Ayrshire nursery praised for its service provision after spot check

An Ayrshire nursery has been praised for the “significant strengths” in its service provision following a spot check.

Doonvale Private Nursery School, based on Doonholm Road, Alloway, was graded ‘very good’ across four quality indicators - the second highest grading possible.

The findings come from the Care Inspectorate who made an unannounced inspection at the nursery last month with the findings now made public.

Among the key messages, the Care Inspectorate said children were “happy, confident and secure” in the care of staff who “knew them well.”

Staff were said to be “kind, caring” and had a “nurturing approach” with the children experiencing “high quality” learning experiences and were “progressing well.”

The plus points continued with the care scrutiny body noting that the service provided “high quality facilities and resources.”

In addition, the management team led the service “well,” families were “actively involved” in developing the service and staff were “skilled and knowledgeable” about children’s needs.

Doonvale Private Nursery School is registered to provide a daycare of children’s service to a maximum of 57 children at any one time. The service provider is Doonvale Private Nursery School LLP.

An extract from the Care Inspectorate report said: “We found significant strengths in aspects of the care provided and how these supported positive outcomes for children/people.

“Children experienced high quality responsive, nurturing care and support. It was evident through observations that the principles of nurture were embedded in practice and at the heart of the service. This was supported by staff who interacted with children in a warm, sensitive and meaningful way.

"Children responded to staff by smiling and seeking reassurance when needed and it was evident that they were happy, confident and secure. This resulted in a caring and respectful ethos.”

Staff had formed “positive, trusting relationships” with children and knew them very well and there was a “strong focus” on children’s rights.

In the quality indicators relating to staff team, leadership and setting, the nursery was graded ‘very good.’ The same grading was also applied to the nursery’s ability to provide play, care and learning.

The report continues: “The service had created a rich learning environment for children and had developed a strong emphasis to promote ‘a love of learning’. This was evident throughout the service and was embedded in practice.”

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