Education inspectors impressed after visit to Glenrothes nursery

The report rated their work at Newcastle Early Learning Nursery as ‘very good’ and said staff have created “a calm, purposeful and positive environment for learning.”

The nursery is based within Newcastle Primary School, and is a voluntary centre managed by a committee, with the day-to-day leadership is delegated to a manager who is supported by four qualified staff. It is registered for 24 children aged three to five years, and currently has 28 children on the roll.

Inspectors, who visited recently, said staff had “created consistently responsive, warm and nurturing relationships” and gave their young charges time, space and support to pursue their interests and preferences.

The report noted: “All children are highly motivated and show sustained engagement in their chosen activities. They feel safe and secure in their play, both indoors and outdoors. Staff respect and value all children, and regularly seek children’s views and ideas, for example through the ‘wee voices – big ideas’ board.“

The report said the staff at the nursery showed a sound understanding of children’s stages of development, knew when to intervene to scaffold children’s interests, and when to allow them to develop their own ideas independently.

“Children confidently use the ‘big tablet’ to research and find answers to questions linked to their ongoing topics. Staff provide open-ended materials which have been carefully organised to support investigation, observation and enquiry,” it said.

“These well-planned experiences facilitate teamwork and collaboration among children. Staff ensure that literacy and numeracy opportunities feature in all play spaces. They show skills as reflective practitioners and regularly review their provision, to ensure it meets children’s needs very well. “

The inspectors said the nursery ensured all children received their entitlement to a broad and balanced early education, and the manager had developed a comprehensive tracking tool to record coverage of the early level experiences and outcomes.

“Staff confidently talk about what children can do and are fully aware of any gaps in their experiences. This in-depth knowledge enables staff to plan learning that is very individualised. Staff make very good use of assessment information to plan, track and monitor children’s progress across all areas of the curriculum,” it added.