A TADLEY pre-school celebrated a “fantastic year” with a graduation party.

Sharon Allen, who co-owns the pre-school St Paul’s Pre-School, in The Green with Anne Bailey, said the event was a celebration of their hard work, which has seen the pre-school go from an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating to a rating of ‘good’, with elements of outstanding, in less than a year.

Mrs Allen said: “We have gone from having eight children, to having 30 on our books now. Everybody has worked very hard to get us to this point, and we wanted to celebrate with the children and the parents.”

The school now has a new garden, including a Wendy house and a sensory section, thanks to donations from local businesses and the hard work of one of the children’s grandfather.

Mrs Allen said: “This was a chance to show off the garden and to say goodbye to all the children who are leaving us to go to school. It was a lovely event.”

At the party, the children were entertained by a wizard, and the adults, including Tadley councillor David Leeks and Tadley vicar Rev Richard Harlow, were able to enjoy some food and have a look around the garden.

The graduation party was also a chance for staff to say goodbye to the children, who will be leaving to attend school in the next academic year.

Mrs Allen said: “We’re looking forward to the future and hoping to build on our success.”