A nursery in Longridge has received its Ofsted rating after an inspection in May.

The Longridge Nursery, on Higher Road, has been rated as ‘good’ in all areas with inspectors praising the quality of education, teachers' leadership skills and beyond.

Inspectors found that children felt “happy and settled” in the nursery, which only opened in January, describing it as “calm and positive”.

Inspectors said: “They have built trusting relationships with staff and are eager to invite them into their play.

“Staff frequently praise children and celebrate their achievements. Children understand and independently follow the well-established routines. Children feel safe and secure.”

Children are said to “confidently explore resources and activities on offer”.

Reading is said to be at the heart of the nursery and is well promoted by staff.

Inspectors said: “Promoting a love of reading is at the heart of this nursery. Children of all ages have access to a range of books.

“They handle books with care as they sit in cosy corners, exploring books with their friends. Babies snuggle into staff as they enjoy hearing stories read aloud to them.

“As staff enthusiastically read, more children gather round, excited to listen. Older children focus intently during group story time.

“They gaze at the pictures and are eager to discuss what is happening in the story. Children's early reading skills are developing well.”

The curriculum is said to consider the needs of all children and an effective key-person system is in place.

At the “language-rich” nursery, children are encouraged to be physically active indoors as well as outdoors.

In order to develop into an outstanding nursery at the next inspection, staff need to check children's understanding of the language that they use more frequently.

The report said: “Occasionally, staff do not model language correctly when speaking to children. This does not support children to make the highest levels of progress in their language development.”