Nursery staff who have been hailed as ‘inspiring’ are celebrating gaining an outstanding result in their latest Ofsted inspection.

Teddies Nursery, based in the grounds of Debden Park High School in Willingale Road, Loughton, was found to “provide a rich and vibrant learning environment” in the report published on April 17.

Inspector Clair Stockings said: “The nursery forms very close working relationships with parents and carers. Parents speak glowingly of the staff and all they do for the children.

“A free flow of shared information means that parents, carers and staff are all kept extremely well informed about every aspect of children's achievement, well-being and development.”

Donna O’Malley, a manager at the nursery, which caters for about 100 children from three months to five years and has a staff of 22, said: “We’re completely chuffed.

“What we teach the children now will help them learn at school. They also learn skills like self-help and being independent.

“We’re steering away from plastic toys to natural materials.

“In the nursery garden, we’ve just created a bug hotel out of pallets, so children can go and look at the bugs through a magnifying glass.”

She said the aims for the future of the nursery, which was rated as good in its previous inspection, included taking children on trips and to growing vegetables in the garden.