TWO former primary school teachers have turned round a failing pre-school in just two years and it is now rated outstanding by Ofsted.

Delighted joint general managers Jo Goldspink and Sue Willcock say Hollytree Community Pre-School in North Baddesley has come a long way during the last two years.

The former infant school teachers took over the management of the pre-school, based at the Community Centre, in February, 2012. In July they were told it was due to close at the end of term due to the low number of children on the roll. “We now have an extremely dedicated and enthusiastic team of staff as well as a fantastic group of children and very supportive families. Hollytree is now a thriving and successful community pre-school and we are delighted to have this recognised by Ofsted who awarded us an outstanding outcome,” said Jo and Sue.

Ofsted inspector Jane Franks says in her report management and staff work “exceptionally well” together and they are “all absolutely committed” to continually improving and maintaining the high-quality service provided at Hollytree which has 23 children on its books and six staff.

She adds: “Children thrive and make excellent progress in their learning and development in relation to their starting points on entry. This rapid progress is due to outstanding teaching in a highly stimulating environment where children are able to follow their own interest, explore freely and become active learners, indoors and outdoors.”

Praising the children’s behaviour, the inspector described it as “excellent” and she added: “Children act very respectfully towards each other and adults. They demonstrate high levels of self-control and confidence relevant to their age and abilities in all their activities.

“Highly effective partnerships with parents contribute significantly to children’s well-being and communication is excellent, and all parents are actively involved in their children’s learning, both at the pre-school and at home.”

When Hollytree was inspected in September 2009, Ofsted inspectors told the management it “required improvement and didn’t give children a good standard of early years’ education” and gave it a Grade 3 rating. It has now gone to the top of the ratings ladder.

The inspector also points out in her latest report that the staff and management provide a “rich learning environment” where children’s “individuality is recognised and cherished” and she also describes teaching at the pre-school as “excellent.” Paying tribute to the pre-school’s employees, the inspector added: “Staff are highly skilled at observing and evaluating children’s learning and they have excellent systems to identify and keep track of the skills which children are developing and those which the children have already achieved.

“The staff work very well as a team and provide a calm and caring environment where each child is extremely valued and included and as a result, new children settle quickly and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and well-being.”

Turning to how the pre-school promotes healthy lifestyles, the inspector’s report states: “Staff teach children to develop excellent personal skills as part of a healthy lifestyle and they promote children’s good health well, always taking their dietary needs, allergies and preferences fully into account.”