An "outstanding" Radlett nursery leaves children thoroughly prepared for future life, according to a recent government report.

The St John's Church of England Infant and Nursery School, inspected in January, was awarded the highest rating by Ofsted, contrary to the school's own "modest" self assessment.

The nursery, in Gills Hill Lane, was highly praised for keeping children interested and encouraged and for its achievements in numeracy, literacy, computing and group work.

It said: "This is an outstanding school. It judges itself to be good, but it is modest in its self-assessment, reflecting its refusal to become complacent and its desire to continue to improve. The excellent quality of education from Nursery to the end of Year 2 leads to pupils making outstanding progress."

Although inspectors said children came to the school at slightly below the average standard, children leaving the school were reported to be "well above average" in all areas of the curriculum.

Headteacher Katharine Passmore said: "This report reflects the hard work and dedication of all members of the school community- staff, children, governors and parents.

"The report highlighted that we have a desire to continue to improve and we look forward to doing this in the months and years to come."

Chair of Governors, Dr Martin Bigg said "I am particularly pleased that the Inspector praised the outstanding leadership and management of the school and noted that the pupils benefit from excellent care, guidance and support.

"St John's has made outstanding educational progress. One of the key features that the inspection noted was the outstanding personal development of the children."