THERE is more than one reason to smile at a Hampshire preschool.
Hilltops preschool in Eastleigh has been awarded top marks in its latest Ofsted report.
Inspectors rated them ‘outstanding’ noting improvements since their last inspection in 2009 when they were rated ‘good’.
In the report inspectors praised the preschool’s ‘strong leadership team’ who ‘have a clear understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children’.
It also praises the way staff work to ensure everybody is included in activities and that children with disabilities or difficulties in communicating receive the support they need.
Staff are encouraged to develop their own skills and they work with parents to meet the needs of each child to prepare them for starting school.
The report says: “Staff provide an exceptional educational programme of exciting and challenging activities that encourage children’s natural curiosity to learn. They go to great lengths to present an extremely stimulating environment, despite having to pack away each day.
“This encourages children to be highly independent in their play and to take a lead in their own learning.”
The preschool is based in the Scout Hut in Allbrook Hill, Eastleigh and it currently has 56 children under five-years-old on the registers.
They are looked after by a team of 10 members of staff between 9am and noon on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and from 9am until 3pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
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