Good team work helped staff at an Aberdeenshire nursery create a secure and stimulating environment for the children, according to the latest registration inspection reports.
Clever Tots Nursery in Peterhead was found to have very good programmes for all areas of the curriculum, very positive relationships with children and a comprehensive range of policies. The report said, 'The owners and the pre-school manager displayed very good leadership skills and a high level of commitment to the nursery.'
Staff at Pinocchio's Children's Nursery in Dalkeith, Midlothian were also praised for working effectively as a team. All nursery staff have a twice-yearly review and undertake development training. The teacher was found to provide effective support for staff in observation, assessment and planning one day a week. Pre-school children are taken to the local swimming pool once a week and staff had planned a weekly visit from a physical education specialist, provided through the local authority, for a period of six weeks.
Good procedures for planning are being developed at Strathburn Park Playgroup in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. Staff's weekly plans take account of the key areas of children's development and learning. The registration inspection report said, 'Staff regularly assessed children at play and noted their observations on their daily planning record.
'They used assessment information to plan the next steps in the children's learning. Written reports on children's progress were shared with parents.'
Children attending Fisherrow Nursery in Musselburgh, East Lothian, were found to have good opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world with regular visits to local shops and parks. A key strength of Bumble Beez Children's Nursery in Dunfermline, Fife, is its new pre-school extension with direct access to a secure garden area which provided a 'pleasant environment for all children'. Donibristle Pre-school Playgroup in Dalgety Bay, Fife, was praised for the emotional, personal and social development programme. The report said, 'Staff created a caring environment where the children were encouraged to be independent.'
