Kindred Odstock school received rating of Outstanding in all categories of evaluation during its first Ofsted inspection since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inspectors said the school led an effective programme that facilitated learning through free play, with staff designing activities to “maximise children’s enjoyment and enhance their development.”

Ofsted described specific activities that achieved the school’s methods of teaching, including babies practising balance by walking on beams and young children learning about the different properties of materials by pouring rice onto various objects.

The report further said that staff encourage students to “quickly grow in confidence and independence. Right from the start, staff encourage the youngest children to start putting on their coats and wellies by themselves.”

Ofsted commended the school for fostering a love of reading among its students.

It said: “Leaders ensure that children adore books. Staff encourage babies to choose their own storybooks. They independently look through pictures, and staff enthusiastically read to them. Staff plan story activities with babies to teach them to notice fun sounds and words. Older children love spending time reading their favourite stories. Staff have meaningful conversations about books, enhancing children's understanding of what they have read.”