STAFF at a West Oxfordshire pre-school are confident the structure is now in place to build on its recent Ofsted inspection.

Woodstock Under Fives Association, based in the grounds of Woodstock Primary School, was told it required improvement following a visit by inspectors in April.

The report, which was officially released at the end of May, praised the school for numerous improvements since it was given an inadequate rating at its last inspection in December.

Since then, a new management team has taken the reins and told the Oxford Mail they felt "very positive", insisting the pre-school was on the right path for better things in the long term.

Manager Kate Bailey said she felt the pre-school now had measures in place to be able to achieve a "good" rating at the next inspection.

She added: "I came into the job after the last inspection. I was very aware that we had an inadequate rating and it's my position to and do better.

"We have a long-term view with high standards and high expectations. We have a new structure in place and it's all very positive; everyone is working very hard.

"There has been a complete overhaul and I think the only reason we did not get good was because we did not have all the procedures in place.

"We can not do it overnight but it's my mission to get a good on the next one."

The pre-school can accommodate a maximum of 24 children per session and also runs after school and breakfast clubs.

Ofsted Inspector Anneliese Fox-Jones wrote in her report that the reason the pre-school had not been rated "good" was because staff did "not provide children with good enough opportunities to explore", which led to some children losing focus.

She added: "At times, some staff do not use their assessments precisely to identify children's individual stages of development.

"Staff do not always adjust their teaching when working with children of mixed ages and abilities, particularly during group sessions, to engage them fully.

"Occasionally, children do not have opportunities to represent their ideas in a creative and imaginative way."

Ms Bailey added the pre-school had already implemented plans to build on the inspection.

The Woodstock resident, who ran her own child care agency, said the pre-school had a "mud kitchen" and nature trials for children to explore in.

She added: "We have just sent out a questionnaire to all parents asking them what they want to see change.

"We also have a planning process based around each individual child and how their progress is based on what their interests are – the old way was to plan monthly for a group of children. We will then assess this through observations and then monitor each child's individual progress.

"Woodstock very much depends on its pre-school, and I'm an advocate of the pre-school system. It's very important we offer that to parents and the community.

"The demand is there for it and it's very important to have good quality affordable childcare."