Buchanhaven School Nursery Day Care of Children
Hope Street Peterhead AB42 1HD
Telephone: 01779 472543
Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 16 March 2017
Service provided by: Service provider number: Aberdeenshire Council SP2003000029
Care service number: CS2003015718 Inspection report
About the service
Buchanhaven School Nursery has been registered since 2002. The nursery is registered as a day care of children service to provide care to a maximum of 40 children aged from 3 years up to those not yet attending primary school.
Buchanhaven School Nursery is provided by Aberdeenshire Council and accommodated within the primary school building located in the coastal town of Peterhead. The children benefit from two adjacent spacious classrooms, a spacious entrance hall which is used for various activities and direct access to a safely enclosed outdoor play area. The service operates morning and afternoon sessions.
The nursery aims are to provide:
- A positive, nurturing and inclusive learning community.
- A place where individuals and their families are respected.
- A place where experiences are child initiated, active, challenging and engaging.
- A place where we build confidence, ambition, inclusion and espect.r
- A place where SHANARRI wellbeing indicators (safe, healthy, achieving, respected, responsive, active and included) are at the heart of our practice.
The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child (also known as GIRFEC). Set up by Scottish Government, GIRFEC is a national approach to working in a consistent way with all children and young people. It is underpinned by the principles of prevention and early intervention. The approach helps services focus on what makes a positive difference for children and young people - and what they can do to improve. Getting it right for every child is being woven into all policy, practice, strategy and legislation that affect children, young people and their families.
What people told us
Nineteen parents returned completed questionnaires to us before the inspection indicating that they were very happy with the service. Fourteen included written comments including:
- "My child is always excited to attend his sessions. He speaks very highly of his teachers".
- "I cannot commend the Buchanhaven early learning childcare setting enough. I can truly say I am at complete ease about my child being there and cared for and how much he is coming on by all he is being taught and coming across while there".
- "The setting and staff at Buchanhaven school have made my child feel welcome and he is very settled in his pre-school routine. The staff communicate with him very well and have quickly identified what his likes and dislikes are, this helps him with the activities he chooses each day. The setting is well laid out and very welcoming and all information for parents is very accessible".
- "The staff are very approachable and answer any questions concerns you may have confidently. The
Inspection report for Buchanhaven School Nursery page 2 of 7 Inspection report environment is very engaging and I like the way my child can choose what they want to do. The activities they undertake are stimulating and I have noticed a big difference in my child in the few weeks he has been there".
- "The staff always engage positively and respectfully with our children. All staff are very friendly and pleasant and always have time for you no matter what your query is. It is obvious that the staff are dedicated and are interested in each child".
- "Buchanhaven School Nursery is simply great, my child has come on leaps and bounds after starting school. I have great respect for (two named staff) they are great with my child".
- "The nursery has a great group of staff who make it a very friendly inviting environment for the children. My child loves the 'school' and she has always been treated fairly. If there have been any issues, staff have discussed them privately with me and have reassured me on how to deal with the situation. Great facilities within the school along with the use of the outdoor learning. I love how much my daughter goes out".
- "Very happy with the care service Buchanhaven nursery provide for my child. Always welcoming and friendly and ready to help. Staff were excellent when my child first started nursery".
- "My child looks forward to attending the nursery daily. I have no concerns regarding leaving my child there. Staff are approachable, friendly and professional, they always have time to discuss any issues I may have. The nursery is clean bright and child friendly. Toys and equipment appropriate. Planning available for parents etc on notice board which I enjoy looking at".
We observed and talked to the children during two nursery sessions for 3-5 year olds; all were very happy and confident in the service. They were inquisitive as to who their visitor was and asked lots of questions. They told us about their experiences and learning:
- "Look at me; I can climb on here I am really brave". - "We are making cup cakes, do you want one". - "We are building on here, we are making a tall, tall tower". - "Look at my hands, you cannot see the germs because they are invisible".
We spoke to four parents/carers who use the service individually as they collected their children. All were very pleased with the service. Comments included:
- "I cannot fault them, I think it's great here, she has come on leaps and bounds".
- "It's a very good nursery, he loves it. The layout of the nursery is good, and he can go where he wants which has helped him a lot".
- "Fantastic the staff have been very good in supporting my child's health needs. The free flow outdoor play helps my child as she can go outside or come in when she needs to".
- "The nursery is really good I love the stay and play days. Staff are always asking for feedback and ideas for what they could do better".
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Self assessment
The Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self assessment document from the service. We were satisfied with the way the service had completed this and with the relevant information they had given us for each of headings that we grade them under.
