A nursery in Hornchurch has celebrated winning a national award in the presence of Havering's mayor.

The Wendy House Day Nursery in Station Lane said it received the National Day Nurseries Association’s (NDNA) highest Quality Counts Platinum Award in recognition of its quality of childcare.

Platinum is said to be granted only if the onsite assessor identifies that practices laid by the NDNA are well established within a setting.

The nursery threw a garden party on Friday (March 8) to celebrate its win with the staff, parents and children. The award was officially presented to nursery manager, Laura Cooling, by Havering mayor Stephanie Nunn.

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Laura, who has been at Wendy House for more than 20 years, said she is “extremely proud” of the nursery and that the award is the result of the hard work and dedication from the team.

She added: “To be recognised by such a well-respected national accreditation scheme is a real testament to their (the team’s) hard work and pride in what they do.

“Our work does not stop here. This award sets the path forward for us to continue reflecting and reviewing our practice to ensure that we offer the best quality childcare."

The NDNA said the nursery “should be very proud of this achievement” as the Quality Counts scheme demonstrates that “children are at the heart of what they do”. 

The nursery was started by director Deborah Pearman’s mother-in-law, Wendy McAuliffe, some 35 years ago with a vision of providing quality childcare in a home away from home.

Deborah said: “The nursery has come a long way since then, but it is extremely moving to still hear praise from parents, not only for the unique ‘homely’ atmosphere that the nursery has maintained but, more importantly, the genuine care and commitment of all the staff.

“This trusting relationship is, I believe, what makes the Wendy House such a special place”.