A PARTY was thrown by children, families and staff after Ofsted upgraded their preschool to outstanding.

Footprints Preschool in Fair Oak were awarded outstanding across the board, and invited their nine children and families down to help mark the occasion with tea and cake.

Maria Walters, 50, headteacher and owner of Footprints preschool, said: “ We worked awfully hard and were so pleased to be marked outstanding across the four categories.”

The preschool, which has four staff, who have children aged from two to five, has been running for nine years.

The report from Ofsted said: “They have high expectations of what the children can achieve and provide them with exceptional support to help prepare them for school.”

The inspection also pointed out that the bonds between the staff and children were key to the awarding.