A DARWEN pre-school has received an outstanding Ofsted report.

Kittens Pre-School and Nursery in Veronica Street received the highest marks possible across the board.

Inspectors praised the ‘enthusiastic and committed staff‘ who, led by a ‘dynamic manager’, create a fully inclusive and exciting environment indoors and outdoors at the nursery, off Blackburn Road.

The report said planning and assessment expertly support individual needs and children are extremely confident and self-assured.

The children are making excellent progress in their learning and development.

Inspectors recognise that the nursery is proactive in developing highly effective partnerships between parents, providers and other professionals and agencies.

Management were also praised for their passionate and continual evaluation of their practice to ensure continuous improvement.

The nursery, which caters for children under five, opened in 1989 and operates from a single-storey building for up to 26 children.

There are currently 72 children aged two to five on the roll, some in part-time places.

The report said that “children are safeguarded and exceedingly well protected in the setting” and “there are robust policies and procedures which are implemented consistently and reviewed regularly”.

Children also have space to play and the freedom to explore, be physically active and develop their own interests.

Staff were praised for their teaching which highly motivates children’s developing problem-solving, reasoning and numeracy skills, and their ethos of “involve parents at every opportunity”.

Inspectors recommended bosses should provide further opportunities for children to weigh and measure independently.