THERE is no sign of trodden cereal or chewed cardboard in the latest inspection report for one Ferndale nursery which has turned itself around.

In July, Ofsted revealed children at Poppies Nursery, in Ferndale Road, had been spotted eating dry cereal off the floor and chewing on cardboard.

On that occasion, inspectors ruled Poppies was inadequately caring for Swindon children, but in a new report, following a November 19 visit, it has made marked improvements.

Now considered good by the watchdog, Poppies is praised for its overall teaching, children’s consideration of one another, the manager’s evaluations and the ongoing partnership with parents.

“Overall, teaching is strong and children make good progress in their learning,” said Angela Cogan, who carried out the inspection.

“Children consider each other’s feelings and behave in a considerate manner. They develop positive values and attitudes and relate well to people around them.

“The manager evaluates the setting effectively. She identifies weaknesses and makes focused improvements that promote better outcomes for children.

“This process has been successfully strengthened and improved since the last inspection.

“The management team monitors staff performance through regular supervisions. Managers effectively identify staff training needs and provide the support they need.

“Partnerships with parents and other providers are effective. All children benefit from continuity of care and learning.

“The management team has worked hard to improve practice and provision across the setting. Children benefit from the changes made and are happy, safe and secure in their play.”

There were only one or two minor points which stopped Ms Cogan from promoting Poppies to the top rank of outstanding on the Ofsted scale.

“Some staff are more skilled than others at encouraging children to think, develop their own ideas and solve problems,” she said.

“Overall, the children make good use of a wide range of resources. However, some of the resources available in the pre-school area are not organised in a way that encourages children to explore them independently.”

The nursery’s management said: “Here at Poppies, the staff and parents alike are immensely pleased with the Ofsted judgement.

“Our parents and staff have supported the nursery through the difficult time following our last judgement. We had faith and confidence in our staff to turn the judgement around.

“We are going to continue to provide good quality care to all the children that attend our nursery.

"During this difficult time we have supported Kyle Truman and his family in helping raise money for him to live his dream of go to Disneyland Florida. We're delighted to say have raised an incredible £2,000 to enable his dream to come true.”