Auchinloch Primary School Nursery Class Day Care of Children

Fourth Avenue Auchinloch G66 5DU

Telephone: 01236 794824

Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 23 March 2017

Service provided by: Service provider number: North Council SP2003000237

Care service number: CS2005105599 Inspection report

About the service

Auchinloch Primary School Nursery Class is provided by Council and is registered to provide daycare to a maximum of 20 children aged 3 years to those not yet attending primary school. Currently the nursery operates mornings only between 8.40am and 11.50am during term time. The nursery has its own playroom within the primary school with direct access to a large outdoor play area. Children also have the use of the school playground and gym hall. Two members of staff are employed each morning and also a teacher two mornings per week.

The school aims to offer a supportive learning environment in which to deliver a curriculum for excellence through their effective partnerships with parents, local businesses and community groups.

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 (GIRFEC); 's national approach to improving outcomes and wellbeing for children by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. GIRFEC supports children and their parents to work with the services that can help them. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of GIRFEC: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included.

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 11 completed questionnaires. The majority of responses from parents were positive.

Written comments included; "My daughter has just started nursery. I was very impressed with the induction process and how she has been welcomed. It is all very inclusive."

"My child is now in second year of nursery. Last year we received weekly newsletters informing us of what our children had been involved in doing throughout the week. This was very useful, however this year we no longer receive the newsletters. The entrance/exit has been changed. Whilst I find it beneficialor f the children to have the same entrance as the school children, I feel it more difficult to talk to the teachers as we no longer enter the nursery. Children change shoes/jackets in the corridor and go in."

We discussed this with staff who told us that newsletters had recently been provided to parents again. We observed copies of recent newsletters. We observed children and parents entering and leaving the nursery during the inspection. Staff were available to welcome parents and chat with them. We observed that some children changed shoes and jackets in the corridor where their pegs were situated and others used the small cloakroom area at the entrance to the nursery playroom.

"I am well aware that the nursery is moving to the 'learning journals' and that is a very good move. I would love parent/teacher evening as well if possible. However, excellent nursery and staff are great."

"My daughter is very happy at Auchinloch Owlery. I have no concerns as a parent. The nursery staff provide an arrangement of activities for the children to get involved in and play within a space that is very limited. This however is outwith their control - this is an issue that the council needs to look at."

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"We are really happy with how our son has settled this year. He is more involved in activities, mixes well with the kids and teachers. He has formed very close friendships with his friends, loves going in the morning and adores his teachers."

"My children have had 3 terms at Auchinloch now and the last one has been the best. This is due to a recent improvement in communication, via email, from the staff. My children are not always good at telling me what happens at nursery so it feels better to be able to know what they are up to. The number of children has also decreased and it feels less chaotic and I am more confident that they will get the attention they need. I have no major issues apart from one - food! I appreciate the free fruit provided by NL Council but I feel that a 3 hour 10 min session doesn't require a big snack; ie. a piece of fruit would be enough. I have had to object to some things that have been provided (crisps to a 3 year old?). At home my children don't eat much processed food so it is annoying to hear of them getting biscuits, white bread, yoghurts with refined sugars, processed meats etc."

We observed snack and noted that options were available for children to choose from. This included fruit, cheese and small sandwiches, milk and water. We discussed these comments with staff who told us that they were aware of the current nutritional guidelines and in accordance with these aimed to provide healthy options and choice for children.

We spoke with a parent and grandparent during the inspection. Both were very happy with the service. The parent told us that "staff are very approachable and supportive. Communication is great. You can have a paper or email copy of the newsletter. Great information in it."

A parent spoke with us by telephone during the inspection process. She had completed a Care Standards Questionnaire prior to the inspection taking place and had recorded a number of concerns about the service. Before the inspection visit took place the parent raised these concerns within the Care Inspectorate's complaints process and a complaint was upheld. We took account of the recommendations recorded as part of the complaint and reported on these in the inspection report. Please see Care Inspectorate website (www.careinspectorate.com) for details of complaints about the service which have been upheld.

Self assessment

The Care Inspectorate received a fully completed self-assessment from the provider. The provider identified what it thought the service did well and gave examples of improvement and development. The self-assessment identified some key areas that the provider believed could be improved and showed how the service intended to do this.

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 5 - Very Good Quality of management and leadership 5 - Very Good

Quality of care and support

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Findings from the inspection The standard of care and support provided to children and young people in the service was very good. Staff had a sound understanding of how to protect and safeguard children. An effective child protection policy was in place which informed and supported staff in their roles. There was an appropriate designated person in place for child protection. 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. Although there were no children on the child protection register, staff knew how they would record any concerns and were familiar with using chronologies to track events and outcomes for children where there were safeguarding concerns. Staff also understood the relevance and importance of whistleblowing to ensure children were respected and kept safe.

