The Glasgow Academy - Milngavie Nursery and Kindergarten Day Care of Children
Mugdock Road Milngavie Glasgow G62 8NP
Telephone: 0141 956 3758
Type of inspection: Unannounced
Completed on: 19 February 2019
Service provided by: Service provider number: Glasgow Academicals War Memorial SP2003003598 Trust
Service no: CS2003016232 Inspection report
About the service
The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care services can be found on our website at www.careinspectorate.com
The service was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011.
The Glasgow Academy - Milngavie Nursery and Kindergarten is one of several childcare services operated by Glasgow Academicals War Memorial Trust. The service accommodation is within a primary school in the Milngavie area of East Dunbartonshire. The service is registered to accommodate 48 children aged from three to those not yet attending primary school. The service operates Monday - Friday from 8.30am to 4pm, term - time only. The service is in partnership with East Dunbartonshire Council to provide pre-school education.
On the day of the inspection visit there were 19 children in attendance at the morning session and 15 at the afternoon session. Some of these children stayed for both sessions.
Through viewing the service's aims and objectives it was noted that the service was "committed to ensuring that all children are nurtured, safe and respected".
The Care Inspectorate is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children receiving a care service. We want to ensure they have the best start in life, are ready to succeed and live longer, healthier lives.
We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it Right For Every Child (also known as GIRFEC). Set up by the 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. This 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. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of Getting it Right For Every Child. They are: safe; healthy; achieving; nurtured; active; respected; responsible; and included. They are often referred to as the SHANARRI indicators. We use these indicators at inspection, to assess how services are making a positive difference for children.
What people told us
We issued 15 care standards questionnaires to the service to distribute to parents prior to the inspection taking place. We received seven completed questionnaires.
Parents commented;
"The staff are, without exception, incredible. Their care is second to non. My daughter looks on them as family, while respecting them as teachers. She has been incredibly lucky to have been cared for so extraordinarily along with each child. I cant imagine a better experience for her to grow from. As a family we will be forever grateful to the staff".
"Only drawback of The Glasgow Academy Milngavie is the lack of cooking facilities or kitchen. I would have liked my child to receive a hot meal for lunch especially during the winter months".
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"My child enjoys his time at TGA Milngavie and has lots of opportunities to explore and learn new things through the experiences he has there".
"The Glasgow Academy Milngavie is an outstanding nursery. I do not live in Milngavie and have to add an hour each day to my travelling time taking my child to nursery and collecting. I would only do this if it was worth it, which it is".
"The Glasgow Academy Milngavie is a wonderful environment for my child. It is welcoming and supportive. As a parent I am very happy with the choice I made".
Self assessment
We did not request a self assessment from the service prior to this inspection. We looked at the service's improvement plan and talked to the provider and staff about progress from the last inspection and future plans for improvement.
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 in the service was very good.
Care was provided by well trained staff who were skilled and experienced. They communicated well with parents, regularly exchanging information about children's care and learning. There were strong partnerships with parents and extended family members and effective induction and transition processes for children. Transition to school was well managed and effectively implemented. Children at early level enjoyed a range of opportunities for shared learning and reflection. eryV good home links were in place to facilitate family learning and achievements from home. These practices enabled staff to provide child centred, continuous, responsive care to children. Children benefitted greatly from this. Staff supported children to lead their play and learn at their own pace and make choices and decisions in accordance with best practice in early learning and childcare.
The manager and staff were highly motivated, professional and informed. Their involvement in observations of children and communication/consultation with parents and children promoted an inclusive and reflective approach to care and learning.
Personal plans for children were very well documented and demonstrated that staff had very good knowledge of children and their families. The principles of GIRFEC were well embedded in practice and were effectively used to assess children's health and wellbeing. The service had recently moved to using online Learning Journals to record children's learning and development. Parents told us that they welcomed the Learning Journals and enjoyed engaging with them.
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Staff had a sound understanding of how to protect and safeguard children. A robust child protection policy and procedure was in place which informed and supported staff in their roles. Staff attended regular child protection training which kept them up-to-date with current best practice and refreshed their knowledge and understanding of child protection.
Staff provided a warm, productive environment for children. We observed children actively engaged in a range of stimulating play experiences, facilitated by resources that promoted interest, creativity and problem solving.
The learning environment was positive with child led activities and good access to a range of suitable resources which provided challenge for children. Staff used national guidance, such as Building the Ambition and Getting it Right for Every Child to inform their practice. The service promoted loose parts play and active play, helping children to develop physical skills through movement and energetic play. Children enjoyed woodland play in the adjacent wooded area. They learned to problem solve and manage risk and enjoyed the natural exploration and investigation it offered. We discussed the importance of outdoor learning for children in an environment that was rich in opportunities for inquiry learning. Staff were considering how they could improve free flow access to outdoor areas.
The playroom was bright, clean and well maintained. Staff had created a nurturing environment using softer furnishings and resources.
Children's and staff attendance was recorded, as were any accidents and incidents. Staff and children completed and reviewed a range of risk assessments for activities, areas of the building and outdoor play. Overall, children enjoyed very good care and support within a positive, nurturing environment.
What the service could do better
The service should continue to develop the areas identified in the service improvement plan. They should continue to build on their shared learning initiatives involving parents and families. They should continue to consider plans to improve free flow access orf children to outdoors.
Requirements Number of requirements: 0
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
Complaints
There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com.
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What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at or since the last inspection
Previous requirements
There are no outstanding requirements.
What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at or since the last inspection
Previous recommendations
There are no outstanding recommendations.
Inspection and grading history
Date Type Gradings 11 Jan 2016 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good
24 Oct 2012 Unannounced Care and support 6 - Excellent Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good
22 Apr 2010 Unannounced Care and support 6 - Excellent Environment 5 - Very good Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership Not assessed
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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.
You can also read more about our work online at www.careinspectorate.com
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Other languages and formats
This report is available in other languages and formats on request.
Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas.
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