A pre-school run by an Islamic charity has been awarded top marks by Ofsted after inspectors were wowed by both staff and pupils on their latest visit.

Pupils at Noor Ul Islam Pre-School in Leyton are happy, safe and well educated, according to a report released yesterday.

The school in High Road was rated outstanding in every category, following an inspection in September.

The inspection was prompted by the school’s move to an adjacent property.

Inspector Jennifer Forbes said: “Staff have a thorough understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and an exceptional awareness of the way that children learn. As a result, children are making excellent progress in their learning and development.

“Children's safety and security are of paramount importance. The pre-school has highly effective strategies in place to ensure that they protect all children from harm.

“The management team are committed to continually developing their service. They effectively monitor the educational programmes and staff practice.”

The pre-school which offers morning or afternoon sessions to 80 children was also praised for its ethos of teaching children English.

The watchdog praised the fact the staff read books children had chosen and with enthusiasm. 

Hawa Hansa, the pre-school manager said she was delighted at the outcome.

She said: “The excellent report is recognition of the hard work the management, staff, pupils and parents have put in to make the establishment a success.

“I am very pleased with the report which reflects what we do every day. Staff embraced the move to a new location, albeit next door and ensured the transition did not affect the quality of teaching or care.”

The pre-school was first set up in 1999 and is a part of a bigger Charitable Trust, which also runs a primary school, supplementary classes and a mosque.

The trust was first formed in 1990 with an aim to "meet the community’s social, welfare and educational needs".