20 October 2015
Dear Parent/Carer
ABC Nursery Ecclefechan
Lockerbie
In March 2014, HM Inspectors published a letter on your child’s setting. We
subsequently returned to the setting to look at how it had continued to improve its
work, and published another letter in October 2014. Recently, as you may know, we
visited the setting again. During our visit, we talked to children and worked closely
with the manager and staff. We heard from the manager and other staff how the
setting has continued to improve. We looked at particular areas that had been
identified in March 2014 and at aspects of the setting’s work, as proposed by the
manager. As a result, we were able to find out how well children are now learning
and achieving and how the setting is continuing to support them to do their best.
This letter sets out what we found. The Care Inspectorate inspected the nursery
setting at the same time and that report is available at www.careinspectorate.com.
How well do children learn and achieve?
Staff continue to work hard to bring about improvements. They are receiving
continued support from the education authority to do this. Children are happy,
settled and clearly enjoy their time at the setting. Children continue to take
responsibility for playroom routines such as preparing snack and looking after plants
and books. Staff increasingly help children to think about what they already know
and what they would like to find out more about. The use of big books is supporting
this. Staff interactions with children are kind and caring. They need to build on this
and further develop their questioning skills to help children reflect on their learning
and be challenged more. Children learn well through play but would benefit from
more problem-solving activities and opportunities to apply their skills in real life and
in relevant contexts. I have asked staff to plan learning experiences for children
making better use of the good outdoor area which is presently not used well enough.
Staff continue to involve children in personal learning planning and record their
progress. This work needs to continue to be developed. Staff need to support
children so they recognise what success looks like. Staff need to ensure targets are
specific enough so that all children can be supported and challenged. Children now
receive a broader mathematical experience and older children can count to ten,
recognise the properties of simple shapes and are developing a good mathematical
vocabulary. Children are attentive when stories are read to them. They particularly
enjoy the home-link project on ‘The Gruffalo’ where parents read to their children and
play the linked games.
Education Scotland
Denholm House
Almondvale Business Park
Almondvale Way
Livingston
EH54 6GA
T
01506 600 308
F
01506 600 313
E eyfp@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk
Textphone 01506 600236
This is a service for deaf users. Please do not
use this number for voice calls as this will not
connect.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Transforming lives through learning
How well does the setting support children to develop and learn?
Children continue to be well cared for by staff across the setting. Staff meet
regularly to plan how to improve children’s learning. As a result changes have been
made to the playroom, to daily routines and how children’s learning is planned for.
Staff continue to develop their skills in linking their observations of children’s play to
the needs of individuals. These improvements still need further time to become
embedded in regular practice. Staff have undertaken further training and
professional development to help them deliver Curriculum for Excellence more
effectively. As a result children now benefit from a broader curriculum. However,
the curriculum needs to be developed at a brisker pace with all staff understanding
what Curriculum for Excellence means for the children of ABC Nursery Ecclefechan.
There is significant work still needing to be done in developing the setting’s
curriculum. Staff will require the continued support from the education authority to
take this forward.
How well does the setting improve the quality of its work?
Following the original inspection, the manager and owner have established a range
of quality assurance and self-evaluation procedures. The manager and owner now
observe playroom practice. Staff visit other early learning and childcare settings to
view good practice. This has led to some improvements within the setting such as
the way in which children’s achievements are celebrated and recorded in their
personal learning plans. Self-evaluation now needs to be more focused and robust
to sustain ongoing improvements. The setting has been implementing an action plan
designed to improve the aspects of development highlighted in the original
inspection. The action plan is not sufficiently detailed to ensure ongoing
improvements. It needs to be further developed to include clear, measurable
targets, defined responsibilities for staff and clear timescales. Staff need to enhance
their skills in robust accurate self-evaluation. The manager and owner need to have
a clear understanding of what the end product will look like and share this with all
staff. There is a commitment from staff to engage in the self-evaluation processes
and linked career-long professional learning. Staff have engaged with staff from the
education authority and this should continue. It would be helpful to define the
leadership remits of the manager and owner particularly in relation to improvement
priorities.
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What happens next?
Since the original inspection, staff have received strong support from the education
authority and have worked hard to bring about improvements. These improvements
are still ongoing and need more time and support to fully impact on children’s
learning and progress. Staff should continue to work with the education authority to
strengthen their capacity to bring about further improvements. Education Scotland
will continue to engage with the centre and return within 18 months of publication of
this letter for a further visit and to report on progress to parents.
Peter Gollogly
HM Inspector
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/school/eyc/ABCNu
rseryLockerbieDumfriesandGalloway.asp.
If you would like to receive this letter in a different format, for example, in a
translation please contact the administration team on the above telephone number.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact
us by telephone on 0141 282 5000, or e-mail:
complaints@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or write to us addressing your letter to the
Complaints Manager, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Livingston
EH54 6GA.
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