CHILDREN at Shaw Ridge Playgroup celebrated after being crowned a ‘good’ school by Ofsted after their latest inspection.

The education watchdog visited the group, which is based at Shaw Ridge School, in Ridge Green, on January 22.

And inspectors particularly praised the staff’s positive relationships with each other, with children and with parents, and commended the positive atmosphere the children learned in.

Emma Gunston, manager at Shaw Ridge Playgroup, said: “We were really, really pleased.

“We were a bit concerned about it because it is long over due – we haven’t had an inspection since 2010.

“But we were really pleased with the findings that we are still a good, and all the staff are delighted and so are the parents.

“We are run by a committee of parents and we work very closely with them to run the playgroup.

“They have always been so supportive to us and this is as much an achievement for them as it is for the staff and for the children.”

In the report inspectors were impressed with how closely staff and parents worked together to care for the children.

They said: “Staff include parents in the initial assessment of their children and get to know children well.

“They provide enjoyable learning experiences, based on children’s interests. As a result, children are actively engaged in purposeful and worthwhile activities throughout.

“Children settle well, showing that they feel secure. Staff instil good behaviour through clear boundaries.

“As a result children co-operate well with their friends, learning to share toys and wait for their turn.”

But inspectors also said that before the playgroup could be considered outstanding, staff needed to do more to ensure children had ample opportunity to express themselves, and staff needed to do more to use the opportunities for learning presented in group work.

Emma said: “The report did say we needed to do more to maximise the opportunities for children to explore and express themselves before we can be an outstanding, so we will be exploring different types of media and activities with the children in order to do that.

“We will also be doing more to maxmise the learning opportunities in group work.”

See the report at http:// reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection- reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CARE/EY403826.