A nursery is celebrating after being rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted.

Busy Bees nursery in St Albans Hospital received the highest rating by the education watchdog after an inspection on July 23.

Inspector Liz Kissane rated the nursery Outstanding in leadership, quality of teaching, personal development, and outcomes for children.

In her report, the inspector noted that “all of the children’s needs were being fully met, and their wellbeing looked after”.

She praised the management team and said it “rigorously tests and evaluates every aspect of practice within the nursery to ensure an exceptionally good experience for children”.

When looking at how well children were doing, the inspector recognised that “all children are motivated learners who enjoy a challenge” and believed that this is down to the “staff’s high expectations, nurturing manner and well-established routines support children’s excellent behaviour”.

The Ofsted report also stated that, due to the practices in the nursery, “children acquire extremely good mathematical skills and they are very well prepared for school”.

Following the report, nursery manager Claire Bye said: “My team and I work tirelessly to provide the children in our care with the best start in life.

"Our careful and continuous monitoring and evaluation of our practice ensures that we are consistently providing the highest standards of care and learning.

"We are also keen champions of self professional development and use this to support our staff in delivering exceptional childcare.

"Staff work closely with children and their families to support children's development through the delivery of meticulously planned activities that challenge each individual child to achieve their full potential.

"To have Ofsted recognise our hard work and commitment is amazing.”