A pre-school in Wiltshire which was rated ‘Requires Improvement’ by Ofsted last year has now been recognised by inspectors for its excellent progress.

Staff at St Mary’s Under Fives in Marlborough were less than impressed with their last rating released in February 2023, which didn't seem to match up to the positive highlights picked out in the report.

But one year on the preschool on George Lane has been named “a happy and inclusive environment” and rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in every area.

“Since the previous inspection, leaders have sought support from external agencies to help them make positive changes to their practice,” said Ofsted inspector Sarah-Louise Clements.

“Staff use what they have learned from training and their knowledge of the children to create an ambitious curriculum which they tailor around the children's needs.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: St Mary's Under Fives has been praised for its excellent work with SEND children and those with additional languages.St Mary's Under Fives has been praised for its excellent work with SEND children and those with additional languages. (Image: Getty)

Ofsted inspectors visiting the school on January 10, 2024, particularly picked out the setting's well-established key-person system, communication with parents, focus on reading and support for children with special educational needs.

"They have also recently taken part in whole-team training on curriculum delivery and the use of Makaton," the report reads.

"The whole team use Makaton to enhance children's communication and they incorporate this into their curriculum for all to learn.

"Staff know the children very well and they create positive relationships with families. Children are safe and secure and make good progress in their learning."

Staff at the small preschool, which caters to 28 pupils aged two to four, could not be happier to have an Ofsted report which finally reflects the hard work staff are putting in at the preschool.

"We're just really happy to now have a good rating because we do feel that we're a good setting," deputy manager Shaunie told the Gazette and Herald.

"The previous inspection we had was quite traumatic actually. Our staff were giving comments to the inspectors and nothing was written down, and we just felt our voices weren't heard. We even tried to appeal the rating.

"Since then we've been working with Vanessa from Jigsaw Early Years Consulting as well as the local authority to make improvements and do mock inspections and really showcase how great our preschool is," she added.

"This most recent inspection just felt a lot calmer and we're so happy to finally have a result that reflects the hard work of all our staff.

"Now we're just pushing to do more where we can to keep getting better."