JUST six months after being rated inadequate by Ofsted, a Kidlington nursery school has bounced back with a glowing report.

Cygnet Nursery in Evenlode Crescent was given the lowest rating possible by inspectors in January after it was criticised for not having good procedures in place for monitoring of staff performance and weak management.

But when it was visited again at the end of June the inspection team said it had made big improvements and rated it good – the second highest band possible – in all areas.

Children, especially those with special educational needs, were said to be well supporters and staff were praised for their overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery.

Nursery owner David Smith said he was delighted with the turnaround.

He said: "A lot of the reason for the initial inadequate rating was down to administration.

"I did a lot of the administration personally and I had been very unwell at the time so it got a bad report.

"The daily childcare was always of a very good standard.

"I have got an assistant now and we have examined all our procedures and tightened up.

"We have also had a lot of support from Oxfordshire County Council.

"We were not sure that Ofsted's internal procedures would allow us to go up two grades in one go.

"We feel we are really outstanding and we are working towards an outstanding rating."

In her report inspector Maria Conroy said the 80-child nursery had a quality of teaching that was consistently good or better and that children were well-behaved and were learning to be kind, share and take turns.

She also praised the sense of belonging they showed and how eager they were to talk about the activities planned for them.

Mr Smith said the nursery's ethos helped to make it a great place for youngsters.

He said: "We treat the children as individuals and give them a fair amount of responsibilities.

"We make sure they know how to behave towards others and take people's feelings into account.

"That is at the core of our ethos."

Mr Smith, who set the nursery up in 1992, said he was grateful for the support of parents as the vast majority stuck by it despite the inadequate rating.

The inspection report noted that parents spoke very highly of the nursery and described the staff as "amazing."

Mr Smith said: "We do not want to rest on our laurels, we have procedures in place to do regular reviews.

"We are aiming to be rated as outstanding and I do not see any reason why that should not be the case if Ofsted walked through our door today."