Staff provided a nurturing, caring environment for children and families. They worked hard to engage well with children and families and were particularly responsive to their individual needs and requirements during the induction and transition processes. We saw that families were warmly welcomed by school/nursery staff at the beginning of each session and information about the child's day was shared with parents/carers when they collected them. Building trusting relationships with the whole family made it more likely that children would settle and feel safe and secure in the nursery/school environment. Primary 1 staff and nursery staff worked collaboratively to provide children with a very positive early level environment and experiences, eg. primary 1 and nursery children regularly visited each others' spaces and shared activities, an annual p1/nursery trip was arranged as part of the induction process. There was a strong sense of community across the nursery with shared values among staff and families. Observations of practice highlighted that children were treated with respect by staff: staff listened attentively to their ideas and provided responsive care.

Staff used big book planning to assist in meeting the needs of children. Children's voices were evident in the big books we looked at. These were displayed for parents alongside a variety of displays of children's work at the entrance to the nursery. Staff were in process of moving to online learning journals and a meeting with parents was organised to help parents to familiarise themselves with these. From sampling entries and looking at children's folders in the playroom we could see that staff were using appropriate curricular national guidelines to think about how best to support children's learning and development. Informative newsletters had recently been reintroduced in the service. These provided parents with a range of information and photographs of children involved in activities. The school/nursery had a website and blog which was regularly used by parents. Parents were invited to participate in the induction process and topic days throughout the year. The head teacher and staff made themselves available to speak with parents.

Recently there was an upheld complaint against the service. (Refer to 'What people told us' section of this report). This identified two ecommendationsr relating to care and support. We considered the service response to these recommendations during the inspection. It was recommended that the head teacher and staff should review welcome arrangements to ensure that effective communication and partnership is maintained with parents and carers. They should also outline details of the test of change and consult with parents in relation to entry/exit changes in the service. As stated above, we observed welcome arrangements for children and parents involving senior management and staff. We saw that a consultation with parents had been completed and details of the test of change were published. We were satisfied that the service had appropriately addressed these two recommendations.

In conclusion, children's safety and wellbeing and communication and partnership with parents/families were supported at a very good level.

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Requirements Number of requirements: 0

Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0

Grade: 5 - very good

Quality of environment

Findings from the inspection The standard of environment provided to children was very good.

Children were cared for in a playroom with direct access to a large outdoor play area. They also had the use of the school gym hall and school playground. The senior management team and staff were familiar with relevant infection control guidance and implemented this in practice. Clear procedures were in place for children entering and leaving the service. Children and families used the main school entrance and a security system was in place to ensure that the door entrance was monitored by staff and a record of visitors to the service was maintained. Management and/or nursery staff welcomed children and parents at the entrance to the nursery. Children's and staff attendance was recorded. These measures meant that only those who should be in the service could gain entry.

The recently concluded complaint against the service identified two ecommendationsr relating to the environment. We considered the service response to these recommendations during the inspection. It was recommended that risk assessments for the new entry/exit arrangements were developed and the nursery cloakroom was used to reduce congestion in the corridor.

We found that the head teacher and staff were in process of developing an up-to-date risk assessment to establish the safety risks and hazards for parents and children as a result of the recent change in entry/exit arrangements. This approach included an inspection conducted by North Lanarkshire Council Health and Safety in February 2017. We discussed risk assessments with staff, observed children and parents entering and leaving the service using the main school door, noted the contents of the health and safety report and assessed the overall safety risk for parents and children. We observed that the kitchen food trolley was no longer stored in the corridor, new children's pegs had been fitted on the corridor wall and individual shoe baskets were appropriately stored. Seating was reinstated in the cloakroom area for children to use and a new rug was provided on the floor. We observed children and parents entering and leaving the service and were satisfied that the service had appropriately addressed these two recommendations.

The service had a strong focus on outdoor learning. We saw children enjoying outdoor play in an enclosed area accessed directly from the playroom. They also enjoyed taking their snack into the outdoor classroom. Staff told us they occasionally used a nearby park/woodland area and school gym hall. We noted that risk assessments for indoor areas and outdoor play were generic. We therefore asked the service to develop more detailed risk assessments for areas used by children in the nursery and outdoor play. (See recommendation 1).

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We looked at the service policy and procedure relating to medication. Management and staff were in process of reviewing this and sought guidance from us during the inspection. We signposted them to the Care Inspectorate guidelines on medication and asked them to review their policy and procedure in accordance with this. (See recommendation 2).

Staff told us that they were in process of reviewing nappy changing procedures. We directed them to the current Care Inspectorate guidance and asked them to consider this when developing their new policy and procedures. (See recommendation 3).

