A PRE-school in Royal Wootton Bassett has maintained a rating of ‘outstanding’ despite the tougher standards introduced by Ofsted in the seven years since it was last inspected.

Last month, the education watchdog visited Longleaze Pre-School, in Byron Avenue, which had not been inspected since 2008.

Inspectors particularly praised the quality of teaching and the enriching learning environment, while the only suggested improvement was to strengthen children’s developing independence through daily routine.

The report said: “Staff provide children with enticing activities that significantly enhance their development across all areas of learning.

“Staff are very successful in promoting children’s communication and language skills, so children listen carefully to instructions.

“Staff provide an extremely caring, safe and welcoming environment for children, and form very secure relationships with them. Staff provide children with excellent opportunities to be active and healthy through outdoor play and regular physical activities.

“Children’s behaviour is exceptional. They consider the needs of others and successfully manage their emotions and feelings, helped by staff. Staff support children well in developing self-care skills such as dressing themselves.

"However, there is further opportunity to encourage younger children’s independence during meal times, for example, by serving themselves. Leadership is excellent. The manager and staff are highly effective in monitoring and evaluating their practice and are committed to making continual improvements.”

Emma Flack, manager at Longleaze Pre-School, welcomed the findings of the report.

“We’re obviously very pleased with the result,” she said. “It has been such a long time since Ofsted visited we were quite relieved when they finally turned up, and I think she was quite surprised about how welcome she was.

“I was really pleased with how the report was written and how it was worded. It was very positive and she clearly took on board our ethos and our vision and what we’re trying to achieve here. She also really appreciated the kinds of things children need and what makes a good learning environment for them.

“School readiness is a big thing for us here at Longleaze Pre-School and we spend a lot of time with our three- and four-year-olds working on their independence and making sure they can do things for themselves. The inspector just wanted us to do the same with the younger children.

“It is something that we were already aware of, for instance encouraging them to do up their own coats when we go outside, and it’s positive that that was what she had picked up on because we had talked about that and already started to take action.”

Emma also said the report was a great positive for the pre-school ahead of the opening of their new building on the site.