A PRE-SCHOOL has said it is “proud” of its children following a positive report from an education inspector.

St Michael’s Pre-school was rated ‘good’ in all areas by Ofsted, maintaining this status from when it was last visited three years ago.

Inspectors said staff were seen to have a good understanding of how children learn.

The report said: “Children engage in activities with enthusiasm and show high levels of concentration.

“For example, they look closely at dinosaur bones with magnifying glasses and brush dirt off with toothbrushes as they pretend to be archaeologists.”

Children also excitedly described sounds in a lesson involving mixing vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.

It added: “Staff ask interesting questions and allow children time to respond, developing children’s communication.”

Children are happy, inquisitive and showed they felt safe and secure at the Colebrook Way group by demonstrating good levels of confidence.

The report said they had learned to share toys fairly, take turns and respect the views of others.

In the report’s “outcomes for children” section, it said children “quickly grow in independence”, develop early literacy skills, enjoy counting and begin to recognise numbers.

It added: “They are acquiring the skills, knowledge and attitudes to learning that prepare them well for starting school.”

Staff helped to promote children’s curiosity to learn and the pre-school’s indoor and outdoor environments are “well designed, vibrant and stimulating”.

Parents also told the inspector they felt well informed about their children’s achievements and their next steps in learning.

The inspector recommended that in order for the school to improve the quality of early years provision it should undertake two steps.

The preschool should develop systems to evaluate the impact of teaching on specific groups of children, s as to identify any gaps in learning.

It should also support children to understand a change in routine or activity so they can end their play for themselves.

Preschool chairman, Jo Rubinstein, said: “I am very pleased to maintain our rating of ‘good’.

“I would like to thank the staff for all their hard work to achieve this.

“I am particularly proud of our children and the delightful things the Ofsted inspector said about them.”