Katey’s Nursery and Pre-school in Ham is celebrating after receiving an ‘outstanding’ rating in its first ever Ofsted inspection.

The inspection, carried out on October 31, praised the nursery on creating ‘highly confident’ and ‘extremely happy’ children with ‘very positive attitudes to learning’.

The report added that the children behave remarkably well and are extremely polite and play harmoniously together. For example, during an outdoor activity a child asked their friends, ‘Excuse me, is it okay to add some water?’ to show respect for others and their views.

Director Katey Barrington said: “I founded Katey’s Nursery & Pre-school in 2004 with a view to offering a high quality, fresh and nurturing early years experience.

“I have always emphasised the importance of the outdoors for the children to experience nature, and the natural environment and here at Katey’s we are very blessed to have such a unique setting, with over 5 acres of outdoor space for our children to play and learn in.

“I feel extremely proud and privileged to lead Katey’s Nursery & Pre-school. The teamwork and dedication of the staff, no matter what their role, in making sure the children are thriving educationally, socially, emotionally, physically and spiritually is second to none.

“For us what really counts though, is the happiness and development of the children, both emotionally and educationally.”