Little Acorns Pre-School at Ernulf Academy is celebrating after improving on its Ofsted rating.

Inspected on January 28 the pre-school achieved an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted, the highest marking awarded by the education watchdog, which is an improvement on its last assessment where it was ranked ‘good’ in May 2010.

Manager, Sandra Coote said: “I am extremely proud of the Little Acorns team in receiving this grade, especially in our 20th anniversary year. I know how hard everyone has worked to ensure that we are giving the best possible care to the children who attend and we are continually adjusting our practice to ensure the need of every child is met.”

Ofsted assessed four categories at the site, rating them all ‘outstanding’ including the effectiveness of leadership & management, quality of teaching, learning & assessment, personal development, behaviour and welfare and outcomes for children.

The inspector’s report noted: “A highly effective performance management of the staff team and a commitment to training have a positive impact on the outcomes for the children attending.

“The staff show excellent teaching skills, having a genuine interest in what the children are doing, helping them to develop children’s learning through high-quality interaction.

“Children’s independence skills are increasingly rapid as they confidently choose their own activities. The children behave exceptionally well. They are learning to treat each other with respect and work well together.”