Overall, staff provided a safe and child centred environment to a very good level.

Requirements Number of requirements: 0

Recommendations Number of recommendations: 3

1. The manager and staff should develop detailed risk assessments for indoor and outdoor play areas, including large items of equipment outdoors. National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, Standard 2; A safe environment.

2. The manager and staff should review the service medication policy and procedure in accordance with Care Inspectorate guidance, Management of medication in daycare of children and childminding services. National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, Standard 2; A safe environment

3. The manager and staff should review the service nappy changing policy and procedure in accordance with Care Inspectorate guidance. National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, standard 2; A safe environment.

Grade: 5 - very good

Quality of staffing

Findings from the inspection The quality of staffing in the service was very good.

Particular strengths were the enthusiastic, motivated and committed senior management and early level primary/nursery team who worked hard to ensure positive outcomes for children. All staff supported a very strong early level approach to ensure continuity and progression in learning for children. They worked collaboratively to share knowledge, skills and practice to ensure that children were well prepared to easily transition to school. Staff regularly engaged in a range of continuous professional development opportunities which reflected their own personal interests, the service priorities and the individual needs of children in their care.

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Recent training included Play on pedals, ABC music, Numeracy, Expressive arts, Reflective practice, Managing your key relationships, Bridging the attainment gap through outdoor learning, Video enhanced reflective practice. It was evident that this was beginning to positively impact on outcomes for children. Staff had keyworker roles and lead workshops for parents, eg. online learning journals.

Staff were knowledgeable about children, encouraging them to share achievements from home and providing a range of opportunities for them to evaluate their experiences in the service. Staff made good use of children's ideas and interests to help shape the learning environment and experiences. They had created an enabling environment and experiences and activities that were challenging but achievable for children. They used their skills to support children to lead their play, explore and investigate. They engaged well with children, encouraging them to explore their environment and use resources in imaginative ways. We saw staff engaging with parents/ carers in a caring and respectful manner.

There was an overall sense of direction in the service. Staff told us they had good support from management, felt valued and were treated fairly in a positive environment.

Requirements Number of requirements: 0

Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0

Grade: 5 - very good

Quality of management and leadership

Findings from the inspection The quality of management and leadership was very good.

Quality assurance systems and self evaluation processes were an integral aspect of the service approach to continuous improvement. This enabled staff to explore their progress, development and practice to identify what has improved and what still needs to improve. Parents and children were involved in the life of the service and were consulted about aspects of the service including the quality of care and learning for children. Recently parents were involved in a curriculum rationale exercise, reflecting on values important to the nursery/school.

The service improvement plan focused on staff personal development/achievement, assessment, moderation and tracking and curricular areas such as expressive arts and music. Audits, playroom monitoring, observations, staff meetings, self evaluation and researching best practice were in place. This encouraged and supported staff involvement, staff leadership opportunities and emphasised the importance of continued professional development for all staff to ensure positive outcomes for children and keeping up-to-date with current legislation and guidance.

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The service was implementing the principles from current documentation, Building the Ambition. This had created an emphasis on responsive planning and evaluation of children's experiences.

The service had recently had a complaint upheld by the Care Inspectorate. We saw that they had responded promptly and appropriately to the complaint by submitting an action plan and positively addressing the recommendations recorded. We noted that there was an evaluation process in place to monitor the actions taken.

Overall, we found that the service was well lead by the senior management team, staff were well supported and parents and children were involved in continuous improvement processes.

Requirements Number of requirements: 0

Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0

Grade: 5 - very good

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

Recommendation 1

The head teacher and staff should consider, with input from parents, how they could develop ideas to ensure that they effectively share information about the nursery and the children's achievements with all the parents who use the nursery provision.

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National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, Standard 13; Improving the service.

This recommendation was made on 19 March 2014.

Action taken on previous recommendation This had been addressed. Information is contained within this report.

Recommendation 2

While we recognise that the staff were dedicated and offered a very high level of care, we feel it would further enhance the quality of the service, improve the outcomes for children and support the staff, if an additional member of staff was deployed.

National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, Standard 13; Improving the service.

This recommendation was made on 19 March 2014.

Action taken on previous recommendation The provider had not actioned this recommendation by employing an additional member of staff, however the head teacher and primary 1 teacher worked very closely with the nursery staff and spent allocated time in the nursery each week.

Complaints

Please see Care Inspectorate website (www.careinspectorate.com) for details of complaints about the service which have been upheld.

Enforcement

No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection.

Inspection and grading history

Date Type Gradings 19 Mar 2014 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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Date Type Gradings 31 May 2012 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 4 - Good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good

14 Dec 2010 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment Not assessed Staffing Not assessed Management and leadership Not assessed

19 Feb 2009 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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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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