A school in Stevenage, where there are "moments of wonder", has been praised by Ofsted, retaining its rating of 'good' from the education watchdog.

"Staff have high expectations" for children at Peartree Way Nursery School, Ofsted said, where "children arrive with a happy smile, confident that their time here will be interesting and enjoyable".

Through the curriculum and beyond, "the school ensures that children enjoy rich experiences", Ofsted said. "There are moments of wonder, such as hatching butterflies."

The education watchdog also highlighted how "kind, caring relationships are at the heart of this friendly nursery school," and "behaviour around the nursery is calm and purposeful".

The Ofsted report, published last week following an inspection earlier in June, said: "Children understand that adults will help them to do their best, even when things are hard for them.

"Leaders know their children well. They carefully check children’s strengths and gaps in development when they arrive, and use these to develop clear aspirations for children’s learning.

"Working at pace, staff have quite recently developed curriculum resources that set out the small steps of learning that are needed to enable pupils to reach curriculum goals."

Ofsted noted how ongoing training for staff "is effective at giving them the skills to deliver the curriculum plans well", and that "a particular focus has been strengthening children’s communication and language skills".

Meanwhile, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities "get the right help from the start", the report says, with "staff working constructively with parents to understand the needs of children".

In terms of room for improvement, Ofsted said systems for leaders "are not consistently well developed" so that they have the right information to evaluate what is working well, or where adjustments are needed.

"As a result, some leaders cannot always swiftly spot where improvements are required," the report says.

Headteacher Deborah Willcox said: "We are delighted with the outcome of our recent Ofsted inspection, which has confirmed our commitment to having the children of our community at the heart of everything we do.

"Maintaining our good grading is a true testimony to our team, children and families who work together to make every day special.

"We are looking forward to building on our positive report and ensuring Peartree Way Nursery School continues to be a nurturing environment for children's first steps on their educational journey."