West Allerdale Sure Start in Maryport, run by charity Barnardo's on behalf of Cumbria County Council, was rated 'outstanding' in every category by Ofsted at its first inspection in November.
Ofsted's annual report, published last November, named only five children's centres as being outstanding out of the 39 centres which had been inspected up to that point (News, 23 November 2010).
Children's services manager and centre leader Zoe Lenaghan, who took over the role in July, has dedicated the centre's success to her late predecessor Patrick Short, husband of Nursery World contributor and Lifetime Achievement Award winner Wendy Scott. He died in the Keswick school coach crash last year.
Ms Lenaghan said, 'Being awarded an outstanding by Ofsted was fantastic and great news for the team after a difficult year.
'We are delighted not just for ourselves, but as a fitting tribute to Patrick and all the hard work he put in. It was lovely to be able to tell his family what the centre had achieved.'
In their report the Ofsted inspectors praised the centre for 'responding extremely well to the changing needs of the community and to individual needs'. It quoted parents saying that they felt the centre was a huge part of the community and helped improve their lives.
Richard Simpson, Barnardo's assistant director for Cumbria, said, 'I am delighted with the result in Allerdale. The former manager, Patrick Short, was killed in a road accident in May and the way that staff and, in particular, the manager Zoe Lenaghan, have responded to this tragedy, resulting in the outstanding rating by Ofsted, is remarkable. Patrick would have joined with me in being very proud of them.'
