Stirling Observer

Nursery goes to top of class

Parents say their children benefit from smaller class numbers

- Kaiya Marjoriban­ks

sA recent unannounce­d inspection of Fintry Primary School Nursery has concluded that the quality of care, support and environmen­t in the service is‘Very Good.’

The service is located in a refurbishe­d bungalow in the grounds of Fintry Primary School and operates from 9am until 12.10pm Monday to Friday during term time.

A newly published report saw that inspectors visiting in November had noted staff used a personcent­red approach to ensure they met children’s individual needs, in a welcoming and inclusive environmen­t.

A key strength detailed in the report was the positive relationsh­ips staff had developed with the children and their families, which ensured effective informatio­n sharing. Staff used wellbeing indicators to support children’s health and wellbeing and parents/carers were involved in reviewing their child’s plan.

Inspectors also noted that children benefitted from accessing a wide variety of activities in the primary school – such as assemblies and community initiative­s – which helped to develop their confidence in a safe, nurturing environmen­t.

Playrooms were bright and stimulatin­g and were well equipped, with well planned-out areas to take account of children’s interests. Children also benefitted from accessing outdoor areas freely.

The inspectors said: “We observed how staff cared for children and interacted with them. We could see that children were happy, content and clearly enjoyed their nursery experience.

“Parents/carers spoke positively about their child’s nursery experience. They confirmed that children played outdoors regularly and visited local community facilities. They were happy with the nursery environmen­t and were confident their children were safe and well cared for. They spoke highly of staff and told us they knew their child well.

“They felt their children benefited from the small numbers in the nursery and told us their children received lots of attention.”

The inspectors said that also parents/carers reviewed children’s plans, there was scope for plans to more clearly demonstrat­e how they were involved in planning the next steps in their child’s learning and developmen­t. The head teacher and staff agreed to take this forward.

The inspectors added: “We identified a small number of maintenanc­e issues during our visit. The head teacher agreed to ensure these are addressed.”

Nursery head Yvonne Gibb said: “We are delighted with our report. It was lovely for our dedicated staff team to receive recognitio­n for the positive relationsh­ips they build with families every day. The report confirmed that Fintry Nursery provides a very good foundation for our children on their learning journey.”

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