Ref. 12533/2CHILDREN who attend Noah's Ark nursery school in the grounds of Wansdyke Primary School in Devizes are being given a good start in life, according to a report by the schools' inspectorate Ofsted.

The report by inspector Nikki Whinton, who visited the nursery for three and four-year-old children on March 1, praises the staff for their excellent support for children with special educational needs who attend the nursery.

She notes that all children and staff are learning basic sign language as part of their daily routine.

Ms Whinton said: "The staff know the children well and have a very good relationship with them. They act as positive role models and actively promote children's developing confidence, independence and self-esteem.

"Children use their imagination well to extend their ideas, particularly during role play and in art. Staff offer children good support and a wide range of resources to further enhance their play and learning."

For the future, Ms Whinton suggests that the staff improve their assessment programme, used to plan for individual children's future development, and create more opportunities for children to participate in activities involving calculation, the local environment, and computer technology.

Noah's Ark was set up in 1998 and operates from a mobile classroom in the grounds of Wansdyke School. There are currently 50 children from two to four on the roll.