Brae nursery rated ‘very good’ after surprise visit in June
Peerie Foxes also given positive report after unannounced inspections
TWO ISLES childcare providers have been rated highly by inspectors after surprise visits last month.
Brae school nursery was rated as ‘very good’ overall by Care Inspectorate Scotland, and was singled out for praise for its play and learning, and support of children to achieve.
Peerie Foxes, which is based in Lerwick, was also rated as ‘good’ overall following the unannounced inspections in June.
Inspectors visited Brae nursery on 1 and 2 June, before heading to Peerie Foxes on 3 and 4 June.
They found that there was an “ethos of continuous improvement” at Brae nursery, with children “happy, confident and well engaged”.
Praise was also given to the “strong, skilled staff team” who worked well together to “promote positive experiences for children”.
Inspectors said there were “major strengths” in the nursery’s play and learning for children, with “high quality” interactions between staff and children.
“Children accessed a wide range of resources independently and made choices about their play, including outdoors,” they said.
The variety of outdoor spaces enhanced opportunities for exploration and contributed to rich, motivating experiences.
“Effective use of the local community, including visits to shops, care settings and outdoor environments, provided real-life contexts which deepened learning.
“As a result, children were highly engaged and developing a broad range of skills.”
Children were encouraged to share, take turns and express their feelings, contributing to their development, and children were well supported to develop literacy, numeracy and language.
Inspectors also found that interactions between staff and children were “consistently warm, nurturing and responsive.”
“Staff demonstrated a very good understanding of the importance of secure relationships, which underpinned practice and was appropriately recognised as a strength.
“Staff offered a warm welcome at the start of the day, supporting positive attachments and enabling children and families to separate with confidence.”
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Children were also well supported in moving to primary school, inspectors found.
Leadership at the nursery was rated as ‘good’, with strengths mostly found by visiting inspectors.
However they did encourage the leadership team to fully involve all families in the feedback process, saying that stronger communication would ensure all families felt listened to.
Five areas for improvement at Brae nursery from a previous visit had all also been met this time, Care Inspectorate Scotland added.
Peerie Foxes, based in Lerwick’s former Salvation Army mission hall, was rated as ‘good’ for its leadership, play and learning and its support for children to achieve.
Its spaces were rated as ‘satisfactory/adequate’, meanwhile.
Inspectors found that though the setting had a “welcoming environment for children and families”, there were potential improvements to some areas.
They said the construction area was “less inviting” than others, with “limited resources”, and the outdoor area was also described as being an “area for development”.
“The outdoor environment had potential but required further development to fully support learning,” inspectors said.
Staff were praised however as being “warm and nurturing” in their interactions with children.
“Children appeared comfortable and relaxed and confidently approached staff when they needed help.
“Staff responded well to children’s cues, for example supporting a child to use scissors safely by holding paper for them, which brought clear enjoyment and a sense of achievement.
“Relationships were positive and helped children feel safe and secure.”
Children were also said to be “happy, confident and engaged in their play” at Peerie Foxes.
“Children showed good imagination, for example pretending to be fire fighters, drawing fires with chalk and using water to put them out,” inspectors said.
“Others explored painting using a range of tools and spent time at the water tray developing their problem-solving and fine motor skills.
“These experiences supported curiosity, creativity and early literacy and numeracy skills.”
The management team were also praised, with Peerie Foxes “well led by a motivated manager”.
“Staff said they worked well together, felt supported and were included in decision-making.
“Parents were actively involved in self-evaluation, and their views were valued.”
One area for improvement, with regards to the outdoor space, will remain in place until inspectors visit again.
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