A POOLE pre-school allows children to “understand that their opinions matter” as found in a glowing OFSTED report.

Christ Church Little Oaks pre-school in Creekmoor has been rated as ‘good’ by the education inspectorate following a visit in early March, during which the school was found to be well run and safe.

The report said: “Children move freely between the play areas, making choices from the interesting variety of activities on offer. They are curious and eager to explore.

“Children develop their social skills and play together happily. Staff gently remind children of the 'golden rules' throughout the day, for example, to use 'listening ears' and 'kind hands.' Staff build children's self-esteem and confidence successfully, such as through plenty of praise and encouragement.”

Further credit was given to the pre-school’s manager, of whom the inspector wrote: “The ambitious manager is passionate about his role and has a strong oversight of the setting. He encourages staff to reflect on their own ways of working and to quickly identify how to further strengthen individual practice, including supervision meetings and observing the practice of other staff.”

Areas for improvement highlighted was for the school to ensure that staff use every opportunity to increase children’s independence.