TOTS at Eldene Pre-School are well behaved and motivated, according to Ofsted inspectors who visited last month.

The education watchdog's report praises the work staff have done to attain a 'good' standard since they were graded as satisfactory at their last inspection in 2009.

But before the pre-school, which operates out of Eldene Community Centre, can achieve the outstanding level they need more consistent daily routines for the children and to create more opportunities for children to link text and numbers in an outdoor environment.

The report said: “Management and staff have a good understanding of how children learn. They offer a wide range of activities and learning experiences to enable all children to make good progress given their starting points.

“Children are motivated and show good levels of interest in what they do. They have positive behaviour and are becoming independent.

"Consequently, children are responsive to the staff, and are learning right from wrong.

“Every member of staff has high expectations for children and ensures they are all included.

“However, there are few opportunities for children to recognise and write their names during the daily play routines.

“Children have lots of opportunities throughout the day to access the outdoor area, where they run about, ride on balance bicycles, learn to climb and build. However, staff do not fully extend opportunities for children to see print and numerals in different ways in the outdoor area.

“Outcomes for children are continuously improving.

“Teaching is good. Management and staff observe children to identify their interests and next steps in development.

"They assess children’s achievements and track their progress, to identify clearly any gaps in learning.”

The pre-school cares for 86 toddlers aged up to five years old registered on the roll and is open daily from 8am to 4pm except for Christmas and New Year. It employs 13 staff, of which 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications, including the manager.

The full report is online at bit.ly/1HKatpB