LEARNING is child's play for a kindergarten which has been rated as outstanding.

Abacus Kindergarten has received an outstanding Ofsted report in which inspectors praised the nursery in all facets of the education it provides for the under 5s.

The report came within a month of the nursery moving into its new eco-friendly, state-of-the-art building at Friars Grove Primary school in Colchester.

Owners reported they were delighted to receive the outstanding grading, feeling it reflected the staff’s hard work and their ongoing pursuit of quality education for the children.

Abacus Kindergarten operates two nurseries within the north Colchester area -  one at Friars Grove School and a smaller site at St John's Primary School for children aged two and above with both now having been rated as outstanding.

Both schools pride themselves on working closely with the community to support families with young children.

They engage in activities such as children’s clothes exchanges and free parent toddler groups.

On the children’s experience at Abacus' kindergarten at  Friars Grove School, the inspectors noted: “Children thrive and flourish at this exceptional setting. They come in excited each day to meet the friendly staff.

“Children make lasting friendships and show care and concernr others.

"They develop confidence in choosing favourite activities from a wide range of choices. Children quickly become independent explorers, developing their own personal preferences.”

Sue Triscott, part owner of the Abacus Nurseries, said: “It’s just fabulous to receive the rating. I’m proud of the team, they work so hard to give the children high-quality care and amazing learning experiences.

“Our other nursery at St John's is also outstanding, so it is great that both teams can celebrate the recognition, as it has been tough at times, especially after the pandemic.

“It’s just nice to get the recognition. We had only been at our new site for three weeks, it was like moving into a new house and having someone come and inspect it.

“I’m so happy that the inspector really could see the genuine care and effort that went into the children’s experience, especially as it is now harder than ever to get an outstanding rating.”