CHILDREN and staff are delighted after inspectors rated their Montessori pre-school as outstanding for the third time.

Ofsted officials visited Pippins Montessori in Bures Road, White Colne, on December 2, and gave all areas, including management, teaching, behaviour and results, top marks.

Their glowing report, published on December 30, described the nursery’s leadership as “inspirational”.

Manager Lynne Dear, who has worked with nursery children for 13 years, puts Pippins’s success down to dedicated staff and being set in the countryside.

She said : “We are very delighted. It’s such a nice recognition of all the hard work everyone does.

“We are in a gorgeous, idyllic setting and the outdoor facilities are amazing for the children.

“We constantly strive to make changes to improve things for the children and that’s what gave us our outstanding grade.”

The report said: “Children are motivated by the imaginative and stimulating ways activities are presented throughout the nursery.

“They are totally engaged in their learning and make excellent progress taking into account their starting points and capabilities.

“Leadership and management are inspirational.

“The manager ensures that all staff provide consistently high-quality teaching and learning for all children.”

To improve even further, staff are planning special communication bags to send home for parents, including activities to do with their children at home.

The nursery was established in 1992 and caters for children aged three months to five years.