A nursery has been praised for its “exceptional dedication” to its children who “love” to attend each day.

Pooh’s Nursery School in Eastbourne was rated outstanding by Ofsted following an inspection in February.

The nursery, in St Phillips Church Hall, St Philips Place, was commended for the safeguarding of its children and the curriculum it provides, as well as the “unforgettable experiences” children receive.

The report said: “Children love to attend this nursery. They are warmly welcomed by staff and enthusiastically run towards them as they are greeted at the door.

“Children establish lovely friendships with each other and form exceptionally strong bonds with staff.

“Leaders and staff show exceptional dedication to children and families. They provide a challenging and exciting curriculum, and children can make independent choices about the activities that capture their interest.

“Children receive rich and unforgettable experiences that support them in the next stage of their education. For example, they retell stories using puppets. They eagerly articulate the story of The Three Little Pigs to the inspector.

“Children imaginatively and thoughtfully describe how the three little pigs were not scared because 'they have each other'.

“At every opportunity, staff encourage children to discuss their feelings.

“Staff mention that they feel incredibly valued and that working at the nursery is a 'dream job'.

“Parents tell the inspector that their children are 'thriving' at the nursery and that they love the outside experiences that are provided.”

Inspectors said children’s welfare was of the “utmost priority” to staff, who worked hard to widen their knowledge about the youngsters and that children are “exceptionally independent”.

Inspectors said: “Secure safeguarding policies and procedures ensure that children are kept safe from harm.

“Staff have an excellent knowledge on how to identify the signs and symptoms of abuse, including identifying those who are at risk of extreme views and behaviours and the activity of county lines [drug dealing operations].

“Leaders ensure that those families who are in need of support are given help from external agencies. They implement stringent procedures to ensure that staff are safe to work with children.”