ST George’s Playgroup, based in Altrincham, is delighted to have been awarded “Outstanding” in every aspect of its Ofsted inspection.

Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, said: “The management team and staff have worked extremely hard to raise the overall quality of the playgroup. They have implemented improvements and regularly monitor the impact this has on children's learning.” The Ofsted report on St George’s Playgroup in Altrincham said: “All children are making outstanding progress from their starting points. They develop a wealth of skills and experiences, and are extremely well prepared for the next stages in their learning, and for school.”

St George’s Playgroup, which is set in St George’s Parish Centre, says it presents an open, free-flow environment that the children have freedom of choice within. For example the children can decide when they want a snack or a drink, whether they want to play indoors or outdoors, or to play alone or with other children.

The Ofsted report further noted: “Children show curiosity and they investigate, explore and ask meaningful questions. They thrive in the welcoming and highly stimulating environment. Children work well together. They share, take turns and listen to each other's opinions.

“All staff have a rigorous and thorough understanding of child protection. They are aware of their responsibilities, any emerging safeguarding issues that may affect children in their care, and of procedures for reporting any concerns about a child's welfare. Targeted training opportunities further enhance the superb teaching of the highly experienced and enthusiastic staff team.

“Children are enthusiastic in their play and engage in a very broad range of stimulating activities based on their interests. They enjoy taking ownership of their environment and freely select activities from carefully planned opportunities. Staff promote children's sense of belonging and independence extremely well. They expertly arrange the play areas to ensure they are inviting, highly stimulating and that they offer challenge to children's learning. Children count with ease and confidence. They fluently discuss shape, number and size when playing with mathematical resources and exploring the natural environment.

“Children have daily opportunities to access the superbly resourced outdoor area which supports their physical development and provides ample learning opportunities. Staff expertly support children in learning about the world around them. They confidently use the available resources to support their rapid learning and development.”

A mother whose daughter has attended St George’s Playgroup for 12 months said: “We have been extremely happy with the playgroup and, more importantly, our little girl loves it. We are very grateful to the St George's staff for all their hard work and for helping our little girl to flourish and grow in confidence. We can see just how much she has learnt and developed and she has made such lovely new friends.”

Sue Thomas, Manager of St George’s Playgroup, said, “I can’t tell you how pleased we are to have attained 'Outstanding' in all aspects of our recent inspection. "We strive to give the children the best we possibly can throughout the year and here is the evidence that that is exactly what we are doing! It is an exciting time for us as we extend our opening hours to include three afternoons a week from September, increasing our hours to 26 each week, and we work to fully embed Forest School into our ethos.”