A nursery in Richmond has been given the highest possible rating by Ofsted.

Maria Grey Nursery School in Friars Stile Road achieved ‘outstanding’ in every category.

The manager was described as an “excellent leader” in the report, who is “highly successful” in improving the service for children and family.

Inspectors found staff were “highly qualified” and “have a superb attitude towards their own professional development and are eager to continue to learn”.

Management was found to have an “outstanding” approach to supporting staff and providing training.

Inspectors wrote: “The manager thoroughly supports staff, some of whom start their career as volunteers and go on to achieve the highest level of childcare qualifications.”

The report stated children were “extremely keen” to learn, while “relishing the learning experiences that superbly enhance their development”.

According to inspectors, the time given to each child on their personal development ensures they all “make rapid progress”.

The report read: “Staff give high priority to children's emotional security.

“Children settle swiftly on arrival and relish their time in the nursery environment playing with their peers.

“Many children have established wonderful friendships with one another and have a lot of fun.

“For example, they make pretend flowers from construction materials, smell them and pretend to sneeze, creating lots of laughter.

“Children's behaviour is excellent. Staff successfully weave their expectations for behaviour throughout the day.

“Staff praise the children with great enthusiasm for their achievements. This praise significantly contributes to children's growing self-esteem and confidence.”

The relationships between staff and parents are described as “excellent”, while parents described the nursery as “fantastic” to inspectors.

Headteacher Helen Landsdell said: “Everyone at the school is thrilled to receive this accolade.

“It is the result of years of hard work put in by staff, parents, children and all those associated with the school, many of whom go well beyond the extra mile.

“At the heart of all the efforts is the love for the school, its ethos and tradition, and this drives the desire to constantly improve, innovate and reach for new heights.

“It is a huge team effort, and I would like to thank everyone who has been involved.”