A CHILDREN’S centre has been praised for encouraging more mums to start breastfeeding.

South Abingdon Children’s Centre was told it served its community well and was given a good overall grading by Ofsted.

Figures showed last year 69 per cent of families using the centre had accessed health services or courses, and 75 per cent of new mums had started breastfeeding.

Centre manager Sandra Pearse said: “We are thrilled Ofsted acknowledged that the centre plays an important part in the local community and provides a good range of services and activities for families and children.

“The inspectors praised the centre staff for creating a welcoming, positive and inclusive environment for everyone and for their successful partnership working with other professionals.

“As recommended by Ofsted, we will continue to build on our links with the local schools to ensure children have all the skills necessary to enable a seamless transition into school.”

Inspectors noted children made good progress in their learning from differing starting points, and said popular courses such as Little Chefs, providing parents with a chance to cook with their children, were successfully targeted at the most disadvantaged families.

The centre in Caldecott Chase is run by charity Parents and Children Together. It is the third of the charity’s seven Oxfordshire children centres to be rated good by Ofsted.