A NURSERY on a mission to be rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted have surprised their pupils with a new fantasy garden.

In October, Wulstan's Lodge Children, at St Wulstan's Primary School, were rated 'Good', but staff did not want to rest there and have created the new outdoor learning area to push them to the top rating given by the education body.

But all the work was a surprise for the nursery children who returned to the newly built garden after Easter.

Sally Bache, nursery manager, said the garden was not only great for the children, but great for the nursery as it added a very different childcare setting for teaching.

She said: "The inspiration for the change was to ensure that we provide the best outdoor experiences possible for our children. We wanted to create something different and unique to continue to improve towards an 'Outstanding' grade from Ofsted, as at our previous inspection, one of only two reasons that we had not yet achieved an 'Outstanding' was because it was recommended that we maximise opportunities for children to extend their play and learning in the outdoor area, and take part in play that embraces all aspects of learning."

The new garden, which has taken on a fantasy theme, includes a Hobbit hole, nature watch, children of the world, a pirate ship, music area, magical fairy tree, a planting area and wildlife harden, performing stage, and a water tunnel.

The garden was created with the help of two parents, staff, other volunteers, and local businesses.

"We are extremely grateful to local businesses Tesco, Cook's Garden Centre, Webb's Garden Centre, Pam and Alan Higgs, who made donations of materials, and to St Wulstan's Primary School and a nursery family who made financial contributions, which along with many hours of hard work, made the transformation possible," Mrs Bache said.

"All of the new and bespoke areas are designed to provide hours of endless fun and adventures providing opportunities to explore and learn through play. We are extremely excited by the new fabulous experiences available and are very grateful to our wonderful volunteers who deserve recognition."