THE only pre-school left on Oxford’s largest estate has been given the thumbs-up by education inspectors – two years after it faced closure.
Shepherds Hill Pre-School, based at Windale Primary School, is now rated outstanding by Ofsted.
It was rated good at its last inspection in 2007.
The school faced closure in 2008 due to low pupil numbers.
Manager Sarah Pearson said: “We’ve really struggled – there have been low birth rates and there haven’t been as many children around.
“We need the children, to get the Government funding.”
About £70,000 of the pre-school’s £80,000 income comes from the Government, with staff and parents left to make up the shortfall.
Ms Pearson added that parents had fundraised and advertised to keep the pre-school open “believing it to be really important for children at such a young age to have a choice of provision where the staff to child ratios are much lower.”
She said the pre-school had seen an increased take-up in the wake of the new Ofsted report.
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