A Hornchurch nursery is celebrating after getting a “good” Ofsted rating after only being open for six months.

Harmony House, in Hornchurch Road, was rated “good” overall and for how well the Early Years provision meets the needs of the children, the effectiveness of the leadership and management and the contribution to the well being of children.

The report said that communication and language development is “well supported” through staff’s effective use of “good questioning techniques” and for allowing children time to think their ideas through.

It added that staff have a secure knowledge of the Early Years’ foundation stage and they use this so that children enjoy exciting learning opportunities.

Staff were also praised for using observations and assessment successfully to plan children’s next steps in their learning which led to children making consistent progress.

And inspectors said partnerships with parents work well to provide continuity of children’s care routines.

Manager Vicky Palmer said: “We are over the moon with the rating. We have worked so hard to get the nursery to this standard.

“We have a highly skilled team who have worked really hard over the past six months.”