Portgordon Primary School Nursery Day Care of Children
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Portgordon Primary School Nursery Day Care of Children Richmond Terrace Portgordon Buckie AB56 5RA Telephone: 01542 831198 Type of inspection: Unannounced Completed on: 12 December 2018 Service provided by: Service provider number: The Moray Council SP2003001892 Service no: CS2003016017 Inspection report About the service Portgordon Primary School Nursery has been registered with the Care Inspectorate since April 2011. The service is provided by the Moray Council. It is registered to provide a day care of children service to a maximum of 20 children aged 3 years to those not yet attending primary school. The service is accommodated within Portgordon Primary School situated 'up the brae' in the coastal village of Portgordon near the town of Buckie, Moray. The aims and objectives of the service include: - respect each child as an individual - provide appropriate space for play and learning to stimulate children's development and future potential - endeavour to support all children with 'my world triangle' and wellbeing indicators - GIRFEC - embrace curriculum for excellence by recognising the influence early year experiences have on future learning and development - provide a safe and nurturing environment that supports all children - support parents and recognise their role as primary carers and educators - welcome the opportunities to involve parents/carers in their child's education - embrace partnerships with the local community to share experiences and expertise. We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child (also known as GIRFEC), Scotland's national approach to improving outcomes and wellbeing for children by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. It supports them and their parent(s) to work with the services that can help them. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of GIRFEC, safe, healthy, achieving, active, respected, responsible and included (also known as SHANARRI). What people told us There was a total of 15 children using the service. We observed the children were relaxed and happy during play activities, which included various construction activities, water and sand play and imaginary play in the house corner. Children clearly enjoyed playing outside, digging with spades and riding on bikes and tricycles. We talked with five children, they all told us that nursery was fun. Specific comments included: 'this is rainbow dolphin, he comes to my house' 'this is a yellow car' 'I am wrapping presents for Xmas' 'I am making a potion, with yellow water' 'I can jump really high' 'I am helping my friend, she has hurt her finger'. One parent returned a completed care standards questionnaire. We spoke with four parents during our inspection. They all told us that overall they were happy with the nursery. Although there had been changes to staff, they considered that it had little impact on the children. Staff had been friendly and approachable and they had been kept well informed. Specific comments included: 'staff have been great and we have already seen positive changes in our child' 'lovely service, always feel welcome and they know my child so well' 'staff really care about the children; happy my child has such a positive place to learn and grow' Inspection report for Portgordon Primary School Nursery page 2 of 9 Inspection report 'the range of activities and outings they provide far exceed my expectations' 'the support received as a family has been immense' 'I always feel informed about what is happening in the nursery and have loved the opportunity to share learning; it is a lovely, warm and welcoming nursery'. Self assessment The service had not been asked to complete a self-assessment in advance of the inspection. We considered and discussed quality assurance processes and how the quality of the provision was being monitored. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support 5 - Very Good Quality of environment 4 - Good Quality of staffing 4 - Good Quality of management and leadership 4 - Good Quality of care and support Findings from the inspection We saw that staff had established positive relationships with parents and shared information at drop off and collection times, which helped to support children's health and wellbeing by nurturing a consistent approach between home and nursery. We noted children associated well with rainbow the dolphin (cuddly toy) that was taken home which helped to promote home to nursery links. It was also being used as a conduit to effectively share the central elements and values of Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) with parents. Children were able to make choices about their play which captured their interest through investigation and exploration, whilst taking account of their needs and abilities. Group activities enabled children to talk together, listen and share their ideas. Children were being encouraged to have an understanding of emotions, to share and develop a sense of fairness and respect for each other. Children's contributions were clearly valued and respected with self directed play, their ideas and views being sought and recorded through big books (encourage thinking skills through talking together in a group), daily conversation, probing questions and engagement with staff during activities. Children experienced sensitive and responsive care, helping to build on their confidence and self esteem. Parents told us that the friendly and receptive approach of the staff helped to keep them well informed and also had a positive impact on their child's learning and development. The consistent staff team had got to know the children very well. They liaised closely with families to make a positive difference through early intervention, aligning with the GIRFEC approach. We suggested that it would be beneficial orf the personal care plan to have a chronology of key events to further support the monitoring of children's wellbeing. Children's physical and emotional and social wellbeing was being promoted during healthy snack and active play outdoors. Children were able to have an understanding and ownership of the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators as roles within the nursery included a nurture nurse, healthy chef and active athlete. Family learning within the nursery had also focused on people who help us. Inspection report for Portgordon Primary School Nursery page 3 of 9 Inspection report A child protection policy was in place; staff had an understanding of child protection issues and procedures as a result of training, contributing to safeguarding of the children. Documentation was in place to support the safe administration of medication. To further support good practice, as required medication should be consistently reviewed every 3 months. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 5 - very good Quality of environment Findings from the inspection The playroom was bright, inviting and welcoming for the children; natural materials and resources were threaded throughout a variety of activities. Children were able to gain from the benefit of independent play and free choices. However, we noted at times play was restricted due to the vast array of activities on offer, for example, floor play was limited. This was discussed with the staff and depute head teacher and it was agreed that an evaluation of the play space would be undertaken so that it could be adapted more readily in response to children's learning. The service was clean and free from faults and hazards, main exits were secured outwith children being taken to and from the service, helping to promote their safety. Staff assessed the risk to children in the play environment and balanced this well with the benefits of trying new things and problem solving. Children were learning about responsibility through their roles within the nursery such as, helping to prepare snack, self help skills during snack and taking the lead in active, keep fit play. Children's health was further promoted as there was always access to a trained first aider, ensuring that children were treated properly should an accident occur. Accidents and incidents were being appropriately recorded and information was shared with the parent/carer, promoting the wellbeing of the child. Infection control procedures took account of good practice guidance. For example, all children were learning about the importance of personal hygiene and how to keep healthy as they washed their hands after using the toilet and before having their snack. Continued development of the outdoor area and outdoor learning remained a focus of improvement. Children used the school playing field across the road, the playground and also had their own secure play area to the rear of the school building. The introduction of some scrap and real life materials helped children's socialisation, thinking skills and imagination. Ride on toys, tricycles and balance bikes and a climbing frame also supported children's physical development and co-ordination. Continued evaluation and generation of real life and scrap materials indoors and outdoors would help to ensure that children continued to benefit from a rich creative and exploratory environment. Inspection report for Portgordon Primary School Nursery page 4 of 9 Inspection report Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Grade: 4 - good Quality of staffing Findings from the inspection Staff were friendly and welcoming towards the children, creating an environment where children were happy and confident. The sensitive and unassuming interactions of qualified, well experienced and competent staff helped to make a difference to children's wellbeing and development. Staff worked closely and effectively together, they encouraged children to find things out orf themselves and to work out their own theories. Staff interacted with children with care and kindness and encouraged children's thinking; they were responsive and vigilant in supervising children to keep them safe. Staff had got to know the children well and liaised closely with families to establish positive relationships so that they could respond to need in a meaningful way.