A NURSERY and Children’s Centre in Manningham has received its fifth consecutive good Ofsted report.

And the “caring and inclusive” nature of Abbey Green Nursery and Children’s Centre means it has been picked by Bradford Council as a school that will help provide extra special-needs places in the district.

The Council-run school has sustained its good status in every inspection since it was first inspected 13 years ago.

Many of the children start at the nursery speaking English as an additional language, but inspectors say the school has worked well with children to expand their language skills.

In a very complimentary report, the inspector found that “the leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the nursery since the last inspection” which was in April 2014, adding: “You and your staff have high expectations of what children can achieve.”

The Council is currently looking at how to create extra places in the district for children of all ages with conditions like autism, and the success of the nursery meant Abbey Green was an obvious choice to help provide some of the places. The number of Bradford children who have been diagnosed with having special educational needs and disabilities has been rising, partly due to faster diagnosis of young people with conditions like autism.

As well as the special educational needs places in Abbey Green, the Council plans to create places at three other nurseries: Canterbury Nursery, St Edmund’s Nursery in Girlington and Strong Close Nursery in Keighley.

The Ofsted report into Abbey Green says: “The nursery is caring and inclusive. This was evident during the inspection: without prompting, even the youngest children were helping others to put on aprons to play in the water, and the children displayed confidence in using sign language to communicate with other children.

“The local authority has recognised and values this inclusivity and is currently designating the nursery as a special-needs resource base.”

Other highlights in the report include that phonics is taught very well, that children enjoy the activities, and are skilled at knowing the sounds letters make, that governance at the nursery has developed, the school’s partnership working is strong and that “adult classes delivered by the family and community team in the nursery have helped them in developing their knowledge of English, and so help them support their children.”

Inspectors add: “Children are prepared for life in modern Britain through activities such as voting when answering a question with their parents while self-registering.”

Headteacher Margot Dixon said: “We are delighted with this latest report as it is clear that Ofsted see the school as we do.”

Chairman of governors at the school, Khalid Mahmood, said: “I am delighted that the continuing dedicated and hard work of staff has been rewarded and that the Inspector recognised that our children are making great progress.”

Councillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s executive member for education, employment and skills, said: “This is excellent news for Abbey Green.

“Five consecutive ‘good’ Ofsted inspections is a fantastic achievement.”