. Parents also have the option to request a meeting with their keyworker at any point. Staff retention and development are very important to us, and we are very active in this area as reflected in the Gold Status for Investors in People awarded to Playschool Nursery in 2022 with a reappraisal of the Gold standard in 2023 and 2024. Along with on-the-job coaching and mentoring our practitioners have formal touch points where we check in on their wellbeing as well as identify their training and development needs via weekly supervisions with Room Leads. There is also an annual appraisal process for all staff conducted with the support of senior management and clearly defined career paths for our teams.