A NURSERY where more than 85% of the children speak English as a second language has been praised by education watchdogs.

Govanhill Nursery School, in one of Glasgow's most troubled communities, was singled out for good practice in cultural inclusion in an official report.

And the South Side nursery was given five very good' ratings out of a possible five by HMIe inspectors.

The report described the nursery's approach to integration as "exceptional" and said it had encouraged children to have respect for each other and different cultures.

Inspectors also praised the strength of the curriculum, improvements in performance and children's experiences at the nursery, which has a roll of 143 children.

But there was one thing head teacher Isabel Gray and her dedicated team were most proud of - the inspectors couldn't help but notice the smiles on the children's faces.

Isabel, who has been head for 20 years, said: "We have children from Malaysia, Eastern Europe and Afghanistan as well as Scottish Asian children.

"Many of the children who come to us don't speak any English at all.

"The children just take a bit longer than others to settle into the nursery and our staff are very skilled at making them feel relaxed.

"We are quite unique in that we have two language tutors. One of the comments I was most proud of was simply that the children were happy throughout the nursery."

Govanhill has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the city and some of the biggest social challenges - including high crime rates, deprivation and slum housing.

Staff at the nursery deal with around 10 different languages on a daily basis.

The report states: "Staff are outstanding in the way they respond to the differing needs of individual children and their families.

"The nursery's approach to inclusion is exceptional and highly effective and results in children valuing each other as individuals."

The nursery was also praised for setting up workshops designed to help parents boost their children's learning at home.

Staff provide a creche to make it easier for parents to attend.

Latest figures show Glasgow has around 10,800 pupils who speak English as a second language.

Bailie Gordon Matheson, executive member for education and social renewal, said: "Govanhill Nursery educates an amazingly diverse group of children, many of whom speak no English when they arrive.

"The way in which the nursery welcomes and cares for these youngsters, and addresses their particular individual needs, is nothing short of inspirational.

"Each child - whatever his or her background - is given every possible support to achieve their full potential."

Last year Govanhill residents put together a masterplan to help eradicate the areas's social problems.

Official figures show high levels of violent crime with domestic abuse and drug misuse rates far above the city average.

The number of unemployed residents and kids in households where no one has a job also outstrips national rates, while there are large numbers of tenements in extremely poor repair with high rates of overcrowding.

The 67-point masterplan includes more police and council enforcement officers on the streets and tenement improvements in Westmoreland Street and other areas.