A Welwyn nursery has opened a new ‘academy’ to prepare children for primary school, complete with interactive tablets and other innovative learning equipment.

The Busy Bees nursery in Mardley Hill unveiled its pre-school academy, designed for children between two-and-a-half and five, on Friday.

The nursery takes children from just three months but the academy will prepare the older ones for school.

Nursery manager Laura Jacques said: “The academy is a place where children are given the freedom they need to express themselves and stimulate their minds, but is also a space where they can start to familiarise themselves with school routines.

“We know how keen our families are to keep up to date with their child’s progress and so we’ve recently introduced new technology which allows parents real-time access to their child’s development.”