Behind the Inspection Rating: A focus on first-hand learning

Beverley Manor has a track record to envy. For six inspections in a row the Yorkshire nursery school has emerged with an "outstanding" rating – a performance up there with some of the best children's settings.

Strong leadership is the key ingredient in this recipe for success says executive head teacher Karen Hunter, who also heads Hedon Nursery School. "It would be easy to get complacent," she explains. "But it's important to have a strong leadership team who are always asking questions of the staff and of what we do and our practice."

The result is a constant striving for improvement that the school's latest Ofsted report describes as "relentless". The report states: "The experienced and determined leadership team has strengthened the high standards seen at the last inspection. This is particularly evident in deepening the staff's use and analysis of assessment."