The service identified what they thought they did well and had begun to eflectr on the impact of the provision and the benefits to children and families using the service. The service told us how the people who used the care service were involved in the organisation of the service. Areas for development were identified that they planned to take forward.
From this inspection we graded this service as:
Quality of care and support 5 - Very Good Quality of environment 5 - Very Good Quality of staffing not assessed Quality of management and leadership not assessed
What the service does well
The quality of care and support at Buchanhaven Nursery was very good. The staff had a firm understanding of the Scottish government initiative Getting it Right for Every Child. The manager and staff considered the indicators of children's wellbeing in every aspect of their work and worked in partnership with parents and other agencies to ensure children's needs were met. Staff knew children well and implemented care plans effectively.
A focus on ensuring children were nurtured when they started nursery meant that children were emotionally secure and able to talk about their feelings. Children had developed fond attachments to staff. Staff had taken forward a 'Teddy Talk' programme which had helped children to be confident speakers and ensured those with English as an additional language were making good progress with speaking English. Children were being further supported by 'widgets'; picture symbols to aid communication.
Snack menus had been reviewed and improved taking account of national guidance and parents' and children's views. Children were learning about healthy lifestyles through the 'Grow well choices' programme and parents had supported children's learning well by participating in creative home link activities. Children participated in making scones for their snack. They showed their independence at self-serving their snack when they chose, and taking account of the numbers limiting them to one scone and three pieces of fruit initially. Staff support conversation and social skills and involved children in evaluating their experience.
Effective management and leadership of the nursery had completely revised the aims, policies and approaches in the nursery. A strong improvement plan had been progressed and monitored. Training for staff had been effective in supporting change resulting in positive impact on outcomes for children.
As result of self-evaluation the classrooms had been updated with new furniture, resources and layouts with a focus on providing an active child-led environment. This had maximised children's independence and choice. Technological resources and opportunities had been improved. Natural and open-ended materials were available in a variety of contexts. Children were responsible and independent in using the free flow play environment of two playrooms and the outdoor area. This helped children to follow their own interests; as a result they were
Inspection report for Buchanhaven School Nursery page 4 of 7 Inspection report engaged and concentrated very well on their chosen activities. They were good at negotiating with other children and working collaboratively. Staff interaction was sensitive and well-timed to extend learning. The routine was organised to allow children to explore their own interests for most of the morning. When they later came together for a group activity they were ready to listen and participate.
The nursery now has sole use of the enclosed courtyard outdoor area which means it can be accessed throughout the session and set up to specifically meet the nursery children's needs and interests. Children made very good use of the open-ended 'loose part' materials which enabled them to use their imagination and creativity in active learning through play. They made 'cup cakes' with wooden blocks in their outdoor kitchen, a group used logs and cable spools for drumming rhythms, another group re-enacted a tug of war from their Highland Games experience, other drew co-operatively on a long roll of wallpaper. Children are also working with staff to prepare the growing areas in their sensory garden.
What the service could do better
Chronological recorded information showed that the staff were working with parents and a range of agencies. Follow through actions showing how children had been supported could be made clearer. Care Inspectorate Guidance is available here:
- http://hub.careinspectorate.com/media/468617/practice-guide-to-chronologies-2017.pdf
Staff were in the early stages of developing floor books, which presently provided an attractive picture and text reference of activities for parents and a talking point for children. Staff had sourced reading materials to help them develop this method of involving children in leading learning. These and children's profiles needed to have a greater focus on showing children's learning outcomes, achievements and progress. Good practice information can be found here:
- https://www.naeyc.org/files/tyc/file/Seitz.pdf
Staff discussed how they were continuing to evaluate and review the layout of the playrooms to ensure it was effective and working well for children. We identified that there could be more challenge for children in water and sand play activities; perhaps introducing more science or numeracy aspects. Good practice may be found here:
- http://tomsensori.blogspot.co.uk/
Using more loose parts indoors too; for example a woodwork bench would also add more challenge, technology and numeracy opportunities. Good practice may be found here:
- http://www.aneverydaystory.com/2013/03/05/the-theory-of-loose-parts/
Requirements Number of requirements: 0
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
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Complaints
There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com.
Inspection and grading history
Date Type Gradings 21 Jan 2014 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership 4 - Good
18 Jun 2008 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good
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To find out more
This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website.
Care services in Scotland cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award grades and help services to improve. We also investigate complaints about care services and can take action when things aren't good enough.
Please get in touch with us if you would like more information or have any concerns about a care service.
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Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas.
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