AN Ipswich children's centre is providing outstanding quality of care according to inspectors, it emerged today.

AN Ipswich children's centre is providing outstanding quality of care according to inspectors, it emerged today.

The Highfield Centre in Chesterfield Drive has been praised twice over after its nursery school and day-care centre achieved a grade of 'outstanding' in an Ofsted inspection, while a newly opened centre for younger children was also praised.

The Highfield Centre is home to Suffolk's only dedicated purpose-built nursery school, which caters for more than 100 children, aged between three and five-years-old.

Natasha Trinder, manager, said she was delighted with the report's findings.

She said: “We have a wonderful and dedicated team of practitioners working at Highfield.

“They have worked so hard over the last few months to provide high quality care and education for all the children.”

Parents told inspectors that the staff were excellent and enthusiastic, and one mother said her son had come on in leaps and bounds since attending the nursery.

Suffolk County Council's Rebecca Hopfensperger, deputy portfolio holder for children, schools and young people's services, said: “The report is encouraging and I would like to congratulate all those at Highfield who have been involved in the achievement.

“It is good to know that parents in Ipswich can be sure of high quality care for their children at Highfield.”

Sue Thomas, chair of Suffolk Children First, added: “Suffolk's children's centres both pursue and provide excellence and I hope other centres follow Highfield in this.

“The centre received top marks in all categories of the report including helping children to be healthy and happy, keeping children safe, helping children to achieve and enjoy what they do and helping children make a positive contribution.”

Does your child go to Highfield? What do you think? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk