PUPILS and staff at the Children's Centre at North Tees Hospital are celebrating after it was praised in an Ofsted report.

The inspection noted many areas worthy of praise and said the centre "meets all the needs of the children".

It was commended for encouraging the children's personal, physical and creative development. Facilities, including the multi-sensory room, soft play and outdoor play area were also praised.

Inspectors described the teaching as "excellent" and the support offered to parents by staff at the centre was also recognised.

Jane Harvey, acting headteacher at the centre said: "This is an excellent report, which is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of everyone at the Children's Centre, Liz Archibald, headteacher at the time of the inspection, all the staff, children and parents.

"Our challenge now is to build on the success in meeting the needs of children at the centre."

The report does point out areas which needs to be improved. It said the daily planning of the centre did not show what the children should learn from activities. "At present this information is available in the children's individual education plans, but not in overall planning. The centre needs to investigate ways to incorporate this information into daily planning.

The Children's Centre is a child development centre, based at North Tees General Hospital, Stockton. Opened in 1991, it is a joint initiative between Stockton Borough Council and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust.

Children with complex or multiple special needs, between the ages of 18 months and five years, use the centre every day.