STAFF at a village pre-school have praised parents whose good reviews helped Little Dragons earn a coveted Outstanding in All Areas rating from childcare watchdogs.

"We are very lucky to have some lovely parents who are so appreciative," said Helen Pusey, joint manager of Little Dragons, which has been introducing children in Ogbourne St George to education for over 30 years. "To be Outstanding in all areas is fantastic. The Ofsted inspectors praised our partnership with parents and how we share information with them, they praised our knowledge of the Early Years curriculum and how we listened to the children and the safeguarding approach of the pre-school.

"Parents were lining up to speak to the inspectors, which was lovely."

Based in the village hall, the pre-school caters for up to 20 children, with most coming from the village and nearby Ogbourne St Andrew, as well as from Chiseldon and Alexandra Park in Swindon.

"We currently have one family at the moment with their second generation here," Ms Pusey said. "We had a new play area last October and have been adding to that and have a safe play surface with artificial grass and equipment."

Three of the pre-school's four-strong team of staff, joint manager Ms Pusey and Linda Crahshaw and deputy manager Kate Crocker have worked there for many years, being joined recently by Carolyn Evans. The staff were also praised by Ofsted for their leadership and management skills, delighting Georgie Beaven, chairman of the parents committee which runs Little Dragons, and the committee.

Little Dragons staff, children and parents celebrated the good news on Monday afternoon at the annual sports day, which was followed by a picnic lunch.

Little Dragons has space for new children from September, as some youngsters are moving on to primary school - call 07855 026083 for information on spaces.

The committee is also meeting soon to discuss the challenge of the new Government free 30-hour funding for more pre-schoolers, and is confident Little Dragons will continue to thrive.