Care Inspectorate report on St Gabriel's Primary Nursery

The organisation conducted an unannounced inspection of St Gabriel's Primary School Nursery on September 30 and October 1.

The nursery, managed by East Lothian Council, can accommodate up to 72 children aged three to five.

It has a large playroom, sensory room, kitchen area and outdoor play area.

The nursery was rated 'adequate' in the nurturing care and support level and 'good' in the play and learning section.

The staff at St Gabriel's Nursery were noted for fostering a supportive environment, enabling children to feel happy and secure.

The inspection found that personal planning could be improved, as staff often struggled to access and effectively use individual plans for children’s support.

Recommendations include streamlining record-keeping to ensure staff can use these plans more consistently to meet children’s developmental needs.

The inspection also highlighted inconsistencies in play and learning support across the staff.

Further development of the children’s 'Learning Journeys', which document progress and next steps, is recommended for more effective learning tracking.

The nursery’s physical environment was rated 'good' and is designed to support children's independence, safety and comfort.

However, some fixed outdoor features, like immovable boulders, limit flexibility in using the space.

Leadership and quality assurance were rated 'adequate'.

Staff were noted as taking consideration of the children's ideas and suggestions about what they liked and what they would like to change about settings and activities.

The communication with parents through newsletters was seen as a positive.

The inspection noted that recent increases in child enrolment had strained communication with parents, with some parents requesting more regular updates on their child's progress.

It is recommended that the leadership team improve self-evaluation practices, involving families, staff and children to foster a shared vision and enhance overall service quality.

Staffing was also rated 'adequate'.

The staff team felt like they were supported and it was observed that they "worked well together" and busy times of the day were managed well.

The inspection revealed that current staffing levels occasionally compromised consistent support, especially during busy times.

The report concludes with areas for improvement.

These include streamlining and enhancing access to personal plans to better support individual child development, involving families and staff in their child's evaluation process to ensure continuous improvement.

As well as this, assessing staffing needs and developing better deployment practices to improve outcomes for all children, and strengthening induction for new staff and providing professional development to support staff roles effectively would improve the nursery, inspectors said.