A nursery in Ipswich that has never been rated anything less than below 'outstanding' by Ofsted is "thrilled" to retain its rating.

Highfield Nursery School in Chesterfield Drive has continued its incredible record once again after being given the highest possible grade by the education watchdog.

Since Ofsted started inspecting schools in 1992, the school has never been given a grade lower than 'outstanding'.

The report from a May inspection, which has recently been published, states that the school is a "happy and highly inclusive community" and staff are "passionate about every child succeeding".

Staff are said to take time to understand the children which helps build the "incredibly warm and positive relationships throughout the school".

Ruth Coleman, headteacher of the school, said: "We're absolutely thrilled that Ofsted recognise the important work that the school do.

"The staff are really proud to work at Highfield and they work extremely hard and go the extra mile for every child and every family and that's what helps us to continue as we do.

"You don't continue to be outstanding by staying still, you have to strive to improve all the time and make things better to meet the challenges that face the children each year.

"Children only come to Highfield for one or two years, before they go to reception, so we have a really small window to make a difference for children and we know how important early years are."

The inspectors found that the school "consistently strives to provide high quality provision for all children" and staff and parents are "highly positive" about the school.

Highfield also leads the East of England Stronger Practice Hub ,which was set up as part of a Covid recovery initiative from the Department for Education.

This means that the practices that happen at Highfield can be shared across Suffolk and Norfolk.