10 May 2016
Dear Parent/Carer
Hayshead Playgroup
Angus Council
Recently, as you may know, my colleague and I visited and inspected your child’s
early learning and childcare (ELC) setting. Throughout our visit we talked to parents
and children and we worked closely with the manager and staff. We wanted to find
out how well children were learning and achieving and how well the ELC setting
supported children to do their best. The manager shared with us the ELC setting’s
successes and priorities for improvement. We looked at some particular aspects of
the ELC setting’s recent work including the development of provision for younger
children and the development of learning environments. As a result, we were able to
find out how good the ELC setting was at improving children’s education. I would
now like to tell you what we found.
How well do children learn and achieve?
Children are learning and achieving very well at Hayshead Playgroup. They are
highly motivated and show keen interest in their learning. The nurturing and caring
relationships children have with staff help them feel settled, happy and confident.
Children are highly respected by staff with each child being treated as an individual.
There is a sense of community within the group with children playing and learning
together in the calm and purposeful learning environment. Staff have very
successfully developed the environment to enable children be independent and be in
charge of their own learning. Children are learning to share and take turns and are
developing a high level of independence. They persevere with tasks that, at first,
present some difficulty and enjoy the feeling of success. Children have the freedom
to explore, both indoors and out. A sense of wonder about the world is encouraged
and promoted. Examples include observing frogs and their spawn in their natural
habitat and exploring ice as it melts. We have asked staff to build on and develop
ways that children know themselves as learners, for example by being more involved
in their folios and the floor books.
Education Scotland
Denholm House
Almondvale Business Park
Almondvale Way
Livingston
EH54 6GA
T
F
E
0131 244 8437
0131 244 6221
eyfp@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk
www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Transforming lives through learning
Children are making very good progress in literacy and language and numeracy and
mathematics. The younger children are developing a range of vocabulary that helps
them communicate their thoughts and feelings. Almost all children enjoy listening to
stories and understand the need for ‘listening bodies’ to help them listen well.
Recently staff have been supporting children to explore texts in more depth. This is
helping children develop and apply a much wider range of skills and understanding.
They are learning and using a range of exciting vocabulary, identifying rhyming
words and initial sounds as a result. Children are also learning to communicate
through the use of simple sign language which they particularly enjoy. Almost all
children are making positive attempts at early mark making in different situations.
These include through the use of the touch screen computer and outdoors. Children
use numbers in a range of contexts and as a result are developing confidence and
understanding. They enjoy the challenge of identifying the missing number in a
sequence and counting backwards. When exploring water and ice they measure
using jugs and balance scales.
How well does the early learning and childcare setting support children to
develop and learn?
Children are very well supported to develop and learn. Considerable efforts have
been made to create a learning environment that best meets the needs of all
children. Recently a storage area has been transformed to create an attractive
space where children can be alone, work quietly with an adult or others. Care has
been taken to ensure children have access to a range of interesting resources which
are natural, stimulating and can be used in lots of different ways. This encourages
children to be curious, explore and investigate and be creative. Staff know children
very well as individuals and as part of their family. You, as parents told us that you
very much appreciate the support and advice that staff are able to give you. The
provision of the lunch club is an example of how the playgroup supports family life.
Staff recognise when a child may need extra support to help them learn and seek
advice from other professionals where appropriate. They are passionate about
securing the best outcomes for your children and work very hard to do so. The
curriculum provides children with a broad range of experiences that build on their
interests. Although the curriculum is well developed we have asked staff to review
and, where necessary refresh aspects of it. This will improve it further, for example
even more use could be made of the local community. As the provision for the
younger children has developed, staff have ensured they fully understand how young
children develop and learn. This includes taking good account of national guidance
to help them plan learning opportunities for children. Over time, considerable
development of the outdoor area has created a very attractive learning environment.
This work continues with the current development of the outdoor classroom. There
is a positive relationship between the playgroup and Hayshead Primary where most
children move onto either the nursery class or primary one. Staff from the school
and playgroup have worked together to develop learning experiences that support
children as they move on.
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How well does the early learning and childcare setting improve the quality of
its work?
All staff show a high level of commitment to the work of the playgroup. Together
they reflect on the quality of the learning experiences and make changes to improve
it further. Using self-evaluation processes the manager recognises the many
strengths of the setting and identifies the areas that could be developed further. She
has a clear vision for the continued development of the group and recognises that
children, parents and staff need to be more involved in this. The group is well
supported by the management committee who work hard to support the group,
particularly through on-going fundraising. Through the Early Years team from Angus
Council staff receive significant support, including access to training. This is having
a positive impact on the quality of experiences for children. The able and
enthusiastic staff team are now ready to take on more responsibilities for the running
and future development of the playgroup. By continuing to work together the staff
and management committee, supported by the local authority, have considerable
capacity for continued development.
Our inspection of your ELC setting found the following key strengths.
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High quality learning environments both in and outdoors which support children to
make very good progress in their learning.
Development of high quality provision for younger children.
The very nurturing ethos, created by staff, where children feel respected and
encouraged.
Leadership of manager and vision for continued improvement.
We discussed with staff and the education authority how they might continue to
improve the ELC setting. This is what we agreed with them.

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Build on existing approaches to self-evaluation to fully involve staff, parents and
children.
Continue to develop the curriculum by building on its existing strengths.
What happens at the end of the inspection?
We are satisfied with the overall quality of provision. We are confident that the ELC
setting’s self-evaluation processes are leading to improvements. As a result, we will
make no further visits in connection with this inspection. As part of the arrangements
for reporting to parents on the quality of the ELC, the local authority will inform
parents about the setting’s progress.
Barbara Daly
HM Inspector
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Additional inspection evidence, such as details of the quality indicator evaluations for
your setting can be found on the Education Scotland website at
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/school/eyc/Haysh
eadPlaygroupArbroathAngus.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 0131 244 4330, 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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