3 December 2013
Dear Parent/Carer
Arnprior Nursery
Stirling Council
Recently, as you may know, I visited and inspected your child’s pre-school centre.
During my visit, I talked to parents and children and I worked closely with the head of
centre and staff. I wanted to find out how well children are learning and achieving
and how well the pre-school centre supports children to do their best. The head of
centre shared with me the pre-school centre’s successes and priorities for
improvement. I looked at some particular aspects of the pre-school centre’s recent
work, including approaches to planning for children’s learning and how children are
developing as learners. As a result, I was able to find out how good the pre-school
centre is at improving children’s education.
How well do children learn and achieve?
Children are fully engaged, extremely motivated and excited about learning. They
are very inquisitive as they approach their chosen activities demonstrating a high
level of independence as they select the resources which they require. All children
enjoy challenge in their learning. Younger children have quickly settled into the
nursery. They are enthusiastic and curious as they explore their learning
environment. Older children are successfully involved in planning, developing and
reviewing their learning. As a result, they are becoming aware of themselves as
learners confidently leading their learning. During their play and together times,
children promote the values of the nursery as they display a high level of respect for
each other and the resources which they use. Through the ‘Money Group’ initiative,
they are increasing their skills in working together as a team, an awareness of how a
business works and the value of money. Children are very aware of the importance
of recycling both in the nursery and at home as they ably sort materials and food
waste appropriately.
Overall, children are making excellent progress in early language and mathematics.
They have a thirst for books using them well to research facts about their interests.
They particularly enjoy listening to stories, developing them through role-play by
dressing up as characters and with puppets. Almost all children are enthusiastic
about mark-making and developing early writing in their play and real-life activities
such as making lists and taking notes. A few children are successfully drawing and
creating more detailed stories. Children readily initiate conversations with each other
and adults confidently talking about their work and prior learning. In early numeracy
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
and mathematics children are developing and applying their skills and knowledge
successfully in the playrooms and outdoors. They count naturally while playing
games and sorting resources. They use early mathematical language appropriately
as they explore and compare height, length and weight. Children are increasing
their investigative skills through early science, for example as they explore the
universe and planets and the natural world. They are developing a deep
understanding of their farming community as they find out about types of tractors
used on farms and crop rotation. Children use a variety of technology such as
touchscreen televisions and programmable toys to support and capture their
learning. Almost all children are developing resilience and confidence in taking risks
as they participate in all aspects of nursery life.
How well does the pre-school centre support children to develop and learn?
Staff work extremely well together as a team in providing a stimulating, exciting
environment where the pace of learning is excellent. The support they give children
in their learning is outstanding. They effectively use local and national guidance to
support children under three providing them with rich learning experiences.
Curriculum for Excellence has been fully embraced by all staff. Through the rigorous
and skilful approach taken to planning they are successfully providing a child centred
curriculum meeting children’s individual needs. Proposed learning experiences are
built on high quality discussions with children resulting in depth and challenge in their
learning. This is enhanced with skilful observations by staff as they focus on how
children learn and their achievements. These are recorded both by staff and
children in their portfolios and learning journeys. Transition arrangements for
children transferring to P1 are effective. They confidently cope with their new
learning environments successfully building on their prior learning experiences.
The quality of care provided by staff is excellent. Children who require additional
support to their learning are very well supported by the nursery and partner
agencies. Parents are readily welcomed into the nursery. There are very good
opportunities for them to be involved in their children’s learning, for example
‘Working Groups’ as they share their skills and interests with children. Those who
participated in the ‘Literacy Group’ found it extremely informative and useful in
supporting their children’s learning. Parents value the high level of care their
children receive from all staff. They appreciate the quality of feedback both written
and orally about their children’s progress. They are enthused and excited about their
children’s learning as staff set such high expectations across all aspects of their
development.
How well does the pre-school centre improve the quality of its work?
The head of the nursery is inspirational. She, along with the depute head, provide
highly effective leadership. They have a clear vision which is shared with children,
staff and parents about the work of the nursery. Staff are extremely reflective in their
practice continually challenging themselves to ensure that children receive quality
learning experiences. They are enthusiastic about their responsibilities and
initiatives which they are involved in. Children and parents are consulted regularly
with their views being valued and acted upon. Overall, as a result of leadership and
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enthusiasm from all staff, the nursery is well placed to continue to embrace and
develop children’s learning.
Our inspection of your pre-school centre found the following key strengths.
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Children who are fully engaged, motivated and excited about their learning.
Overall progress children are making in their learning and development.
Outstanding teamwork of staff in providing high quality learning experiences.
Strong partnership with parents.
Highly effective leadership by the head and depute head of the nursery.
Inspiration of the head of the nursery in developing its work.
I discussed with staff and the education authority how they might continue to improve
the pre-school centre. This is what I agreed with them.
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Continue to develop the work of the nursery, sharing effective practice with
others.
What happens at the end of the inspection?
We are satisfied with the overall quality of provision. We are confident that the
pre-school centre self-evaluation processes are leading to improvements. As a
result, we will make no further evaluative visits in connection with this inspection.
During the inspection, we identified learning and teaching and the breadth and depth
of children’s learning as innovative practice which we would like to explore further in
order to share the practice with others. As a result we will work with the pre-school
centre and local authority in order to record and share more widely the innovative
practice.
Gordon Buchanan
Managing Inspector
Additional inspection evidence, such as details of the quality indicator evaluations,
for your school can be found on the Education Scotland website at
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/school/eyc/Arnprio
rNurseryStirlingStirling.asp.
If you would like to receive this report 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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