A “VIBRANT and welcoming” nursery has been graded as “outstanding” by an education watchdog.

Daisy Chain Nursery, in Carpenters Down, Popley, Basingstoke, was visited by an Ofsted inspector on September 27. In her report, inspector Melissa Cox described the pre-school as “a wonderful, rich and purposeful learning environment”.

The nursery was first registered in 2007 and re-registered in 2012 as a limited company, independently owned. The Ofsted report said that the 73 children on roll are: “treated with a great deal of respect and this results in an harmonious, caring environment for everyone, where every child is valued, regardless of their gender, ability or need.”

It added: “Staff show a very clear ambition to provide exceptionally good care and education for the children, and work extremely hard to achieve this.”

The inspector described the leadership and management of the nursery as “exceptional.”

She added: “The nursery owner, and those who take on a senior role, have a very calm but confident approach to the work that they do. They are exceptionally successful in inspiring the staff team to strive for excellence. The morale of the staff is very good and they have high expectations and ambitious plans to ensure continued improvement for the nursery.”