‘EXEMPLARY’ children and ‘highly skilled’ staff were praised by inspectors at Dorchester Nursery School.

Ofsted’s visitors graded the York Road school as outstanding on all fronts and left them with a glowing report.

Inspectors found ‘children flourish and thrive’ and ‘make rapid progress in their development’.

They said staff clearly know the children ‘exceptionally well and tailor learning opportunities to enhance their progress’.

The report also said the children’s physical development was exceptionally well-supported.

The school was established 40 years ago and caters for children from the age of two and a half to five-years-old.

Headteacher Lyn Smith said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to bits as there’s been a lot of hard work done.

“It was already a very successful setting but we have upped the grade and it’s all down to hard work and team work.

“I think the inspectors were really looking at our self inspection processes and how we treat every child as an individual.”

The report also praised the way the school values and engages parents and the children’s awareness of healthy food.

The report said staff are ‘exceptionally good at praising children for their kindness and achievements,’ enabling them to ‘quickly learn respect and how to value each other’.