'˜Happy, confident' children at Kirkcaldy playgroup, but inspection highlights areas for improvement

The report said that the youngsters there were “confident children who are happy, settled and interact well with adults and their peers.”

And it also highlighted the positive and supportive relationships between children, families and staff who have created an “inclusive, nurturing ethos” supporting the children to “feel safe, secure and ready to learn.”

Another positive point was the carefully planned arrangements for transition that support children to build new relationships and feel confident as they move on to their new early learning and childcare setting.

Areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the manager and a representative from Fife Council.

These included a requirement by staff to increase opportunities for children in their charge to lead their learning. This will include developing planning to take good account of children’s needs and interests while maintaining a clear focus on the intended learning.

The report said they needed to continue to be vigilant to children’s changing circumstances and update policies and procedures for supporting them as needs arise.

And it added that national self-evaluation frameworks should be used to develop a more rigorous, systematic approach, identifying what is working well and what should be improved.

Inspectors said no further action was needed.