A Cole Green nursery is celebrating after achieving ‘outstanding’ status by Ofsted.

The Hertford Barns Day Nursery earned the distinction in December, with less than a quarter of English early years providers managing such a feat.

Jenny Pratt, Hertford Barns Day Nursery Manager, said: “We are absolutely over the moon to have received an Outstanding judgement in our first Ofsted inspection.

"Our team work tirelessly to achieve the best outcomes for our children and its incredible to have this acknowledged.

"We are lucky to have an incredible network of nursery families and we can’t thank them enough for all their support since our opening."

Ofsted’s inspection commended the staff’s abilities in making children feel safe, secure, and fostering a sense of belonging.

In the report, they were said to "expertly" support children with special needs, working hard to ensure that every child, regardless of their starting point, made the best possible progress.

The team was noted to work closely with parents to put together and review extensive plans as well as receive timely support from other professionals.

The inspector further noted the extreme importance the nursery staff placed on advancing the language and communication abilities of the children.

This is achieved by routine introduction of new vocabulary, repetition of words, and focused listening exercises, efforts which are seen to improve the language skills of all children.

The relationships between families and the nursery also garnered the praise of the inspector.

Noted were the nursery’s regular updates and free training sessions for parents designed to improve the care and education of their children.

Parents were largely complimentary about the nursery and expressed satisfaction with the relationships staff fostered with their children.

The team was also accredited for encouraging the children to appreciate nature, making use of the precinct's countryside environment.

This is implemented with initiatives like caring for animals and vegetable gardening, tactics that the inspector described as being "very effective" in aiding the children’s understanding of growth and life cycles.