A village nursery has received an ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted.

Tinkerbells Early Years looks after 59 children aged from two to four at Iwade Village Hall in Ferry Road, Iwade.

Owner Donna Barker said: “We are delighted with our grading. We, as a team, work extremely hard to ensure we are continuously providing quality childcare and pre-school education for families and children and offering a range of experiences for the children to learn and expand their knowledge.”

Ofsted inspectors visited on December 11 and their findings were published on December 30.

It was given the ‘outstanding’ rating – the education watchdog’s highest – in all four areas of inspection: the effectiveness of the leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, personal development, behaviour and welfare, and outcomes for children.

The Ofsted report praised management and staff for their teamwork.

It added: “Children of all ages make outstanding progress from their starting points, including those who have special educational needs and disabilities.

“They develop excellent levels of empathy and kindness.”

Inspectors also praised staff for preparing children for their eventual move to school.

“Staff are extremely enthusiastic and extend children’s learning in incredibly engaging ways,” they said. “They are inspirational role models. Children behave impeccably and are exceptionally polite.”

Inspectors highlighted one area to improve on, which was to “strengthen the already excellent opportunities that children have to develop an even deeper understanding of other people’s similarities and differences”.

It was the pre-school’s first inspection since it was taken under new ownership in 2015.

Tinkerbells’ other setting at the Clock Tower Hall in Adisham Green, Kemsley, was also rated ‘outstanding’ following an inspection in November 2016.