THE ‘strong sense of community’ at a Kilmacolm nursery school has been praised following an inspection by education watchdogs.
Education Scotland highlighted the “welcoming and inclusive culture” at Duchal Nursery School and praised the way children engaged with learning experiences, especially out of doors.
The inspection team evaluated four quality indicators as ‘good’: the nursery’s leadership of change; its learning, teaching and assessment; the way it ensures wellbeing, equality and inclusion; and how it secures children’s progress.
The watchdog’s report was published on Tuesday following a visit to the nursery, in Birkmyre Park, in June.
READ NEXT: Port schoolgirl set to take to dancefloor for charity at 'Strictly Kids' event
Education Scotland said the ‘strong sense of community’ was created “through positive and respectful relationships between the manager, practitioners, children and families” and added: “This results in a welcoming and inclusive culture where the wellbeing of children sits at the heart of the nursery.
They added: “Children are confident, articulate, enthusiastic, and eager to learn. They engage well in learning experiences, particularly outdoors, when using natural and open-ended resources.
“This is supporting children’s curiosity, problem solving and imaginative play.”
The report also mentioned the good progress children make in their learning, highlighting “children’s progress in early language and literacy as a result of a recent focus on developing children’s use of rhyme”.
She added: "I'm so pleased that the sense of community really came through and was picked up on.
"There's always room for improvement, but we're very happy with the report.
"The nursery is a very nurturing environment with very happy children."
The independent nursery was established in 1967 and has been based in its current building, across from Birkmyre Park, since 2008.
It started out as a parent co-operative and retains that status to this day.
In 2020, during the pandemic, the nursery entered partnership with Inverclyde Council to provide funded early learning and childcare.
READ NEXT: Inverclyde museum makes history by welcoming new British citizens at ceremony
The staff team - Victoria, Linda Watson, Moira Grant, Mairi Wylie, Sue Sinclair, and Carla Stewart - currently look after 26 youngsters, aged from three to five.
Victoria said the nursery now has generations of families coming through which adds to the strong community feel.
She added: "I'm now teaching the fifth child of one family.
"There's a lovely feel to the nursery. It's a home from home for the children."
The inspection report said the nursery’s manager should “continue with plans to develop further children’s learning spaces indoors”, adding: “Practitioners should provide a wider variety of areas with accessible open-ended and real-life materials.
“This will support children’s play and levels of engagement more effectively.”
The inspectors also said the nursery should “continue to improve planning for children’s learning and how practitioners check children’s progress”, and said: “Practitioners should demonstrate more clearly the skills children are developing and record these on a robust tracking system.
“This will help practitioners to show clearly the progress children make over time.”
The report said the inspection team was “confident that the setting has the capacity to continue to improve”, and said it did not plan to make any further visits in connection with the inspection.
The full report can be read online at education.gov.scot.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here